An underrated park for sure! As a Bay Area native, GGP is generally my go-to park, but McLaren definitely falls second, slowly becoming one of my favorites. There is a ton of free parking available at different points of the park, along with restrooms, picnic tables, and benches. There's a variety of different terrain (flat concrete, grass, hilly dirt trails) in the park, making it suitable for dog walks, running, hiking, cycling, and recreational sports. It is far less busier than GGP, which can be great if you're opting for a peaceful stroll in nature. Although not as polished as GGP, the park is maintained fairly well. I would highly recommend this park if you're looking for a quieter, less crowded peaceful retreat in the city. I also suggest previewing the map first, as there are tons of different parks within the park, based on the activity you're going for. read more

See all

A hidden gem. This parks is triangulated within the Excelsior, Portola, and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods and offers plenty of greenery and pathways as well amenities including but not limited to basketball courts, playgrounds, tennis/pickleball courts, and picnic areas throughout the park. It even has an amphitheater plus offers majestic city views from different parts of the park. read more

See all

One of my friends hosts her kids birthday parties here and other friends friends do too. There are different park/party areas. Parking is super easy, the playgrounds for the children are huge and spacious. Plenty of tables and space to host a large party of over 50-100 people! The park is huge, not too far off the freeway. There are hiking trails and also dog park/walking areas and people also run around the area too. read more

John McLaren Park - Pond/trail - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

I ventured to this park in search of a stroller friendly environment for my 6 week old. This park popped up on a recommended list found online. I loved the convenience of parking and the greenery and view. A car parked beside us and a group of people started smoking weed so I suppose this is a meeting spot to do that as well. Found the philosophers trail but quickly realized that it was not stroller friendly so headed towards the other side of the park with picnic tables. The rocky path was decent but still caused my baby's head to wobble a bit. I looped up the paved path between picnic benches and ended my walk there since it was incredibly windy and chilly. I recommend this park for a lunch date or a stroll (without a stroller). read more

I love everything's about this expansive park! The scenery, many trails to walk, seeing art the doggies (I think this must be the biggest dog walking park in the city). Each time I visit I am not disappointed. The gardens and paths are well maintained, there are several playgrounds for children and some beautiful mosaic tile. read more

See all

It's a lovely park for everyone. Come and check it out. It's a family picnic. Has picnic tables barbecue grill. Lovely ponds to feed the ducks. Public bathroom read more

The past four years I've been commuting between Fresno and San Francisco, and not until this August am I finally back living in the city! It's amazing to me how many parks and hikes there are within San Francisco itself. As much of a city this place is it has amazing nature and it's never too far away. Take for example, John McLaren Park! Friend of mine suggested that I should visit and on one of these amazing sunny days I did just that. She mentioned a hike called the Philosophers Way Trail. It's called that because it's meant to inspire appreciation of nature and all the life within the forest. It's a beautiful 2.2 mile trail with about 300 ft elevation. I noticed lots of dog walkers and dogs that were off leash, which honestly was a bit concerning as I also saw some big coyote's. There are views of all parts of the city, from the Bay Bridge, to south city, to the San Bruno Mountains. Besides that trail, there are plenty more to do. There are also small spaces for events and plenty of parking. Picnic tables and bathrooms! I was there around 11am and was able to see the sun breaking through various parts of the tall trees and smelled a lot of eucalyptus as well. Overall, go! I plan on visiting again and definitely checking out some other trails. 10/10 for me! read more

See all

Huge park that is only second to Golden Gate park. It is a hidden gem in plain sight here in the city. This is a great place to take your dog for a walk. Huge areas and trails. Old shady trees and best of all views for days. This park is on a hilly area. If you are really out of shape you might not like it... because along with the hills are very long distances. Somehow if you look at this place on a map it is easy to dismiss its vast area. Playground and picnic tables. Many benches in case you get tired and need a break. I try to walk about an hour a day and there is probably nothing better than a walk here. You can escape car exhaust fumes and see lots of green areas. There is a small garden and nearby some white lily flowers that pop up nearby. I found few trash cans - and the ones there were overflowing. People were good about putting stuff right next to it though. The grassy areas are mostly weeds. With all the hills I imagine its difficult to mow or really plant something better - nor with the square footage would it be possible. There are some nice touches here and there. Some mosaic tile work and a fountain that is a nice focal point with the bay and city skyline view behind it. So many photo opportunities. Its not that far from downtown. If you live and work in the city this might just be a quick escape for you after the small apartment and cubicle life. read more

See all

Please please please keep this hidden gem hidden. Love the trails. Very bike friendly. Parking is easy, though I'm usually biking here.

