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U.S. Post Office and CourthouseU.S. Post Office and Courthouse · Photo: James Knox Taylor · Public domain
AOutdoors
Outdoors in San Francisco

23% of San Francisco’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park

Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 154 miles of mapped trail cross San Francisco, 3.3 per square mile of land. 23% of San Francisco’s land is conserved, about 6,937 acres.

Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #137 of 847 in California. What drives it

Conserved land
23%
6,937 acres · of 46.7 sq mi of land
Trails
154 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
6,234 ac
7.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
254 mi
121 mi lanes · 43 mi paths
Highest peak
928 ft
Mount Davidson
Lakes & rivers
36
20 beaches · 16 boat launches

What kind of outdoors town is San Francisco?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does San Francisco have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, San Francisco is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #137 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.

A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of San Francisco’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 84%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, San Francisco ranks #41 on Outdoors.

Water is more than half of San Francisco’s area (185 of 232 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.

Park acres per resident are where San Francisco trails most U.S. towns: 7.5 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 826,079 people share 6,234 acres.

How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.

PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →

The map

Conserved land, trails & bike routes

Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.

12345678
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk

Pick a walk

The longest trail network is Golden Gate Park, with 33.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Golden Gate Park

Managed by City of Oakland
1,002 acres33.4 mi of trail
Fulton TrailPhil Arnold TrailTransverse Drive TrailTransverse Drive Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Presidio of San Francisco

Managed by Presidio Trust;National Park Service;Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
1,502 acres24.8 mi of trail
Coastal TrailBay Area Ridge TrailEcology Trail (upper)Park Trail+1
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

John McLaren Park

Park
348 acres18.2 mi of trail
Green Tunnel
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot

Candlestick Point State Recreation Area

Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
149 acres4 mi of trail
Bay Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Lands End

Park
147 acres3.9 mi of trail
Coastal TrailEl Camino del MarLands End TrailMile Rock Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve

Managed by University of California San Francisco
109 acres3.2 mi of trail
Historic TrailNorth Ridge TrailEast Ridge TrailClarendon Connector Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Glen Canyon Park

Park
80 acres2.7 mi of trail
Islais Creek TrailCoyote Crags TrailGum Tree Girls Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Fort Funston

