Parks Worth Visiting in San Francisco

SFWanderlust Team October 24, 2018

Hi – Let’s talk green and peace

Last week we covered some budget figures for short-term travelers and we spoke of allocating different numbers on certain places and experiences to spend your money on. Forget all that for now. This week, we’re going to cheer you up by sharing with you some amazing parks worth visiting in San Francisco; all at no cost (except your time, of course).

Golden Gate Park. Yes – its a thing !

San Francisco and the Bay Area, in general are known for their ecology/nature preservation efforts. That effort is the result of some of our beautiful parks starting with the Golden Gate Park, which we had already covered. As a reminder, the GG Park is the largest public park in San Francisco and is one of the most popular destinations to folks visiting the city. The GG Park hosts several entertainment places and activities including biking, hiking, attending festivals, barbecuing, and visiting the Academy of Sciences natural history museum and De Young museum.

Academy of Sciences on a cloudy day – see that Coit Tower behind

Mission Dolores Park

Second is my favorite, Mission Dolores Park, which lies East of Twin Peaks. This park is famous and popular thanks to several outdoor activity features it offers such as a tennis courts, a basketball court, a soccer field etc. You will also find a children’s playground and this place is dog friendly so regardless of your family structure, you’re covered. We love this park primarily because of its wonderful view of San Francisco’s skyline. Unlike some other viewpoints, Mission Dolores Park lets you see all the modern skyscrapers in the distance, great place to get a family portrait. To get you engaged, there’s always music going on. Last but not least, you’ll find people from all walks of life here so don’t be afraid to engage in conversations.

I, for example, met my best friend, Tom, here in 2010 and it all started when I said sorry to him after my dog ran towards his family to say hi. On another day, I met my employer here. He was hanging out with his colleague on a sunny Saturday and I overheard them talking about my school and name-dropped several folks I knew of so I came by and introduced myself. It’s crazy, isn’t it – these are the experiences that I will never forget. It’s not about getting something, but rather understanding that any small decision you make can make a huge impact. Anyway, the downside is also true. There are always some drunk folks or people trying to sell you something, so use your best judgement.

Dolores Park on an afternoon during construction of Salesforce Tower

Shhh .. Its a secret !

Now you’ll have to promise me you will keep this one secret, OK? This park is my number one park for photography and for appreciating our city’s architecture. Let me introduce you to Ina Coolbrith Park. It’s a super small park situated in between the Russian Hill and Nob Hill neighborhoods. Cross streets are Vallejo and Taylor. You’ll get the best close-up views of San Francisco’s downtown skyscrapers as well as the Bay Bridge. If you arrive at sunrise, you will, for sure, be in for a real treat because throughout the year the sun rises behind the Bay Bridge or behind one of the buildings. I am attaching a few personal photos that I took below.

The only time you won’t be able to see much is if you come on a foggy morning so it’s always a good idea to check the forecast in advance. This is an expensive area and generally safe. I’ve never had an instance of feeling unsafe, but that doesn’t mean the bad guys aren’t out there. Always be careful of your surroundings and try to be as inconspicuous as you can. If you’re bringing your cameras and tripods, have a buddy with you and don’t leave your equipment unattended.

Friendly Reminder

Another thing to keep in mind here is that parking is a huge pain regardless of the time of arrival. There was a time I remember arriving at 5am for sunrise. It literally took me and our team 1 hour to find a spot, a far away spot that required us to hike 30 minutes to get to the park so keep that in mind. Take an Uber or public transportation if possible.

Sunstar rising during sunrise next to the Salesforce Tower.

See ya soon

Thank you for tuning in again. If you’d like to see other posts covering anything San Francisco, from places to visit to food advice and tips and tricks on budgeting, have a look here. Looking forward to introducing you to other Bay Area places that offer excellent views of San Francisco.

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