13 underrated S.F. parks

26 Jun, 2025

The complete title for today's blog post being: My 13 underrated San Francisco Parks not on Peter Hartlaub's list ::chuckle::

[ That list here in today's SF Chron: Nine underrated San Francisco parks you should visit today ]

[ in process of being annotated; in order of distance to abode ]

1. Fort Mason
   Not exactly a city park, but might as well be one. Fort Mason is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which is managed by the National Park Service; so it's a National Park, I guess? If so, one of the urban ones. I'm fortunate to live near it, of course; and within it, have spent much time in the Fort Mason Community Garden, which is an oasis within the larger oasis of the historical Fort grounds itself. The garden is an utter gem, in so many ways.


2. Francisco Park
3. George Sterling Park
4. El Polín Spring in the Presidio
5. Buena Vista Park
6. Tank Hill Park
7. Mt. Davidson Park
8. Starr King Open Space
9. Potrero Hill Park
10. McKinley Square Park
11. Brooks Park
12. McLaren Park
13. Fort Funston

[ day in progress... ]

[ Two views from Tank Hill on March of this year; top: to the northeast, bottom: to northwest... ]