Natural Areas Locator
Click on an area of the map below to find a natural areas park near you.
Northwestern Natural Areas
North Natural Areas
Northwestern Natural Areas
North Natural Areas
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Northeastern Natural Areas
Buena Vista Park
- Location: Buena Vista West & Haight Street
- Established: 1867
- Size: Park: 36.1 acres/Natural Area: 6.1 acres
- Park Type: Oak Woodland
Buena Vista Park is located in the center of the city and is named for the spectacular views from its upper slopes. It is the oldest park in San Francisco and features secluded, winding trails and one of the city's few remaining coast live oak groves. Buena Vista's natural area is on the park's northern side. Read more >>
Park Features:
Corona Heights
- Location: Roosevelt & Muesum Way
- Established: 1930s
- Size: Park: 12.6 acres/Natural Area: 9.6 acres
- Park Type: Grassland
This park has some of the best views in San Francisco, but don't overlook the wonderful wildflower display that carpets the grasslands each spring. Read more >>
Park Features:
Kite Hill
- Location: Yukon & 19th Street
- Established: 1976
- Size: Park: 2.5 acres/Natural Area: 2.5 acres
- Park Type: Grassland
Kite Hill, a small park in central San Francisco with excellent views of the city, is home to a grassland plant community. During summer and early fall, the land is parched and golden brown, and native grasses drop their seeds and await the winter rains. By February, the hill transforms to a verdant green. In spring a variety of native wildflowers, including California poppy, checkerbloom, Ithuriel's spear and soap plant add color to the grassland. Read more >>
Park Features:
Lake Merced
- Location: John Muir Drive, Skyline Boulevard, and Lake Merced Boulevard
- Established: 1930
- Size: Park: 614.0 acres (including water)/Natural Area: 395.0 acres
- Park Type: Dunes/Wetland
Lake Merced, a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco, is a major water, recreational, and natural resource for the City and County of San Francisco and the surrounding area. It is also an important stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. More than 250 species of birds can be seen throughout San Francisco during the year, most of which migrate from as far as South America to the Arctic and back. Many of these migrating birds stop only briefly at Lake Merced to feed and rest as they continue their journey to the north or south; others mate, build nests, and nurture a new generation of young birds in San Francisco before returning to their wintering grounds elsewhere. Read more >>
Park Features:
Lakeview & Ashton Mini-Park
- Location: Shields & Orizaba Street
- Established: 1976
- Size: Park: 0.5 acres/Natural Area: 0.5 acres
- Park Type: Grassland
This rocky outcrop is part of a ridge of sandstone in the Merced and Ingleside Heights neighborhoods. While the park is very small, its grassy and rocky slopes are home to a variety of native plant species, including buckwheat, dudleya, farewell-to-spring, coast onion, and soap plant. This diversity of plants means there are flowers in bloom at Lakeview-Ashton Mini Park through most of the spring and summer. This wide window of flower availability provides a crucial long-term food source for many local butterflies and other insects. In 2003, a locally rare arboreal salamander was found hiding amongst the rocks. This relatively large brown salamander, four inches long when mature, has a whitish belly that in juveniles is darker and covered with light-blue spots. Arboreal salamanders have tails that are well adapted for grasping branches to help climb trees.
Park Features:
McLaren Park
- Location: Mansell Street between Sunnydale and Visitacion Avenues
- Established: 1927
- Size: Park: 312.6 acres/Natural Area: 165.3 acres
- Park Type: Grassland/Creek/Wetland
McLaren Park, the second largest park in San Francisco, was named for John McLaren, the superintendent of Golden Gate Park from 1887 to 1943. It includes a natural area rich in native plants and animals, as well as playgrounds, lawns and planted gardens, a golf course, tennis courts, and an amphitheater. Read more >>
Park Features:
Mt. Davidson
- Location: South of Portola Drive, adjacent to Juanita Avenue and Dalewood Way
- Established: 1929
- Size: Park: 40.2 acres/Natural Area: 40.2 acres
- Park Type: Grassland/Exotic Forest
At 938 feet, Mount Davidson is the highest point in San Francisco. Its most noticeable feature, aside from its height, is the 103-foot concrete cross at its peak. Seen from above, there is a clear division between the mountain's eucalyptus forest on the west, and coastal scrub and grassland on the east. Mount Davidson has both significant natural and recreational resources. The diversity of vegetation provides habitat for a wide range of migratory and resident birds, including 18 locally sensitive species. Myriad trails traverse the western slopes, where the densely overgrown vegetation and fog drip give a hiker the feeling of being in a rainforest. Read more >>
Park Features:
O'Shaughnessy Hollow
- Location: O'Shaughnessy Boulevard & Elk Street
- Established: 1986
- Size: Park: 3.8 acres/Natural Area: 3.8 acres
- Park Type: Grassland/Coastal Scrub
This steep cliff towering above O'Shaughnessy Boulevard has beautiful grasslands and magnificent rocky outcrops. The folds and fractures within the chert are some of the most dramatic in San Francisco. Although technically a different park, O'Shaughnessy Hollow is only separated from Glen Canyon by a road, and its grassland and scrub plant communities are quite similar. See the description of Glen Canyon Park [make this a hotlink] for more information.
