Sign Hill Park
Park
44 acres0.9 mi of trail
Ridge TrailSeubert TrailIris Hill TrailLetters Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Coolcaesar at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in South San Francisco
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in South San Francisco
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Sign Hill Park (0.9 mi), Westborough Park (0.8 mi), Orange Memorial Park (0.5 mi). 4.7 miles of mapped trail cross South San Francisco, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #389 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
271 acres · of 9.2 sq mi of land
Trails
4.7 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
296 ac
4.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
50 mi
22 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Highest peak
148 ft
Point San Bruno
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is South San Francisco?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South San Francisco have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South San Francisco is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #389 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South San Francisco’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land4.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (296 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13CParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 66%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 54%
Water is more than half of South San Francisco’s area (21 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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.
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 Sign Hill Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oyster Point Marina Park
Park
20 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Sign Hill Park44 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWestborough Park9 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsOrange Memorial Park28 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsOyster Point Marina Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSelick Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSan Bruno Mountain State and County Park34 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · San Mateo County Parks Department
DirectionsBrentwood Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Alta Loma Park7 acres
DirectionsBuri Buri Park4 acres
DirectionsCallan Park2 acres
Paradise Valley Park2 acres · City of South San Francisco
Avalon Park2 acres
DirectionsPoint San Bruno Park2 acres
DirectionsClay Avenue Park1 acres
DirectionsWinston Manor Park1 acres
Paradise Valley Pocket Park1 acres
Jack Drago Park1 acres
DirectionsZamora Park1 acres
Who protects it
271 conserved acres
5% of South San Francisco’s land. Water is left out: South San Francisco has 9.2 square miles of land and 21.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages South San Francisco’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city140 ac
Private owners62 ac
County26 ac
State conservation4 ac
Other state land3 ac
Not recorded34 ac
Local Park · 173 acLocal Conservation Area · 45 acLocal Recreation Area · 27 acLocal Other or Unknown · 17 acState Other or Unknown · 7 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Space Local Conservation Area | Private owners | 45 | Open |
| Sign Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Oyster Point Marina Local Park | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
| San Bruno Mountain State and County Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Orange Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Bay West Cove Specific Plan District Local Other or Unknown | Private owners | 17 | Open |
| Westborough Recreation Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Oyster Point Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Alta Loma Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Hillside Athletic Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
38 places to go in South San Francisco
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South San Francisco
Alta Loma PlaygroundIn Alta Loma Park
DirectionsAvalon Park PlaygroundIn Avalon Park
DirectionsBrentwood Park Playground
DirectionsBuri Buri PlaygroundIn Buri Buri Park
DirectionsCity Hall Tot Lot
DirectionsClay Avenue PlaylotIn Clay Avenue Park
DirectionsCypress and Pine PlaylotIn Cypress and Pine Park
DirectionsDundee PlaylotIn Dundee Park
Directions11 more playgrounds
Francisco Terrace Playlot PlaygroundIn Francisco Terrace Playlot
DirectionsGardiner Park PlaygroundIn Gardiner Park
DirectionsNewman and Gibbs PlaygroundIn Newman and Gibbs Playlot
DirectionsOrange Memorial Park PlaygroundIn Orange Memorial Park
DirectionsOrange Memorial PlaygroundIn Orange Memorial Park
DirectionsParadise Valley PlaygroundIn Paradise Valley Park
DirectionsSellick PlaygroundIn Selick Park
DirectionsSiebecker Playlot
DirectionsTerrabay Playground
DirectionsWinston Manor PlaygroundIn Winston Manor Park
DirectionsZamora Play AreaIn Zamora Park
DirectionsPlus 9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in South San Francisco
Centennial Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in South San Francisco
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in South San Francisco
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in South San Francisco
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in South San Francisco
Point San Bruno148 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in South San Francisco
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Ridge Trail0.3 mi
Seubert Trail0.3 mi
Iris Hill Trail0.2 mi
Letters Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
50 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
22 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
12 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
40Basketball
30Tennis
10Pickleball
9Baseball
2Softball
2Soccer
2Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in South San Francisco: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 58 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 69 | 63 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 4.8 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 71 °F). 4.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in South San Francisco →
Next door
South San Francisco and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Oakland104 miPacifica42 miDaly City8.6 miBrisbane5.0 miSan Bruno4.9 miSouth San Francisco4.7 miColma0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco | 5% | 0.5 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
| San Bruno | 8% | 0.9 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Daly City | 9% | 1.1 | 4 | 96% | A− |
| Colma | under 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C |
| Pacifica | 42% | 3.4 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Brisbane | 5% | 1.7 | 23 | 99% | A |
| Oakland | 15% | 1.9 | 11 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South San Francisco
Where can I hike in South San Francisco?
The longest trail networks: Sign Hill Park, 0.9 miles; Westborough Park, 0.8 miles; Orange Memorial Park, 0.5 miles; Oyster Point Marina Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South San Francisco is conserved land?
5% 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 South San Francisco’s trails?
Sign Hill Park and Westborough Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South San Francisco?
50 miles of bike routes are on the map: 22 of painted or protected lanes, 15 of off-road paths and 12 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near South San Francisco?
20,737 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South San Francisco or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 302 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does South San Francisco have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #389 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 South San Francisco neighbors.
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 →