This waterfall creates a lovely scene along the JFK promenade at Golden Gate Park, the water…read morecascading into the lake surrounded by beautiful greenery. There's a short concrete pathway, through the trees, leading to the Prayer Book Cross sculpture where the top of the waterfall is located. It's bordered by fencing for safety so there's no access to the water up there. But the view from below is far better anyway. Not a place to spend a lot of time (no seating nor grass for picnicking), but many cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians certainly pass by throughout the day. A nice stop if checking out the art along the Golden Mile on JFK. Tip for parking: if you park near the boathouse at Blue Heron Lake, there's a trail behind the restroom building that leads to the JFK promenade and is just a 5 minute walk to Rainbow Falls.

The Naga blows bubbles out of its nose occasionally, so cool. Wish it was a bit more often though…read more It's a nice walk to it on JFK dr.

Nice lake inside Golden Gate Park. I read that it was created for the Model Yacht Club back in the…read moreearly 1900s and I still sometimes see people sailing these model boats here. But what I have seen more often are all those ducks and seagulls circling around. I also saw some turtles and I'm sure there are fishes. I don't know how deep this lake is, so when I walk my pup around it, I make sure he doesn't chase the birds and jump in. It is kind of cute to see families and nannies bringing their kids to admire the birds, too. It's also a lot bigger than what I originally thought with some slight elevation. Located inside GG Park on Spreckles Dr. with entrance on Fulton and 36th Ave.

The Spreckels Lake is located in the west side of the Golden Gate Park. It's a great habitat for…read moremany birds and other animals. The water view is very beautiful to walk long the bank, although it could smell bad here.

This is an idyllic place to hike and picnic in Tilden. There is a lake (pond?) that has a swimming…read morearea, but I personally don't think it is especially clean for that. But there are lots of turtles and birds to watch. For picnics, there are tables and a large grassy expanse for laying down a spread and also playing frisbee. For a hike, the loop around the lake (pond?) is perfect for kids and adults who are able to climb rocks and scramble comfortably along a few narrow strips of the trail. There is a bridge and an area where kids like to explore the creek. There are other paths off the lake, but those do tend to have more mountain bikes. This is an especially nice park when we have our late summer weather in September and October. Plenty of parking.

Lake Care…read more Recreational swimming reservoir located in Tilden Regional Park that was named after Spanish "explorer" Juan Bautista de Anza. The Good: *Free *Swimmable *There's a beach area** with actual sand *Fishing allowed (w/ CA fishing license [$62]) *±3/4-mile loop trail around the lake that has some gorgeous almost Hoh Rainforest-like vibes (IYKYK). *Restrooms** *Large paved lot The Meh: *Area has signs about a dangerous algae bloom in the water, so if you do go swimming, make sure not to intake too much water--and keep your pets away from it! *There's also signs telling you how to prepare any fish you catch here. The Ugly: *As the signs state "Rough Trail," and boy howdy is it rough. Especially when it's wet, as some of the trails around the backside were ultra thick, slippery mud which had us fighting for our lives! Bring a hiking pole(s) or a hiking stick to help with steadying yourself. Conclusion: Cool spot with a trepidatious hike that's for a good payoff. Gird your loins and just do it! **area was under construction when we visited in Dec '24, but we're assuming it'll be done by summer?

This is actually just one of several reservoirs that make up the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. There…read moreare also creeks and a dam that add to the features. One of the main roads to get up there is just above the town of Fairfax in Marin County. It is a windy road but short, like 10 minutes or so. There are also a lot of bikers who like this area, so watch out on those narrow roads. Once you get closer to the park, the pavement stops and you will have to drive on large gravel for quite a bit, so don't be bringing your high end luxury car here. Lol Once there, an $8 parking fee through a kiosk awaits. I did a 6 mile loop starting at the dam and starting on Alpine lake. Easy start for the first mile or so, with most of it being lakeside. Then the middle 3 miles goes deeper into the forest cover and is more strenous, a constant climb that will speed up the heart rate. Love doing this amongst forest air. Deep in city confines...not so much. The descend will bring you back to where Alpine Lake and Bon Tempe Lake meets, by the dam. The top of hike is exposed and rocky but still gorgeous. Actually reminded me a bit of Tahoe with rocky trails and exposed blue skies. There will be a view of the lower elevations of Southern Marin County. There will also be many glimpses of neighboring Mt. Tam. And after that great morning workout, I was able to have a nice relaxing outdoor meal at one of the many charming independent restaurants in Fairfax, just 10 minutes down the road. Great way to start my stay-cation.