Philosopher's Way is a good, scenic 2.2 mile hike that takes about 1 hour to complete. The park is huge and has various views of San Francisco and Daly City -- some are breathtaking (downtown San Francisco), some are hmmm (Cow Palace and Daly City industrial rooftops). The elevation is mild, so it's a reasonable workout. There are several spots to take a break, with an amphitheater, a playground, picnic tables, and several viewpoints. The only thing that I don't like about hiking here is that you have to cross trafficked roads several times (1 star off). It's like once you feel relaxed with a nice view, all of a sudden you come upon a road with trucks driving by and have to interrupt your serenity so not to be killed by these trucks. Repeat the same feeling three more times. The dogs on the trail don't seem to have a problem with any of this though. read more

Incredibly large park with so much to do! Has anything and everything you need and is not very well known. Golf, lake with ducks, views of the city and many pups plus tennis courts and basketball courts read more

Love how convenient it is to walk through this park! I thought it was interesting that depending on which side of the park you are walking, the environment is different. Near the parking area, you get a really nice view of SF and it's more long grass/less trees. But once you start walking down the hills, it's all tall trees and greenery everywhere! The park is also a lot bigger than I thought - I've probably visited at least 5 times already and I still haven't covered the entire park yet! read more

Ditch the maps and follow the Philosophers Stone to follow an easy/moderate ~3 mile hike with magnificent 360° of San Francisco. Loved this hike that called out unique spots to stop at and learn more about the City. read more

See all

Great park to bring your dog and go on a nice walk. Plenty of trails and tons of amazing views. Bring a snack to enjoy at one of the many picnic tables also has a a number of playgrounds and even an amphitheater with shows in the summer. read more

John McLaren Park - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

Did you know this is the third largest park in the city after Golden Gate Park and the Presidio? And yet, until recently, my only exposure to it was from a speeding MUNI bus that I thought was going to SoMa. I was mistaken, and my transit angst spilled over to an unfair impression I had that the park was overgrown and not well-tended. It took the pandemic for me to return in my constant search for new places to walk in the city. The park offers the poetically named Philosopher's Walk which circles the park in a 2.7-mile path, half of it paved and the other half either flattened dry gravel or just plain dirt surrounded by plenty of foliage. It's a pleasant enough walk offering panoramic views at certain points like the southern rim where you can see the bay and San Bruno Mountain or from the watertower bluff where you can view downtown in the distance. I have to confess I got confused the first time I followed the path. I thought some of the stone markers were hard to track or plain confusing when they showed two arrows in different directions. Ugh, don't give me choices. I'm neither Lewis nor Clark in my navigational ineptitude, so I sometimes took wrong turns. I just figured what the hell, it added more steps on my FitBit. I was a pro by my second visit and even managed detours to the duck pond where I shared the path with curious dogs. There are other attractions you would expect at a city park this big like a huge playground if you have restless toddlers. There are the expected tennis courts and picnic areas. It's also big enough to offer other trails and paved roads to easily accommodate cyclists and walkers concurrently. I agree that the location feels remote if you don't live in the surrounding neighborhoods, but it wasn't difficult if you have a car. Just take the Paul Avenue exit and drive west on Mansell until you see the park. There's a convenient parking lot to the left, and as luck would have it, this is where the Philosopher's Walk begins. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nU read more

See all

I never knew such a magnificent park existed in SF, comparable to Golden Gate Park. I visited this park to attend SFMOMA's Soapbox Derby!! A festival and show of unique creations racing down the curves of Shelley Drive, with crowds of spectators cheering them on while enjoying, music, food, sunshine, and the occasional crash and tumble along the "cheese grater" (pot holes near the finish line posing a challenge for racers).... See my SFMOMA review for more on the Soapbox Derby. If not for this event, I wouldn't have discovered this amazing park. So I'm really grateful, because there is so much to love. So much greenery, countless leafy trees creating a forest flowing into hilly fields of grass for kids to run around or couples to picnic along. So many trails winding throughout the park and so much to explore. McLaren seems to be a lot hillier than GGP, some pathways with steeper inclines, which can be a bit tiresome climbing uphill, but more than ideal for hikers who prefer more of a challenge. The walk to the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater from Shelley Drive is one of those uphill challenges, but not too terrible. A clean restroom right next to the amphitheater, but no trash bins in the women's (neither in the stalls nor in the restroom itself), pretty inconvenient IMO to have to exit to find a trash can. The park is definitely much larger than what the map looks like, so expect to walk a lot while trekking from one point to another at this park. There's quirky detail like sea creature climbing structures for kids, a playground, tennis courts, golf course, paved and dirt pathways, lakes and creeks, gorgeous views of the city on a clear day, and "lover's rock." I only saw one small parking lot, though there may be another lot somewhere on other sides of the park. There's plenty of street parking within the surrounding neighborhood too. Great park to get lost in nature, and perfect setting for special events, especially a rarity like the Soapbox Derby :) read more

See all

I really liked this park! A very diverse collection of areas to explore. A tennis court, a large field of grass, a playground for kids, a pond with a bunch of ducks & turtles, a wooded area for hiking, and beautiful city lookout, picnic tables, and your standard hiking trail. We were only there for an hour and discovered that much. The park looks pretty large! We will go again. Just a few oddities we found after walking our dog when we got home. She smelled really strange. I'm guessing it's due to the highly populated bird area. Kya had been suspiciously rolling around in a patch of grass near the pond and we suspect it had geese poop smeared all over. She also ran through some tall grass and plants which may have caused the stench on her face. Weird! Also! Beware of the poison ivy in the wooded area. We aren't 100% sure but a few plants look similar. We kept Kya away from the vegetation in those areas. I'd recommend John McLaren Park! read more

See all

Where do I start? McLaren park is huge! I guess that is how to start... Lots of big trees, hills and trails to challenge every hiking level ability. There are wide paved trails and also a couple roads that are closed to traffic, so you can easily social distance while enjoying the park. Most people were wearing their face coverings...thank you! Clean restrooms and a great number of picnic tables are scattered all around the park. And the views!!! WOW We could see Mt. Diablo!!! This is a great park worth checking out. read more

John McLaren Park - Great place to escape the crowds and have a picnic - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

I don't usually get down to this part of the city but after seen John Mclaren Park in the distance from many other hikes I've done like Bernal Heights, Mt. Davidson, or Twin Peaks I wanted to check it out. At 317 acres it's pretty big, the second biggest park in the city after Golden Gate Park but way less crowded and easier to find parking. The Philosopher's Walk is the most comprehensive trail around the park. It's around 2.5-3 miles but there are so many different little trails intersecting that you can veer off and develop your own path. There's always something new to explore. Some highlights of the park are the pond or Maclaren Upper Resevoir that is really popular for dogs to jump in and the water tower which looks out towards the city. I love city views and much of the hike overlooks different parts of the SF and the South Bay. The downtown skyline is a bit farther but you really get to see up close other parts that most people forget about like Portola, Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, and Crocker-Amazon. read more

See all

Wonderful huge sprawling park with everything you could want! There is a duck pond with playground and picnic tables, pickle ball/tennis/basketball courts, quiet fields, dog parks, hiking trails, and more! Lots of restrooms scattered throughout. Many off leash dogs play here so be careful if you have a reactive dog. Love hanging out here! read more

Such a huge park right here in San Francisco! Beautiful view of the city. Large enough that you can social distance. Finding parking is easy. You maybe get lost if you're meeting up with friends unless you drop a pin! As this has many different ways to enter the park. Large area for dogs and picnic tables by the pond! Seeing as this is San Francisco, you can get really cold read more

John McLaren Park - View from Park - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

4 stars for the nostalgia factor, having visited many areas of this park as a child. It's cleaned up nice over the years. Parking on nice days can be difficult but street parking a few blocks away is usually okay. Came one weekend to hold a memorial. We did due diligence by looking up table areas that needed reservations. We found an area that did not appear to be reservable, but after setting up for the memorial, we were approached by two different sets of groups saying they had the entire area reserved. If only SF Park and Recs could make their app/website more user friendly, it would make the picnicking areas more enjoyable and less likely to be "drama" between park guests who reserved and didn't. Gone are the days of just pulling up, laying out a blanket and firing up the park bbq grills. read more

Very nice place to walk around. There are a couple of different parking lots and on Sundays Mansell Drive is closed to cars so easy to walk. There are trails, some wider than others, and hills. This is not a flat park if walking is difficult. Also on the trails strollers would have a hard time as there are rocks and bushes on the dirt trail that you have to walk around. The reservoir was quite nice. We brought bird seed and fed the ducks. Please note, this is an off leash park so many people had their dogs running around. This was especially distracting at the reservoir as we were trying to relax, feed the ducks and enjoy the sun. Some owners were letting their big dogs chase the ducks in and out of the water and one dog upon exiting the water decided to shake right at us and we got wet. The owners just don't seem to care. read more

See all

Hidden gem. On the south eastern quadrant of SF. Accessible for everyone: hikers, walkers, strollers. Several tennis and basket ball courts and ponds. The Blue Water Tower is cool too. Water fountains and bathrooms are scarce: pack plenty of water. Like any major city: sundown time could be sketchy. read more

A great park to go exploring in! There are many different paths with various terrain to walk on. The park is huge so I used Google maps as well as their own posted map to kid of gauge where I wanted to go. There is a bathroom near the ampitheater, pretty clean with toilet paper and soap, but no towels. You can walk from any of their entrance points or take the 29 bus right to the center. Go check this place out and see what you find! read more

See all

This is a boring park. Not very pretty. The upper reservoir barely has ducks or birds. There's a trail around the pond but the trees from the side are clearly overgrown and unkept. Seems no one maintains the shrubs. You'll have to duck in several areas to get under the trees to keep moving through. Parking is available but a bit confusing how to get to depending on your entrance, which side you're coming in from. read more

If you've got cabin fever from the lockdown and you love dogs, do yourself a favor and come take a hike here. Look for the lake in the upper reservoir. Seems like all the dogs love this lake, including many who love to jump into the lake to fetch all kinds of things back for their owners. There are lots of trails and miles of open space for you to explore. They also have a strip of flat bike area for kids to burn off some energy if they're not into trails. Picnic spots are also open. Parking was not a problem. Note: Philosopher's trail was a huge disappointment. Just open dry weeds with some stones spread out for you to read. read more

John McLaren Park - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

As good as it gets! OK, maybe not quite, but I miss Yelp's old rating-helper, which wasn't as helpful as its current rating-helper, but which had more pizzazz. McLaren Park is spectacular. I've only explored maybe 3 percent of it, so while the remaining 97 percent could technically be full of nuclear-waste repositories and soul-eating trolls that live under bridges and way too many spandex-biker guys, it's probably also spectacular, so I'll hedge my bets by stating the obvious: It's too good a place to wait to review until I've explored it entirely, much like Golden Gate Park. You probably think you already know a lot about it; I know I thought I did. It's much hillier than it looks, but what really surprised me after a couple of visits was the sheer number of unexpected views in all directions. I knew the view of the Peninsula was good, but the view of Downtown San Francisco is also worth trekking out here for, and the good news is, you don't need to trek that far from your car to take in that view. I need to spend much more time here. read more

John McLaren Park - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Came here this past weekend for a friend's Baby Shower. I was born and raised in SF, and never knew about this park in my life. I had never even been to this neighborhood before in my life. It was quite a nice park actually, with stellar views of San Francisco and Bay Bridge. There were lots of areas for picnicking, and also BBQ, perfect for the large gathering we had with friends and family. There were quite a few different playgrounds too, great for kids. The only reason why I dock 1 star is for the large number of mosquitoes here....super disgusting. I got more mosquito bites here than my recent vacation to Maldives. Now that's saying something! read more

Nice park that has something for everyone (families, friends, hikers, etc). There's a pond with turtles, ducks and other aviary friends; a few basketball and tennis courts; lots of open green areas to have a picnic or run around; a few nice trails that will probably take 1-2 hours to walk. You can get a nice view of SF at the top. Plenty of street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. Overall, it's a solid park and a great location to meet and hang out with a group of people. read more

John McLaren Park - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went for an amazing hike on the early morning of 8/21/22 at John McLaren Park in San Francisco. There are beautiful views of the SF Peninsula, a cute duck pond, gorgeous playground with picnic benches and grills, and big towering Redwood trees. I was surprised when I turned a corner to see children rebuilding a torn down maze made of rocks. This park has a little of everything to see. My personal favorite was the playground structure that looked brand new and really clean for the kiddos to run around and a huge fun slide. I'll have to remember this park as a possible place to have my kid's birthday. Luckily, I was able to locate some public restrooms thanks to my Google maps. All I did was search for public restrooms and it led me straight to it. I spent a good 4 hours walking all over this trail. I recommend parking right off of Persia Ave. read more

See all

This park is very clean! Had a spot with bbqs and picnic tables. The bbqs are closed during Covid but I'd like to return and grill here. The playground area is more for little kids, my 10 year old daughter got bored of it quick. read more

See all

McLaren park...I want to be more familiar with this park and do stop by from time to time. It has improved over these last many years, but still lacks some energy if I can term it that way...there are no businesses adjacent to the park and it often it seems deserted...some of this may be due to the proximity to hard working neighborhoods where people don't have the luxury to just hang out. I will continue to stop by when I am near. read more