In the early 1980s, the area was considered for the development of 16 single-family homes. Ultimately, these parcels were purchased by the City and County of San Francisco with Open Space Funds to preserve this area's natural biodiversity.
Park Features:
Palou & Phelps Park
- Location: Intersection of Palou Avenue and Phelps Street
- Established: 1995
- Size: Park: 2.5 acres/Natural Area: 2.1 acres
- Park Type: Grassland
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. During summer and early fall the land is parched and golden brown, and native grasses drop their seeds and await the winter rains. By February the hills transform to a verdant green, and in spring a variety of native wildflowers, including California poppy, blue-eyed grass, checkerbloom, and mules ears add color to the grassland.
A Catholic orphanage sat at the summit of this park until the 1960s and a Caltrain tunnel currently runs directly below its slopes.
Park Features:
Pine Lake
- Location: Crestlake Drive & Wawona Street
- Established: 1930s
- Size: Park: 31.9 acres/Natural Area: 8.4 acres
- Park Type: Wetland/Riparian
Pine Lake Park, in western San Francisco and contiguous with Stern Grove, is an elongated valley with steep, forested slopes. Pine Lake is one of the few remaining natural lakes in San Francisco and is fed by the same aquifer as Lake Merced. The willow, tule and other wetland plants that ring the lake provide habitat for a variety for resident and migratory bird species. A trail encircles the lake providing opportunities for viewing birds. Read more >>
Park Features:
Rocky Outcrop
- Location: 14th Avenue and Funston Avenue
- Established: 1988
- Size: Park: 1.6 acres/Natural Area: 1.6 acres
- Park Type: Dune
This steep, rocky park has beautiful examples of Franciscan chert. The rocks are home to a variety of plants, including two native succulents, dudleya and stonecrop. Stonecrop is the host plant for the San Bruno elfin butterfly, a federally listed endangered species. Rock Outcrop is a small park, but it offers habitat for a variety of wildlife. Read more >>
Park Features:
Sharp Park
- Location: East of Highway One and South of Sharp Park Road, Pacifica
- Established: 1917
- Size: Park: 411.0 acres/Natural Area: 237.2 acres
- Park Type: Wetland
Sharp Park is in Pacifica but is managed by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. The park's natural area encompasses diverse habitats, including coastal wetlands, coastal scrub, forest, and grasslands. It is situated between two regionally significant open spaces, Milagra and Sweeney Ridges, and supports populations of federally listed species such as the California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake and mission blue butterfly. Read more >>
Park Features:
Tank Hill
- Location: Clarendon Avenue & Twin Peaks Boulevard
- Established: 1977
- Size: Park: 2.9 acres/Natural Area: 2.9 acres
- Park Type: Grassland
Tank Hill is one of San Francisco's secret treasures. Its name comes from the Clarendon Heights Water Tank, built in 1894 by the Spring Valley Water Company to store drinking water pumped from Laguna Honda. Tank Hill became city property in 1930 when Spring Valley was acquired to establish the San Francisco Water Department. The prominent water tank was removed in 1957, and all that remains is its round foundation. Residents remember seeing goldfish flowing down Belgrave Avenue when the old tank was drained. In 1960 Tank Hill was sold as surplus property for $230,000. In 1977, developers proposed building 20 houses, but the community convinced the city to buy the hill back with $650,000 from the recently created Open Space Fund. Read more >>
Park Features:
Twin Peaks
- Location: Twin Peaks Boulevard
- Size: Park: 34.1 acres/Natural Area: 31.1 acres
- Park Type: Grassland/Coastal Scrub
At 922 feet in elevation, Twin Peaks is second only to Mount Davidson in height, offers spectacular views of the Bay Area, and is a world-famous tourist attraction. Originally called "Los Pechos de la Choca" (Breasts of the Maiden) by early Spanish settlers, these two peaks provide postcard views and a treasure trove of animal and plant diversity. Most visitors to Twin Peaks drive (or take a tourist bus) to the north peak parking lot to enjoy 180-degree views of the Bay Area. Unfortunately, many of them miss an opportunity to experience the coastal scrub and grassland communities on this 64-acre park. Similar to the Marin Headlands, Twin Peaks gives us an idea of how San Francisco's hills and peaks looked before grazing and then development changed them forever. Read more >>
Park Features:
City & County of San Francisco