San Francisco Cable Cars
The last manually operated cable car system on earth — a gripman still clamps onto an underground moving cable by hand, exactly as riders did in 1873.
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Of the 23 lines built between 1873 and 1890, only three survive. The system is one of just two street railways in the US designated a National Historic Landmark — the other is New Orleans' St. Charles line. The Clay Street Hill Railroad, which ran its first trip on August 2, 1873, became the template for cable car systems worldwide.
What to look for
- The grip car at the front — it carries the mechanical grip that physically clamps onto the underground cable; the operator is still called a "gripman" for this reason
- The California Street line, which runs a separate corridor from the two routes connecting downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf
- Trailer cars being towed behind grip cars — the same split design William Eppelsheimer engineered for the original 1873 Clay Street line
Waits to board can often reach two hours or more; build that queue time into your day.
San Francisco Cable Cars is one of 31 sights worth the detour in San Francisco, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the San Francisco pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in San Francisco
- Golden Gate BridgeOpened May 27, 1937 as simultaneously the world's longest and tallest suspension bridge — you can walk the 4,200-foot main span yourself.
- Alcatraz IslandFor 29 years, cold Bay tidal currents did what bars alone could not — make escape nearly impossible.
- Transamerica PyramidAn 853-foot pyramid that ruled San Francisco's skyline for 45 years — still on the Transamerica logo even though the company quietly moved its HQ to Baltimore.
- Golden Gate ParkSan Francisco turned three miles of bare shifting sand dunes into the country's third-busiest urban park — starting from scratch in 1870.
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)The West Coast's first museum devoted solely to 20th-century art, now stretched across 170,000 square feet after a 2016 expansion that nearly sextupled public space.
- Alcatraz Federal PenitentiaryA 9-by-5-foot cell surrounded by cold bay currents — the federal government once staked its reputation on the claim that no one could leave.