Managed by National Park Service
182 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 156 parks & preserves
Golden Gate Park1,002 acres · 33.4 mi of trail · City of Oakland
Directions
Presidio of San Francisco1,502 acres · 24.8 mi of trail · Presidio Trust;National Park Service;Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Directions
John McLaren Park348 acres · 18.2 mi of trail
Directions
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area149 acres · 4 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
Directions
Lands End147 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
Directions
Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve109 acres · 3.2 mi of trail · University of California San Francisco
Directions
Glen Canyon Park80 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
Directions
Fort Funston182 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · National Park Service
Directions
Lincoln Park117 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Directions
Bernal Heights Park30 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Directions
Mount Davidson Park37 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Bayview Park62 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
Directions
Buena Vista Park37 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Directions
Sutro Heights Park32 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Directions
Presidio Tunnel Tops15 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Directions
Fort Mason60 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · National Park Service
Directions
Lake Merced Park617 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Directions
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove25 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Directions
Corona Heights Park20 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Directions
Heron's Head Park15 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Directions
Holly Park10 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Crocker Amazon Playground40 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Directions
Saint Mary's Park12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Balboa Park27 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Directions
Sunset Dunes32 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · San Francisco Rec and Park
Directions
Moscone Recreation Center15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Directions
Lafayette Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Directions
Potrero Hill Recreation Center12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Yosemite Slough10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Directions
Parkside Square10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Directions
Jefferson Square5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Brooks Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Pier 94 Wetlands12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Ocean View Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Aptos Playground7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Directions
McCoppin Square5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Kite Hill Open Space2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Sunset Reservoir Park40 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Mission Creek Park22 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Alcatraz Island20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Alta Plaza Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Music Concourse10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Salesforce Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Bayfront Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
George Christopher Playground5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Walter Haas Playground5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Sue Bierman Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Embarcadero Plaza5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Hilltop Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Bayview Playground5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Douglass Playground5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Yerba Buena Gardens2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Garfield Square2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
McKinley Square2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Esprit Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Sydney G. Walton Square2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Outpost Meadow2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Saint Mary's Square2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions
Japan Town Peace Plaza2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Pine Lake Park30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
West Sunset Playground20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Alamo Square7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
China Basin Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Golden Gate Heights Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Youngblood-Coleman Playground5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Francisco Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Parklab5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Sunset Playground5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Edgehill Mountain Open Space5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Miraloma Playground5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Little Marina Green5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Warm Water Cove Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Grand View Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Billy Goat Hill2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Robert Pender Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Tank Hill2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Adam Rodgers Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Starr King Open Space2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bosworth Street Open Space2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Mariposa Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Levi's Plaza2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Junipero Serra Playground2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Bayview Gateway2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Visitacion Valley Greenway2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Progress Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Dogpatch & Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District
Directions
Willie "Woo Woo" Wong Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary60,889 acres · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
North Farallon Islands State Marine Reserve11,091 acres · California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Southeast Farallon Island State Marine Conservation Area8,666 acres · California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Southeast Farallon Island State Marine Reserve3,107 acres · California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary2,062 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge40 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Farallon Wilderness Area40 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Panhandle25 acres
Directions
Mission Dolores Park17 acres
Mountain Lake Park12 acres
Directions
Angelo Rossi Park7 acres
Directions
Cityside Park7 acres
Directions
Pioneer Park7 acres
Directions
China Beach7 acres
Directions
Civic Center Plaza7 acres
Directions
Franklin Square7 acres
Directions
Angel Island State Park5 acres
Marina Green5 acres
Directions
Larsen Park5 acres
Directions
Raymond Kimbell Playground5 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Silver Terrace Playground5 acres
Directions
Palega Recreation Center5 acres
Margaret S. Hayward Playground5 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Gilman Playground5 acres
Directions
Jackson Park5 acres
Directions
Potrero Del Sol Park5 acres
Directions
Joe DiMaggio Playground5 acres
Directions
Mission Bay Commons5 acres
Directions
Union Square5 acres
Directions
Sunnyside Playground5 acres
Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park5 acres
Directions
Marina Plaza2 acres
Directions
Crane Cove Park2 acres · Port of San Francisco
Directions
India Basin Open Space2 acres
Cayuga Park2 acres
Directions
Palou Phelps Mini Park2 acres
Hillpoint Park2 acres
George Sterling Park2 acres
Directions
Cultural Park2 acres
Directions
Signal Point Park2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Ella Hill Hutch Community Center2 acres
Directions
Rolph Nicol Jr Playground2 acres
Directions
Washington Square Park2 acres
Directions
The Crossing at East Cut2 acres
Directions
Panorama Park2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Mission Playground2 acres
Eureka Valley Recreation Center2 acres
Directions
Rocky Outcrop2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Willow Bridge Park2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Brannan Street Wharf2 acres · Port of San Francisco
Directions
Excelsior Playground2 acres
Kelloch-Velasco Park2 acres
Directions
Grattan Playground2 acres
Directions
Little Hollywood Park2 acres
J.P. Murphy Playground2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
West Portal Playground2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Hippie Hill2 acres
Directions
29th & Diamond Open Space2 acres
Shoreview Park2 acres
Clipper Cove2 acres
Directions
Transamerica Redwood Park2 acres
Directions
Bernal Recreation Center2 acres
Directions
Rooftop Park2 acres
Directions
Fillmore & Turk Mini Park2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Minnesota Grove2 acres · Dogpatch & Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District
Directions
Muriel Leff Mini Park2 acres
Directions
Sergeant John Macaulay Park2 acres · San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Directions
Adah's Stairway Garden2 acres
Naples Green2 acres
Turk-Hyde Mini Park2 acres
Directions
Who protects it

6,937 conserved acres

23% of San Francisco’s land. Water is left out: San Francisco has 46.7 square miles of land and 185.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages San Francisco’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Town or city3,540 ac
National Park Service2,846 ac
Joint386 ac
State parks201 ac
Other state land75 ac
Private owners32 ac
Regional agency30 ac
Local Park · 3,221 acNational Recreation Area · 2,796 acLocal Recreation Area · 443 acLocal Other or Unknown · 351 acState Recreation Area · 197 ac
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
National Park Service2,796Open
Golden Gate Park
Local Park
Town or city1,027Open
Lake Merced Park
Local Park
Town or city624Open
McLaren Park
Local Park
Town or city328Open
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
State Recreation Area
State parks197Open
SF Zoological Gardens
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city124Open
Lincoln Park Golf Course
Local Recreation Area
Town or city117Restricted
San Francisco Zoo
Local Park
Joint107Open
Glen Canyon Park
Local Park
Town or city75Open
Yerba Buena Open Space
Local Park
Joint67Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

