The Best Park / Open Space in San Francisco

Moraga Steps

The steps lead from Moraga up, up, up to GrandView Park, where your reward is a nice view of the western part of the city. more

Find activities and programs for all ages at this full-service Rec Center in the Marina District. The popular facility includes an indoor gym, community rooms, two play areas, a basketball court, two tennis courts, four ball diamonds, a putting green... more

2 Upcoming events

Mount Davidson

Mount Davidson is the highest natural point in San Francisco, California, with an elevation of 928 feet (283 m). It is located near the geographical center of the city, south of Twin Peaks and Portola Drive and to the west of Diamond Heights and Glen... more

Mount Sutro Open Space - Native Plant Nursery

Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve is an ecological oasis in the heart of San Francisco. UCSF owns and manages 61 acres of Mount Sutro and San Francisco Recreation & Parks manages 20 acres on the east side as the open space reaches Stanyan Street. Mount... more

Mountain Lake Park

The Mountain Lake Park is on the edge of Lake Street before it crosses Park Presidio and just down from the Presidio Golf Course.    There's an open meadow with tables and seating.   There's also a playground, tennis courts, and dog ru... more

Muir Woods

Walk among old growth coast redwoods, cooling their roots in the fresh water of Redwood Creek and lifting their crowns to reach the sun and fog. Federally protected as a National Monument since 1908, this primeval forest is both refuge and laboratory... more

1 Upcoming events

Muir Woods Club

The Muir Woods Park Community Association (MWPCA) has a long history of improving the quality of community life on the mountain. The clubhouse and outdoor spaces, which are available to rent, are perfect for everything from weddings and workshops to... more

Murphy Windmill

A gift to the city from banker Samuel G. Murphy, the now-restored Murphy Windmill was the largest in the world when it was built. Able to pump 40,000 gallons of well water a day for park irrigation, its purpose was to save the city from the exorbitan... more

National AIDS Memorial Grove

The National AIDS Memorial Grove, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, is a dedicated space in the national landscape where millions of Americans touched directly or indirectly by AIDS can gather to heal, hope, and remember. Its mission... more

Noe-Beaver Mini Park

Noe-Beaver Mini Park is a cute, little community garden with benches, showcasing beautiful flowers, plants and trees. more

Northridge CommUNITY Garden

Northridge Cooperative Homes is a coopertively owned housing community in Bayview. In 2012, a coalition of residents interested in growing their own food, envisioned a garden on an empty lot within a fenced area of the co-op. They applied for and rec... more

Ocean Beach

The smell of the sea water, the long expanse of grey/beige sandy beach, the bon fires, surfers, runners, bikers and more. It's Ocean Beach. Most of the year, it's cool to cold out in this part of town where the fog sparingly yields to the sun.... more

Palega Recreation Center

This community center offers a wide selection of games, sports, programs and classes, including after school activities for kids. Join a pickup game on the basketball court or soccer field, or take your dog for a run. The playground has climbing stru... more

Palou Phelps Park

This small park has a playground at its northern entrance, the only place where it is flat. The rest of the park is primarily a steep grassland with trails, city views, and habitat for a variety of bird species.  more

Parklab Community Garden

Food gardens are relatable and relevant platforms for program participants to: enjoy natural settings in urban environments, achieve greater access to fresh and healthy food, deepen their understanding of food and ecological systems, gain meaningful... more

Parks at 5M

5M welcomes a central park, children's play area, dog run, and outdoor performance space with free, year-round programming and special events focused on art, neighborhood culture and youth. A pedestrian only retail and cafe paseo runs along its edge,... more

Parque de los Ninos

Parque de los Niños Unidos is a hidden gem in the Mission. The new-ish playground equipment is similar to the equipment at JK and Sunnyside parks. There's a rope jungle gym, a merry-go-round, several swings, a tire swing, a sand pit, and a see... more

2 Upcoming events

Patricia's Green - Hayes Green

Hayes Green replaces the middle lanes of this new Octavia Boulevard. Hayes Green provides seating, green space, and a play structure for the neighborhood. The park serves as a unique space for installation art like the showcase for a temple struc... more

