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    Mount Sutro

    4.6 (113 reviews)

    Mount Sutro Photos

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    Some forest in Mount Sutro.
    Mack L.

    Mount Sutro is an excellent place to visit when you're in the city and want to get outdoors. The overall hike is moderate intensity, but it's a long winding one with great forest vibes throughout. If you plan to walk your dog here please plan ahead and do not leave your poop baggies along the trail like so many inconsiderate people have done in the past. ProTip for 2023, there is a detour on the Historic trail. If you're heading from the Stanyon trailhead and hit the road at Medical Center Way, you'll see a map board with the updated detour route. You go down to your right and then cross over the road and up a gravel hill. The hill is not hard, but be careful, the gravel is loose. There isn't a great view from the peak at this hike, which is why I gave it a 4. Places with better views get 5s. :) I spent about 2 hours here recently winding around the entire Historic trail and exiting by the base of Sutro tower. I suggest going up to the tower after if you have the time as well. It's so worth it and the views are fabulous.

    To Mount Sutro from Twin Peaks
    Shayla B.

    Redwoods and eucalyptus trees... in San Francisco?! Say it ain't so! I didn't believe it either. Well, that was until I hiked Mount Sutro. What a gorgeous open space reserve! Who would have thought that something like this would be hidden amongst the city?! Did an 8 mile loop hike from Glen Canyon to Twin Peaks to Mount Sutro and back, and the Mount Sutro portion was definitely my favorite part of this loop. The two main entrances to this open space reserve can be found off of Claredon Ave and/or Stanyan Street. Parking is limited to street only if you're planning on parking near the trailhead, and it seems to fill up pretty quickly. However, there's lots of street parking in the neighborhood if you don't mind walking a bit more to get to the trails. There are several little trails that you can connect together to make into a cool little hike. I started on the Fairy Gates trail and then connected to the historic trail, then the North Ridge trail, and then looped back on the Mystery trail. All of these trails are short but beautiful. The Fairy Gates trail was my favorite of the bunch. It's almost completely shaded and lined by beautiful Redwoods and Eucalyptus trees and vibrant shrubbery. This trail (and this park in general) seems to be very popular for mountain bikers too. Luckily they're polite here and will let you know when they are coming your way. Dogs are also permitted in this park but they must be leashed. The trails are pretty easy and are perfect for families and young children to enjoy too. I connected to the top of Mount Sutro through the North Ridge trail which affords you a beautiful view of the city. A gem of place in the city, and super easy to connect to from many different other parks and trails.

    Stairs
    Cheri L.

    Beautiful scenery with heights! A nice place to do some hiking. I happened to go along the west route starting from 7th and Warren Dr- big mistake on my part. Unless you want a super intense workout do not go this way lol. Before even getting to the mountain I had to climb a pretty steep hill AND flights of stairs. The entrance from this side is also pretty steep. Once you get to the trails, some areas are pretty muddy/ slippery and also have many rocks and branches on the ground. Be careful and do not check your phone as you walk. I'm not great on balance or steep inclines so personally this was more of an intermediate hike. Depending on your experience, you may find the difficulty varies. I saw people walking their dog, biking, running, etc. I was only able to go along the Historic Trail but I would definitely have to come back to try their other trails.

    Denise C.

    I have come back to Mount Sutro for hikes. I went on a hike last year. Then last year I did gardening events with Bay Trail and Sutro Stewards. This year I visited Mount Sutro again with a Meetup.

    mushrooms
    Connie W.

    Our Out-and-Back route was a one and half hour round trip including a 15 minutes restroom break at The Aldea Center - thank you UCSF for the clean one stall flushing toilet.  Parked on Warren Dr, took the Oakhurst Lane steps to Crestmont Dr (there were much more avail street parking on Crestmont), entered West Ridge trailhead -- Nike Road to the summit -- East Ridge trail to The Aldea Center then returned by East Ridge trail -- Mystery trail -- North Ridge trail -- Nike Road -- West Ridge trail.   The Mystery trail was full of cool exhibits: Carved chair from tree stump Garden gnome Shrine for Dalai Lama and Tibet Carved tree from tree stump Had a great time with family on this short but strenuous hike.

    Jonathan C.

    Nice hike near UCSF. Probably most people will walk 2-3 miles taking 1-2 hours. There are multiple points of entering the area from the surrounding neighborhoods with free street parking. The trees and flowers were very beautiful especially the leaves that draped the many trees. You also get a good view of the Pacific Ocean, part of the Golden Gate on the North side of the historic trail. Didn't see much wildlife other than birds. The one thing that was a bit annoying was that the trails on the East side don't connect but are essentially one way to a neighborhood so make sure to take a look at the map ahead of time.

    Emma W.

    Absolutely gorgeous and green natural oasis right in San Francisco. There are so many winding trails in the park, which makes for a perfect day hike. We had no problem finding a free residential parking spot at the Fairyland Trailhead (past the Historic Trailhead) and spent about an hour and half going up to the summit and finding our way back down to the Cole Valley area. The Fairyland trail is definitely a steeper hike and we happened to traverse it the day after a heavy rain, which made for a muddy time. I definitely wouldn't recommend this trail if you're looking for an easy and relaxed hike. A bunch of a small trinkets are scattered around the mountain to make for an amusing hike and there are some gorgeous views of the city. This was a perfect day trip during COVID times since there weren't too many other hikers around and almost everyone was masked.

    Erich L.