675 places to go in San Francisco

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Beaches in San Francisco
Crane Cove Beach
Directions
East BeachIn Presidio of San Francisco
Directions
Marshall's BeachIn Presidio of San Francisco
Directions
Mile Rock BeachIn Lands End
Directions

Plus 16 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.

Trails & water

25 named trails and 36 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 15.9 miUnpaved · 85.2 mi
Coastal Trail2.7 mi
Fulton Trail1.9 mi
Bay Area Ridge Trail1.1 mi
Historic Trail0.9 mi
Islais Creek Trail0.6 mi
Ecology Trail (upper)0.6 mi
Mountain Lake Trail0.5 mi
Steep Ravine Trail0.5 mi
Park Trail0.5 mi
Lobos Creek Valley Trail0.5 mi
15 more trails
Coyote Crags Trail
0.5 mi
Ghost Trail
0.5 mi
Sutro Tower Trail
0.4 mi
North Ridge Trail
0.4 mi
Sutro Heights Loop Trail
0.4 mi
Phil Arnold Trail
0.4 mi
Bay Trail
0.4 mi
Transverse Drive Trail
0.3 mi
Batteries to Bluffs Trail
0.3 mi
East Ridge Trail
0.3 mi
Sherwood Road Trail
0.3 mi
Dan's Lost Trail
0.3 mi
Ecology Trail (lower)
0.3 mi
Victory Trail
0.3 mi
Clarendon Connector Trail
0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports

254 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

121 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
43 mi
off-road bike paths
90 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
California Coastal TrailBike route
4 mi
San Francisco Bay TrailBike route
3 mi
Courts & fields
409Basketball
264Tennis
116Baseball
96Soccer
31Pickleball
19Volleyball
12Skate park
11Football

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

201 places on the National Register, 18 of them National Historic Landmarks

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 87 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
★
Old U.S. MintNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1966
About it
★
PresidioNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1966
About it
★
San Francisco Cable CarsNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1966
About it
★
C.A. THAYERNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1966
About it
★
James C. Flood MansionNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1966
About it
★
U.S. Post Office and CourthouseNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1971
About it
★
EurekaNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1973
About it
★
HERCULES (tugboat)National Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1975
About it
★
ALMA (Scow Schooner)National Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1975
About it
★
AlcatrazNational Historic Landmark · District · listed 1976
About it
★
BalcluthaNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1976
About it
★
Bank of ItalyNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1978
About it

189 more on the History page.

Next door

San Francisco and its neighbors

San Francisco has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

TownConserved
of land
Trail mi
per sq mi
Park acres
per 1,000
Near a park
½ mile
Outdoors
San Francisco23%3.3899%+A
Daly City9%1.1496%A−
Brisbane5%1.72399%A
Tiburon56%3.811599%+A+
Alameda7%1.4699%+A−
Richmond34%2.23798%A+
Albany55%3.61099%+A+
Berkeley14%1.6598%A−

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in San Francisco

Where can I hike in San Francisco?

The longest trail networks: Golden Gate Park, 33.4 miles; Presidio of San Francisco, 24.8 miles; John McLaren Park, 18.2 miles; Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, 4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of San Francisco is conserved land?

23% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.

Are dogs allowed on San Francisco’s trails?

OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at John McLaren Park, Lands End and Fort Funston. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in San Francisco?

254 miles of bike routes are on the map: 121 of painted or protected lanes, 43 of off-road paths and 90 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: California Coastal Trail and San Francisco Bay Trail.

Is there public land near San Francisco?

52,613 acres of parks and open public land lie inside San Francisco or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,234 of them inside the city line.

How much outdoors does San Francisco have?

Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #137 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

Trail talk

Conditions, parking and favorite walks from San Francisco neighbors.

Town Square →
Share a tip
Sources

Where this page comes from

Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →