The Best Park / Open Space in San Francisco

Adam Rogers Park

Tucked away in the Bayview District, this leafy gem is home to a beloved community garden. The basketball court, playground and BBQ area are all time-honored gathering spots for friends and neighbors. Expansive views of the Bay and Candlestick Park.... more

Alamo Square Park

Alamo Square Park sits on a hilltop with sweeping views of downtown. It's known for being surrounded by the famous Victorian homes that are called the Painted Ladies. The area is popular with tourists, but the park itself is a refuge for people in... more

Alemany Farm

An amazing resource to the Bernal Heights area.   Fun, education, community. Everyone, young or old, experienced or still learning, is welcome to join our community workdays held from 12noon - 5pm every 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month and t... more

Allyne Park

Located next to the historic McElroy Octagon House at Union and Gough, this fenced-in park is frequented by dog owners and parents with children. It is beautifully landscaped with paths, trees, shrubs, flowers, benches, and grassy areas. more

Alta Plaza Park

A broad, tiered staircase climbs the terraced southern slope of this steep hillside park; when you reach the top, you will find panoramic views of the city and Bay. Trees and benches crown the summit, while nearby are a children’s playground, a... more

Aquatic Park

Aquatic Park was built in 1939 as a public bathing club between Hyde Street Pier and Fort Mason. Now the National Maritime Museum is here. A great place to spend a weekend. The braves swim in the chilly waters. Ghirardelli Square and the cable car tu... more

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is a great resource for this area of town. The park has four baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a playground, soccer field (stadium), dog run / field, baskets, an indoor swimming pool and a skate park. ---------- Balboa Park is a neigh... more

Balboa Skatepark

A great enclosed area with ramps, stairs, rails, mounds, walls, and more.   I've seen people with bikes, razors, in-line skates and of course, skate boarders, young and old. The Balboa Skatepark is a great upgrade to Balboa Park in general and... more

Bayview Hill

Various trails give you 360-degree views of the City, San Francisco Bay, San Bruno Mountain, and downtown San Francisco; diverse populations of sensitive plant species; a variety of resident and migratory bird species. more

Bayview Park - Gilroy Steps

Bayview Park supports perhaps the most diverse assemblage of plants and animals in the natural areas system. Its grassland has some of the most beautiful wildflower displays in San Francisco. Other plant communities here include coastal scrub, eucaly... more

Beach Chalet Fields

Beach Chalet Soccer Fields is newly renovated as of 2015, featuring synthetic turf and lights. Almost every weekend soccer fans can catch a game - maybe not a professional game, but fun nonetheless. more

Bernal Cut Path

Bernal Cut Path is a walking / running path that runs from St. Mary's Avenue to Appleton Avenue, on the ridge the runs along San Jose Avenue. The path connects Bernal Heights and the Mid-Mission area with Glen Park. more

Bernal Hill - Bernal Heights Park

Amazing Views. Wonderful walk to the top. Bernal Hill is also a popular dog walk. more

Boeddeker Park

This inner-city sanctuary in the Tenderloin offers a basketball half-court, swings, slide and play structures. The community clubhouse hosts year-round activity programs. more

2 Upcoming events

Buchanan Street Mall

Escape the city streets on this six-block landscaped greenway, dotted with play structures and benches. Buchanan Street Mall borders Rosa Parks Senior Center and Ella Hill Hutch Community Center. more

Buena Vista Park

Great views, a playground, nice lawns and many places to have a picnic. There are some homeless people who sleep in the park and sometimes near Haight Street, people can be seen selling dope. The climb is somewhat severe, so if you're not in gr... more

Burrows Pocket Park (Portola Greenway)

A former dumping ground for trash and gathering spot for "vandals and illicit activity" along the Portola neighborhood's commercial corridor, the cul-de-sac at the beginning of Burrows Street has been transformed into a pocket park. - https://sockets... more

Candlestick Point Recreation Area

From Candlestick Point State Recreation, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, the East Bay Hills, San Bruno Mountain as well as relax in the peaceful scenery of the park itself. Its location on the western shoreline of the San... more

Cayuga Park

Perhaps best known for its sculpture gardens, unique trails, and bustling basketball court, the park also offers visitors a clubhouse, children’s playground, tennis court, ball diamond, and multipurpose, turf area. more

Christmas Tree Point

Great view of the city from up here.   Right below Twin Peaks.   This is where they put the pink triangle during Pride Week. more