A post on NextDoor.com caught my attention. Someone had just moved to the neighborhood and was…read moreasking how they could hike without paying the $8 parking fee they'd noticed in some areas. The deluge of responses made it clear: if you're paying to park in Marin County, you're doing something wrong. With only a single exception in memory, I don't think I've paid to hike anywhere in the county and these days all I do is hike. But, if you want to hike the grounds of the Mount Tam Watershed it is true that there's a $8 cost to that. You can get around this by purchasing an annual parking pass or checking a pass out from the Marin County Library system. Bon Tempe Lake is my favorite hike within this area of the Mt. Tam Watershed. With an easy to follow, well-trod, 4.8 mile path around the lake's perimeter, and situated only minutes from downtown Fairfax, Bon Tempe is a quintessential Marin experience. You're in nature, beside a gorgeous, placidly serene lake yet only 10 minutes from a good brunch or latte. There's nothing difficult about the hike around the lake and though it isn't flat, it's elevations are quite gentle. If you need more, add a loop around Lake Lagunitas (the two paths intersect) to increase your hike by another 1.2 miles. Fishing is allowed here (but no swimming) and the parking area - for Bon Tempe in particular - fills up early on weekends. All the more reason to make time for Bon Tempe on a weekday. There's lots of hiking options here in the Watershed but for my money, the half-shaded-half-sunny path around Bon Tempe is the loveliest of them all.

Great place to go if you like noisy, trashy hicks who scatter their trash everywhere and try to…read moreoutdo each other on the obnoxiousness level. Stayed here once and can't see any reason to ever, ever, come back.

Super crowded -- usually no parking in the lot. Many day trippers who are excessively loud and…read morescare off all the birds and other fauna with conversation, portable music and loud voices. The place is full of garbage and crap left by people who don't want to carry back their inflatables and dump them for other people to "use" (or haul out). People SMOKING on the trail (totally forbidden in the parks). Since this place has gotten so much publicity - I've just gotten tired of hauling out people's garbage, beer cans and wine bottles. Give Bass Lake a break - it's overrun.

Just past SF this park has so many different trail options perfect for all hiking levels. The…read moredownside is this place gets PACKED! My sister and I arrived before 8am at the Watershed parking lot and barely found a space. We did the trail that took us to the West Point Inn for the pancake breakfast and round trip was close to 5 miles so it was a great workout. There's gorgeous views and well! On the way back to the 101 however it's a mess. The road on the way down is crowded with parked cars, which makes driving through challenging. That's the only thing about this park, other than that I'd love to come back in spring when everything is green and vibrant!

My first association of Mt Tam is from Cowgirl Creamery's best seller, Mt Tam Triple Cream with…read moreHeart cheese. Ever since then, I've wanted to hike this peak, today I have achieved my wish. Early June with mild coastal temp, 50s-60s. Started up Matt Davis Trail in the foggy forest, to Pantoll Campground, to West Point Inn where we can look down to the top of the fog layer, to the Fire Lookout building at the Peak. Then we came down reverse but split off to Steep Ravine and Dip Sea trail after the campground. I've also always wanted to climb that ladder. This hike provided views of the Pacific ocean on the West as well as views of Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on the East side. I thoroughly enjoyed the cool lush forest, but actually my favorite section was the single track along the slope of the open area after the Mt Tam State Park sign.

What a pleasant place to be after hanging out at the mall across the street…read more This was a quiet very peaceful Park with a lake. It is behind an office building. You can easily come here to have a quiet picnic. We walked around and it was actually a pretty big lake area. Probably about 20 minutes to 30 minutes walk. There were a lot of small gray color fish in the water and they would chase us as we walked around. A charming place to get away from the bustle and hustle of the mall across the street where we just had a nice udon lunch.

We caught over 30 bass here in 3 hours of fishing! There were schools of bass swimming by and a…read morecouple big ones! This was so much fun! We have a video on youtube: Fishing with austin ca$h

Pedal boat fun, beautiful waterfall views, a charming pagoda, picnicking by the lake, birdwatching…read more(especially those adorable ducks and geese), appreciating the peaceful atmosphere and surrounding nature... what a great place to be on a calm and cool spring day! This is a lovely area of Golden Gate Park, with a short concrete trail behind the restrooms connecting to the JFK promenade through the trees and greenery (I've trekked nearby parts of GGP many times before and never realized how close I was to this amazing lake and its many features). The food stand at the boathouse was open on a Thursday afternoon, offering a diverse menu of salads, sandwiches, burgers, and other snacks cooked to order. There are a couple stone/concrete bridges you can cross if you want to climb to the top of strawberry hill at the center of the lake (an easy hike). The parking lot in front of the boathouse has a limited number of spaces available, but there's plenty of free parking on the side of the road as well, bordering and leading up to the lake.

Now Called Blue Heron Lake, this is a favorite with tourists and locals…read more This is a nice easy walk. Great for runners after work as it's very level but might be harder on the weekends because it gets more crowded. I like coming when they have the snack bar open, it's in this cute little Swiss Chalet building which closes around 4:30pm. The snack bar also rents out peddle and row boats by the hour. There are lots of ducks around. I used to come here just to walk around the lake but then realized how close it is to other things in Golden Gate Park like the Rose Garden, and Conservatory of Flowers. You can make a long walk of it. For more hiking ideas, here's a collection of other trails I've reviewed: https://bit.ly/43PhQtL

This is just for the outside area. I haven't been to the swimming area in ages…read more Most of the time (especially not during summer) you can enter for free, park, walk around, enjoy some nature in the city and relax. There are also a few pokemon gyms located in the area if that is your thing, lol. Great place to have an impromptu picnic with a little privacy from the outside world.

Wow! It's hard to beat having lake/beach vibes that is so local to us. Clean facilities and clean…read morebeaches/water. Plenty of parking but can fill up during the weekends. Cheap prices to get in for parking as well as into the lake itself. Get here early on the weekends otherwise there is an admission limit that can be easily hit during those hot summer days. There are also lifeguards on duty here making sure that everyone is safe. Couple of caveats. Water is supposed to be chlorinated, but do note that there are wild birds that do swim/poop into the water. The shower facilities are not heated so please keep that in mind. In addition, just be aware that though many places online say that they are open till 6pm, the swimming actually ends at 5:30pm so please plan accordingly. I just cannot recommend this place enough for families, your children will love it here!

One of the most beautiful hikes in Marin. Easy hiking, although not fully ADA compliant. Dog…read morefriendly--leashes & clean-up, please. Lots of hikers, runners, cyclists, kids, and dog walkers. It has lovely shaded areas and beautiful waterfalls after rains. The parking lot can get crowded. There is limited street parking in neighboring areas.

A really lovely hike around a small reservoir that is pretty family friendly. While you can't make…read moreit around with a stroller we did made it around with a 6 year old on foot and a 2 year old on my back. The main issue here is the parking as there are less than 20 spots and the rest of the potential overflow spaces are marked tow away. The nearby very fancy neighborhood has marked everything permit only and/or tow away, so we had to backtrack about 1.5 miles to town to park and then walk back in - NIMBYs be damned! Others just idle in their cars in the tiny lot and hope for a space to open up. Minus one star for not being more visitor friendly in the neighborhood.