This park is probably SF's best kept secret! I can't believe I lived in SF for 9 years and didn't know about McLaren Park until I moved nearby. You can easily get a 3-5 mile hike in here by taking advantage of the entire park. There are plenty of trails and some beautiful views of downtown. The Field of Dogs is one of many spots with nice views. Some other notable spots: - Upper Reservoir (dogs are allowed to swim here!) - Blue Water Tower (possibly the highest spot, great views) - Lover's Rock (mini hill on the southern end of the park, as usual, great views) There are multiple playgrounds (this is by no means an all-inclusive list): - Peru Playground (has picnic tables, a view of downtown) - Redwood Grove Playground (newest one, with a very tall slide & climbing structure, better for older toddlers. Has a nice public bathroom) - Lois Sutter Playground (has sand, is smaller, but also is by a duck pond the kiddos will enjoy) - Crocker Amazon/Purple Park Playground (a smaller/older one with sand by Italy/Moscow, and a bigger newer one at Geneva/Moscow) On the weekends, John F Shelley Dr is closed to cars. However it's quite hilly! We decided to bike it but it was quite a workout. Beware of coyotes. We've had several run-ins with my dogs, and reports of sightings are all over Nextdoor! read more

I loved this park! There's a number of different paths and short cuts. Just be careful and if you get off the main path and end up at the golf course, you can't access the parking lot above the golf course from inside the golf course area. lol We walked around an extra hour and 2.5 miles to make up a loop instead of just going back out the same way we walked in! Bahahaha! What a great adventure! read more

See all

I like discovering new spots. Since the pandemic hit, I've been looking for new parks in the area. This place dawned on me since I was volunteering last year at the Herz playground for an event. This park gives a semi panoramic view of SF; it's hidden in a residential neighborhood. It's less popular than GGP or Presidio but still worthy to come check it out. There are shady areas and some hills. My son enjoyed riding his bike here given the semi steep terrains good for mountain biking. There is also a large park (new equipment!) that hopefully will open soon? Easy parking. I didn't make it to the water tank area. Many dogs were off leash. read more

See all

Did a stairway walk at this park and was surprised to learn that it was the second largest park in Sf (318 acres) and one least known, according to the SF stairway book. A beautiful park and so under utilized. Came here and walked around the theatre, a small lake and a kids playground. The famous blue water tank had an amazing view and is easy to hike to. There is even a carpark, nearby if you prefer to drive up there, instead of walking. Although the park is beautiful, there were areas where there is no one around and I felt a little uneasy. However, it was a little more crowded near the tower. Definitely a beautiful park to walk the dog and take the family out for a walk or BBQ. read more

John McLaren Park just doesn't get the credit it deserves. Being a large park in San Francisco, it has many amenities I bet you never knew about. Being that it's sunny in those parts often, I thought I'd write a review about it. First of all they have a beautiful little pond with a walking trail around it, perfect picnic grounds for BBQ's and birthday parties. They have a great little playground, basketball and tennis courts and Softball and Baseball Diamonds I've played at many times. They also have a lake and a reservoir, a golf course, picnic areas, playgrounds, an indoor swimming pool, a soccer field, dog play areas, and an amphitheater. You wouldn't realize that the park can hold all of that, but it is over 312 acres! I have held a couple family birthday barbeques here, because I can always find a picnic table without reservation. It's nice and private with ample parking. Recently on a rare SF warm day, I hit the grass for a little relaxation in the sun. It inspired me to visit the park more often and take advantage of the beautiful surroundings. read more

John McLaren Park - Parks Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Many lovely trails wind through the wooded areas of this lovely Park. So easy to drive in, suit up and jog and ride the bike trails... *cough* So I've heard. Don't tell anyone that I kept driving--I was after the scenic view if only to have some pics for Yelp. Best part is the stiff breeze that frequently blasts through here like a wind tunnel. Many families, dog owners and school groups seem to share this park which is the second largest in San Francisco after Golden Gate Park. There are quite a few lookout points including one framing downtown. I've been told to be take care driving through here after dark. read more

See all

McLaren park became our favorite escape - tucked out of the way, high up on a hill between The Portola and Excelsior that gives views from the bay to downtown to the ocean depending on which point you have found. The trails are plentiful and well maintained, lots of great forests near the labyrinth w tree branch teepees that have been built by little hands, and the upper reservoir that instantly brings a smile when hearing the happy splash of dogs jumping into the pond for a swim. We love the picnic spaces up by the reservoir, and the new playground just below is lovely. Looking forward to the reopening of the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater hopefully later this summer. read more

See all