3 Upcoming events

Penguin Statue at Lake Merced

The Penguin Statue is a popular meetup spot for people running, walking, or biking around Lake Merced. To the west of the statue is the bridge that crosses the lake. There's usually plenty of parking. more

Pershing Square

Pershing Square is named after General John "Black Jack" Pershing.   The open area is located next to the Main Post in the Presidio. In the early years of the twentieth century, General John "Black Jack" Pershing was commander of the Presi... more

Pier 14 - Embarcadero

Pier 15 / Pier 15 Plaza

This plaza in front of the Exploratorium allows the public to access a few art / science exhibits like the fog bridge in front of the museum. It's also a nice place to meet up with friends if you're hanging out in the Embarcadero area and it's an op... more

Pier 30/32

Pier 30/32 has sat mostly empty for many years now. It was proposed that the site become the new home of a Warriors' stadium, but that project was blocked by the neighborhood. Since then, the piers have acted as overflow parking, hosted boats racin... more

1 Upcoming events

PIER 39

This San Francisco landmark features some of Fisherman's Wharf's best shopping and attractions. Ride the carousel or watch the sea lions. There are more than 25 one-of-a-kind gift stores that carry automobile, Hollywood, and rock 'n' roll memorabilia... more

Pier 48

With over 110,000 square feet (4 football fields) of entertainment space, Pier 48 is located on the San Francisco Waterfront across McCovey Cove from Oracle Park. Pier 48 comprises two main anchors, Shed A and Shed B, which can be utilized in tandem... more

Pier 7 San Francisco

Pioneer Log Cabin Picnic Area

Playa

Playland at 43rd Avenue

Our mission is to create and maintain a collaborative all-inclusive multi-use community park on 43rd Avenue near Judah. Playland at 43rd Avenue is place to play, connect, create and relax, serving all residents of the Outer Sunset. more

Portsmouth Square

Portsmouth Square, formerly known as Portsmouth Plaza, is a one-block park in Chinatown, San Francisco, California, bounded by Kearny Street on the east, Washington Street on the north, Clay Street on the south, and Walter Lum Place on the west. - ht... more

Potrero Del Sol Park - La Raza Park

At the end of Utah Street, near 25th Street, is Potrero del Sol, otherwise known as La Raza Park. The park has pathways and benches, rolling hills, lawns and trees. The Portrero Skate Park replaced a pond at the lower end of the park. There is plent... more

Precita Park

Located on Precita Avenue, the park cuts a narrow green swath that stretches from Folsom to Alabama Streets. more

Presidio - Main Post

A stretch of green near the Visitor Center and across from the Walt Disney Museum. The Main Post --the heart of the Presidio--marks the site of a Spanish garrison established here in 1776. This historic site served as a Spanish military base for for... more

1 Upcoming events

Presidio Heights Park

While this is not a "plan your day - travel here" kind of park, the renovated park features a great playground and picnic area; plus a full-court basketball court. more

Presidio Trust

The Presidio Trust is an innovative federal agency created to save the Presidio and transform it into a new kind of national park. Spanning 1,500 acres in a spectacular setting at the Golden Gate, the Presidio now operates largely without taxpayer... more

Presidio Visitor Center

The William Penn Mott, Jr. Presidio Visitor Center is a dynamic focal point for park goers to discover the Presidio, a 1,500-acre oasis in San Francisco. more

Progress Park

Progress Park is a thin mini-park that features include meandering paths under the freeway. There are also benches, a pull up bar, a bocce court, and a fenced off-leash dog area. more

Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden

Motorized pumps were first installed in the Dutch Windmill in 1913 to augment the power system, and the Murphy Windmill was electrified soon after. It is commonly believed that the windmills were taken out of service around 1935, after which they beg... more

Randolph Bright Mini Park

Randolph Bright Mini Park is a small little patch of green space that has a play structure. more

UPCOMING EVENTS