I'd recommend anyone to go here. Even for a walk, trail run, trail bike ride or just to walk up the…read morehill for the views. I have been going here for years now and enjoy bringing family here to enjoy the scenery or just to get some exercise out doors.

The "Moffett Bay Trail" is 97% representative of all the trails throughout the Bay Area. [The…read moreremaining 3% are the yet-to-be-improved (AWS) or connected/segregated trails.] I have thoroughly enjoyed the segregated status of a well-maintained/relatively smooth/wide gravel track just above sea level. It is SO NICE to not be on busy city streets, though sometimes there can be a bit of congestion with other trail users. And the weather is pretty darn nice--I compare it very favorably to the slightly superior "International Ft. Hancock - Las Cruces I-10 Bicycle Bypass" (in the not-quite-a-mile/~1.6 kms high "¡Hidden Gem of the World, Crossroads of North America, anchored by El Paso, Cd. Juárez y Las Cruces!"); the former in the rain shadow of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the latter in the Northern Chihuahua Desert. I highly recommend it for a long level route, connecting Stevens Creek Trail/Mountain View with Caribbean Drive/Sunnyvale. I've cycled it in both directions, and actually saw an unmarked dirigible overhead, sailing around Southbay, practicing navigation/maneuvers before landing back in the super-secret Lockheed-Martin/Moffett base/Google complex. ¡So interesting, and definitely has my coveted "iWheel of Approval!"

Nature, berries, happy dogs, nice people, and fairly easy trail…read more It's a great little break from the city, nice variation of trees, cool birds, and yet like close enough that you can hop in the car after and go get lunch. Perfect for when you need to air out children and take yourself offline for a while.

This is a good trail to stroll on if driving to Inspiration Point and want a small hike afterwards…read more To walk from Inspiration Point to the end of the trail at Hardie Ave is about 1 mile there and back. The trail is partially canopied in trees and many parts in the sun have wild blackberries growing. The trail parallels a busy street so you can hear cars go by but there are also sounds of many birds, trees swaying, and the fog horn in the distance (sometimes) which is always soothing. I usually do a loop to the Lyon stairs which is a little over 2 miles RT.

Inside Presidio Park, I got a lovely view of the Bay on a clear winter day. It was perfectly…read morelovely. Please come and create your own adventure.

This is a nice stop while hiking in the presidio. But there's a pay parking lot here for…read moreconvenience, too. There are several different maps on site, featuring the golden gate national recreation area (beaches, wildlife, historic former military installations), points of interest in the presidio, hiking and biking trails, and transit options. A couple of benches allow for seating, and it's certainly a lovely space for relaxing among nature. But it's hard to just sit back when there are such lovely views all around, to explore. Looking over the concrete edge, you can see the water in the distance with sailboats floating by and the islands of the SF bay adding to the scenery. Beautiful landmarks can be seen, like The Palace of Fine Arts and Alcatraz. Toward the right, former military buildings of the presidio, as well as SF residences lining the hills. And trees and greenery. LOTS of trees! You would think they are partially blocking the views. But the way I see it, they make the views what they are... captivating!

Excellent hike for tourists and locals alike. No better place for an interpretive, educational hike…read moreabout the San Andreas Fault. Excellent guide brochure and easy to follow Trail. Numbered guideposts correspond with printed narrative. Before going, read up on the geology and the San Andreas Fault. Even if you're not a geology buff, it's interesting to know that you're standing at the place where the 1906 earthquake had so much effect. Entrance is free of charge. Google Maps takes you to the wrong location. But there is a sign at the wrong location pointing you 1 km down the road to the right location. The parking area and trailheads are well-marked on Page Mill Road.

Los Trancos is one of several open space preserves in the area. There are similarities to the…read moreothers, and also some differences. The big difference is the ability to walk on the infamous San Andreas Fault. I did not go on the trail dedicated to the study of the Fault. But there are posts in the ground near the parking lot, showing the location of the actual fault. Similar to the Earthquake Trail at Point Reyes. Go down the Franciscan Loop Trail a little ways, and there is a depression several feet deep, an indication of where the plates meet. The Fault is clearer here than anywhere else. Other than that, the geography is similar to other parks on the Peninsula. An alternation between oak forest and open grassland. Several nice spots to put down a blanket and have a picnic. Because it's smaller than the other preserves and across the street from mighty Monte Bello, it may be hard to escape the people. But if you're in shape, you can hike all the way into Palo Alto's exclusive Foothills Park to intersect with its long Los Trancos Trail (which I did). My favorite part was the Lost Creek Trail, looping through a pretty forest to a babbling brook complete with tiny waterfalls. Makes you wonder why they went to the trouble to make an open space park out of this land. I can think of a big reason: potential development. You can see houses from this land, some located on or near Page Mill Road and very close to the trail. Mid-Peninsula OSP, and I, think that if Los Trancos had not been preserved, it would have been filled with McMansions by 1994. Instead, it's now a place to rejuvenate yourself. If you're in the area, you have many days worth of hiking that you could do. And Los Trancos Preserve should be part of that adventure.

A playground, sanctuary, skate park, historical place, artists' canvas, fortress, meditation place,…read moreescape, hidden gem, nature trail, haunted place and whatever you want it to be. Fort Miley is located between Lands End and the VA Medical Center on Point Lobos covering 54 acres on prime real estate that the federal government purchased for $75,000 in 1891. That's equivalent to approximately $1.9 million dollars in today's rate. It sat empty for several years until the U.S. Army started the fortification beginning in 1899 and completed in 1902. Over the years, they added garrisons, barracks and other improvements as it was the first line of defense for the city. However, they also built on top of a huge cemetery, which they promised to move and relocate. Additional construction for the Palace of the Legion of Honor in 1993 determined that this was not the case as the digging led to discoveries of bodies and coffins underground. This means that only the headstones were removed while the bodies remained in place. I'm not the least bit surprised since how many times has the government lied to the general public. But how morbid is that? One could easily get lost here as there are many places to explore or if you're hiking Lands End and make this a part of your trail for additional challenge. I don't mean lost as in can't find your way back, but lost as in one can easily wander and get carried away. That's what happened to me the first time I was here as I spent hours exploring and studying the history of this place. Local teens also use the area as their skate park and I can't fault 'em since they're using the space to their advantage. There are numerous graffiti on the walls, and some of 'em are very impressive and artistic. One can learn to appreciate this form of artwork while others may disagree. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Don't be surprised if you encounter a homeless encampment here or even actual homeless people. If you go deeper in the woods, just keep that in mind. Also, if your bike is stolen, there's a chance it may turn up here. Just take extra precautions should you decide to check it out. According to historical records, this vantage point used to have a clear view of the Pacific Ocean and all around the bay. Now, most are covered with tall trees, but I am fine with that. The same trees provide a canopy and shelter from the hustle and bustle of the city that one can find relaxing. I can easily seat on the bench while meditating to get rid of stress and forget one's worries. There is a clear patch of land on the west side with a lone picnic table overlooking Ocean Beach. I've seen some people flying their drones here, but I just gaze at the amazing view since you can see as far as Pacifica from here. This could also be a great photo-op for weddings or any celebrations that may come to mind. Fort Miley is named after Lieutenant Colonel John D. Miley, who passed away in Manila, Philippines in 1899 at the young age of 37. That's like some six degrees of Kevin Bacon, right there.

Just visited today; great to see a memorial for the late LTC John Miley, U.S. volunteers, who died…read morethe previous year in Manila, Phillipines. This memorial was designated 1900. There are views of the Golden Gate Bridge too. 1. The historical significance is tops. 2. The hiking trail, views galore. 3. Easy to find. Parking: Ez. Tip: bring water, camera and a fine lunch.