Civic Center Plaza - Fulton Plaza

Civic Center Plaza is one of the main gathering spots for rallies, celebrations, protests and gatherings of all kinds take place. The plaza area also flows into Fulton Plaza, the area between the main library and the Asian Art Museum. more

6 Upcoming events

College Hill Learning Garden

The College Hill Learning Garden will educate students about San Francisco’s water, wastewater, renewable-energy and energy-efficiency systems as well as provide hands-on exposure to healthy food cultivation and sustainable living practices. "... more

Conservatory of Flowers

The Conservatory of Flowers is a spectacular living museum of rare and beautiful tropical plants under glass. From Borneo to Bolivia, the 1,500 species of plants at the Conservatory represent unusual flora from more than 50 countries around the world... more

Corona Heights Park

Corona Heights Park is a craggy outcropping located along Roosevelt Way (between Museum Way and 15th Street) and next to the Randall Museum. On the north side of the park is a playground with a children's play structure and a pair of tennis courts. B... more

Cottage Row Mini Park

This tiny neighborhood park offers a dog area and admire the charming Victorians of Cottage Row. It's a short walk from Japantown and the Fillmore District, stroll the landscaped brick pathway. Most of the 22 buildings, listed in the National Regist... more

Crane Cove Park

Crane Cove Park is a seven acre open space along the former industrial shoreline at 18th Street and Illinois. The park includes two historic cranes, as well as the last remaining shipbuilding slipway, which - when complete - will transform into a cen... more

Crissy Field

The restoration of Crissy Field in the Presidio seems nothing short of miraculous. Newcomers to this shoreline just east of the Golden Gate will no doubt be impressed by the beautiful natural setting. Those of us who remember what Crissy Field used t... more

Crissy Field Center

From its setting in a national park, Crissy Field Center offers a wide variety of programs and amenities that connect the diverse population of the Bay Area to urban environmental issues. Working in partnership with the National Park Service and Bay... more

Crocker Amazon

Baseball fields, soccer fields, walking trails and more. The playground features a large play structure with over 50 play elements. * tot-lot with play equipment for toddlers * sunken boat with water play and sand * stage element * fanta... more

Cupid's Arrow

Cupid's Span is an outdoor sculpture by married artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, installed along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California, in the United States. The 60-foot (18 m) sculpture, commissioned by GAP founders Donald and... more

Detroit Steps

The Detroit Steps are a two-block public stairway in Sunnyside, comprising 185 steps that run from Detroit and Hearst to Detroit and Joost, bisected by Monterey Boulevard. - https://www.detroitsteps.org/ more

1 Upcoming events

Dolores Park

One of the more popular parks in the city, Dolores Park has several basketball courts, tennis courts, playgrounds, and grassy hills where locals hang out to relax. Great view of downtown from the top of the hill near 20th and Church streets. Get lun... more

Dore Alley

Duboce Park

Duboce Park is a wonderful little park.  Great dog area, active playground and basketball court.   The Harvey Milk Rec Arts Center at the top of the park is a great resource for the community. --------------- Duboce Park is a smal... more

Dutch Windmill

Sometimes referred to as the "North Windmill", the first Golden Gate Park windmill stands 75 feet tall with 102 foot long spars, and was built to pump up to 30,000 gallons an hour of well water for irrigation purposes. (Before the windmill's erection... more

EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park

The EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park is the first environmental education facility in southeast San Francisco. As a division of bay.org, the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park's mission is to protect, restore, and inspire conservation of San Francisco B... more

El Polin Spring

Located in the heart of the Presidio's largest watershed, Tennessee Hollow, El Polín Spring is central in the area's history. From time immemorial the spring was a source of fresh water for native families. The native Ohlone lived just downstr... more

Emerald Park

In between the high-rise city that has transformed Rincon Hill, a half-acre patch of green gives residents and workers a semblance of calm. more

Espirit Park

This little strip of green is a wonderful urban park in Dogpatch. Usually quite and bordered with trees, the open space is a popular play area for dogs. If you had time, it would be a fine place to picnic before an early Warriors game. more

Esprit Park

Esprit Park is a little patch of green in Dog Patch popular with dog owners. There are a few picnic tables on the side of the park and it's close to the bustle of Chase Center and Third Street. It's a great retreat for lunch goers in one of the sunn... more

UPCOMING EVENTS