    Surprisingly good place for a moderate hike in San Francisco. I would recommend parking around 17th and stanyan. Google Maps takes you to the university parking that's restricted. It's near the Cole valley neighborhood too. It's not much of a view at the top but still a nice short hike.

    Vanessa C.

    Hiked here it was so beautiful and a pretty nice trail. Easiest way in in my opinion it off Stanyan and 17th street. Maybe we were lucky, but we went 3 times through tour trip to SF and always found a spot either on stanyan or 17th. There is a good entrance off that corner. But you can also take stanyan all the way up and there's an entrance up there as well. A couple cool little Easter eggs along the way. Definitely worth the trip!

    Went hiking with my friends to Mount Sutro Open Reserve. Great hiking trails but must watch out to poison oak there were a lot along the trails. Also part of historic trail is closed off due to lots of construction work being done there. Parking is residential street. It's a nice place to feel like a get away from the city life but you are actually still in the city.

    Danny H.

    Feels like a total rainforest the moment you gain some elevation. The air is foggy like in a movie thriller. It can also be pretty muddy if you're visiting in the spring and winter, but honestly we went in July and it was still so misty the ground was actually had to get traction on! Try to get there in the morning so the fog is at its peak- but be warned, it's actually chilly year round! The afternoon can be warmer if that's an alternative you prefer, and you'll have plenty of shade from any sun. There are multiple trails to try- you really can't go wrong with any of them!

    Lush green
    Andi B.

    Mysterious, romantic, and interesting trails. We went on July and thankfully were bundled up. It gets muddy from the fog. The park is gorgeous and smells amazing. I cannot report if there is a view as it was fogged in the day we went, which had its own quiet beauty.

    The beautiful views of San Francisco!
    Porsche C.

    Ahh, Mount Sutro! You are truly the reason why San Francisco has a very special place in my heart. The nice hikes, beautiful scenery, tall green trees and the lovely unusual things you will see along the way (like goats!) HA. I had a chance to hike Mount Sutro on a lovely Saturday morning and it was such a perfect day to do so. Mount Sutro takes you to a whole new place that you never knew existed. While I walked down the trails into the forest, I forgot for a moment that the park is in the middle of the City! Mind you, these trails were built in the 1800's (cough cough), talkin' 'bout a long time ago! However, they were rediscovered a few decades ago and now while you walk through, you quickly notice that you are deep in the trails when you begin hearing the car noises being replaced with the lovely sounds of the chirping birds and the tall Eucalyptus. Some of the trails lead to many cutbacks going towards Stanyan St. I saw some people bike riding through the trails. I feel torn to write a review of this place as I regret telling everyone about this lovely beauty; it's a place like no other! A great way to escape the hectic, busy life in SF and replace it with lovely greenery as you meditate and take it all in. It seems like not everyone is aware of this place. It's a place tourist don't flock to and seems like more locals know of it. And if you haven't heard of it, you JUST found out! Go ahead, bookmark this place. You will wake up one morning and want to venture to it; it's well worth it- trust me!

    In front of 17th tucked in between two houses...shuuu, have to be quiet

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    Ask the Community - Mount Sutro

    Review Highlights - Mount Sutro

    Having taken Muni to the Castro station, it was about a 1 mile walk up 17th Street to the entrance on Stanyan.

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    Mission Creek Park

    Mission Creek Park

    4.5(55 reviews)
    3.3 miMission Bay

    It has a water element, a meandering-path element, and a mysterious clubhouse/rumpus room/community…read morecenter element. There are dogs. It's close to honest-to-goodness houseboats. It's close to a library. It's the perfect place to walk, jog, lie on the grass, and people-watch. Did I mention there are dogs? I'm not normally one to recommend spending too much money, but you could do much worse than picking up overpriced sandwiches, chips, and drinks from nearby Gus's, walking to Mission Creek Park, and making a picnic out of it. There's no readily apparent--wink, wink--easy parking nearby, but lucky for you, there's plenty of public-transit access. There are many things I hate about Mission Bay as a new neighborhood, but its park game is right up there with the best of San Francisco neighborhoods. Now if only the esplanade area (north of Mission Creek Channel, between 3rd & 4th Streets) were part of this park, it would be perfect.

    I love walking around here and looking at the houseboats. There are about 20 houseboats, and it…read morelooks so quaint. The park itself is very grassy and nice to sit and chill and read or just people watch. Lots of people bring their dogs here. I love being around water and the calmness it brings. It's a nice break from the classic tourist SF waterfront. For a walk it's about 1.5 miles for a loop up to the ballpark and back to the houseboats. I don't like this much as a loop since it's a little industrial for a bit when going under the freeway area, so I tend to just walk through the park across the bridge and back. For something longer, you can add China Basin Park and the Bay Trail to Crane Cove Park. This is better for someone that lives around here or already doing something in the area. Parking on Channel can get very expensive on a meter if there is a game going on at nearby Oracle Park. For a list of more SF hikes and walks: https://bit.ly/43PhQtL

    Photos
    Mission Creek Park - A nice stroll along Mission Creek Park's promenade will lead you to Oracle Park.

    A nice stroll along Mission Creek Park's promenade will lead you to Oracle Park.

    Mission Creek Park - This park along Mission Creek is for walkers and dogs with nice sloped lawns for children and pets.

    This park along Mission Creek is for walkers and dogs with nice sloped lawns for children and pets.

    Mission Creek Park

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    Mount Sutro - parks - Updated May 2026

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