If you've ever taken part in a One Brick gardening project the chances are fairly high that you…read morealready know about or have worked on the maintenance of Rhododendron Island in Golden Gate Park. If you've driven past Spreckels Lake, run along the western end of John F. Kennedy Drive or have completed the entire San Francisco Bay to Breakers course you've probably seen Rhododendron Island without knowing it. Rhododendron Island sits on John F. Kennedy Drive and 36th Avenue sandwiched in between Spreckels Lake and the Golden Gate Park Equestrian Center. As the history of this patch of land goes it had always been a garden filled with a wide array of rhododendron varieties until City budget issues and neglect turned it into a forest of non-native plants, overgrown weeds and litter. Enter volunteer organization One Brick in the summer of 2003 whose volunteers assembled on site on a regular basis to clean up the patch of land, remove the plants that didn't belong and re-introduce different varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas. It took the volunteer group an entire year, but in the summer of 2004 they completed their project transforming this patch of land back to a garden filled with rhododendrons, azaleas and different tree species. Today, Rhodendron Island is one of the signature events for One Brick. There is a project nearly every month, rain or shine, where volunteers come out to help maintain the gardens, pull out new weeds, lay down weed cover, spread mulch, trim or remove unwanted plants. In my five years of volunteering through One Brick I have probably worked on the island over a dozen times and I've done all of the things listed at one time or another, but I did something two weekends ago that I had never done here before. It was a Saturday and rain was forecasted for that morning. About fifteen or so hearty volunteers including myself turned out. The skies were overcast but dry when we gathered. We noticed the drops of water slowly come down plopping onto the surface of Spreckels Lake across the street. The San Francisco Rec and Parks Department gardener told us he wanted us to prepare the land and help him plant some azaleas into the garden. In less than two hours under a steady rain our group of muddy, wet volunteers dug out weeds and unwanted grass patches and replaced them with 90 azalea plants of different varieties and different sizes. Ninety!! In the words of the gardener himself we were a planting machine, and had he not run out of plants we would have kept going as we were all quite enthusiastic about adding new life to the garden. Rhododendron Island is best to visit in late March or early April when many of the plants begin to flower. For me anyway it'll be interesting to see how many of our 90 plants survived. I've posted some photos taken in April, 2009.

Look - You probably won't do much more than drive past this spot. I would hesitate to write a full…read morereview, but the one other review is posted by a cool Yelper with a ton of Street Cred as the SYOY game goes. This little patch across from Speckles Lake used to be overgrown. Thanks to the work of volunteers, there are plantings and it can be a little secluded picnic area. Restrooms right across the street on the west end of the lake. The flowers bloom occasionally. Sometimes it's fairly mundane. My one recommendation is that during the wet times of the year the lower areas get pretty swampy. But that is common in a lot of spots around GGP and Lands End. Thanks to Wilhelm for the original review. SYOY Player!

Oh my God it's like we had our own little private park it's really huge out nowhere in the middle…read moreof Golden Gate Park. The sun was out we had shade few people had their little doggies there was a cute little baby was a great birthday party, I had so much fun few people walk through even though they didn't know there was a private party going on only draw back Ain't no bathrooms!! So that could be a little hard thank God I don't really drink so that was an issue for me until we left. lol I'm sure there's a lot of cute little hidden gems in the park where you could have your private party, but check this one out pretty cool and it's big enough where they were playing dodgeball which was some kind of drinking game they made up it was pretty funny they had great time.

My friends and I had an impromptu picnic at Doughboy Meadow on a warm and sunny afternoon. I am…read morelooking forward to going back again with my 2 year old. Parking was easy to find and Stow Lake is a short walk from the meadow. No ants or bug bites... Just gophers

a good hike down the Coastal Trail and great views of the bay entrance and marin headlands. The…read morerock was painted white so that before the trees came up ships could use it to determine their location (using angles to that rock plus another beacon somewhere else is what I was told). Just stay out of the nearby closed area or you might get a ticket from a park ranger...