San Francisco Bay Trail Planning and Design
Bay Area, CA
Project Summary
The San Francisco Bay Trail is one of the nation’s most ambitious regional trail networks: a planned 500-mile pedestrian and bicycle path that circles the San Francisco Bay. With more than 350 miles already complete, the full Bay Trail will offer connections to 47 cities in nine counties, across seven toll bridges, and through more than 130 parks.
Toole Design has supported the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) through a suite of planning and design efforts that are shaping the next chapter of the Bay Trail. Across multiple projects, our work has helped MTC and its partners better understand the trail’s history, define a more equitable vision for its future, and translate that vision into practical guidance for implementation. Read on to learn more about our projects.
Expertise Applied
BUilding an Equitable Foundation
Our work began with the Bay Trail Equity Strategy Briefer. As part of a larger multi-phase effort, we examined academic literature; historical documents and archives; videos and firsthand accounts; newspapers; maps; audio stories; and other documentation to tell the story of the Bay shoreline and the Bay Trail as they relate to equity.
To ground this research in lived experience, our team also conducted twelve oral history interviews with long-time residents, including representatives from the disability community and the Bay Area’s Native American and Indigenous community. These conversations helped document key themes, personal histories, and community perspectives that may not appear in traditional planning records.
Published in 2023, the resource helps Bay Trail decision-makers understand and address historic inequities, avoid repeating and reinforcing mistakes of the past, and develop an accessible and welcoming Bay Trail for all residents.
Designing a Consistent Trail Experience
More recently, Toole Design led a team of consultants to update MTC’s Bay Trail Design Guidelines and Toolkit. Released in July 2025, the toolkit reflects the agency’s new goals and guiding principles while providing practical guidance for implementing new trail miles and upgrading existing segments.
To support a more consistent, high-quality trail experience across this varied network, Toole Design developed new content, standard details, and clear, visually engaging graphics rooted in national best practices, including the AASHTO Bike Guide. The updated toolkit delves deeper into the Bay Trail’s unique contexts, with guidance on trail typologies, linear design elements, site-specific treatments, trail support facilities, landscape and ecological design, equitable access, universal design, and climate adaptation and resilience.
