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    Buena Vista Park

    4.3 (191 reviews)

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    Old bricks and or tombstones
    Stefan T.

    Beautiful park - views, paved walkways and some stairs for a good workout. Mature trees and so much green space - a great escape if you live in a small apartment nearby. Its no secret that if you live in the city you likely don't have a yard or parking spot or any space. Good thing you can come here - or any of the countless parks nearby. This park covers a lot of area - its huge. It is easy to get escape once you explore a little and get away from the streets and cars around the perimeter. Not as popular as Golden Gate park - so you don't get the tourists. Mostly locals come here. There is also a small play structure for kids - so don't forget to bring them. Old tombstones can be spotted in this park along the walkways in the trenches that I think are for water control. I read that the bodies were transferred to Colma and the city utilized the old concrete to help build stairs. The tombstones are very subtle and you won't recognize them unless you are really looking for them. Lots of history here. Another odd fact I learned of is that when the park opened it had to pay squatters thousands of dollars to move. In the news I heard about squatters rights and I think in Seattle Washington the laws are most in favor of squatters - even on private land. Just an FYI.

    A forest in the city
    Lisa W.

    Each visit to this grand & expansive park is wonderful. I love the meandering paths throughout and the gorgeous views. Lots of stairs which I love (bun busters!).

    Denise C.

    Came back to Buena Vista Park via Duboce and we took steep hills and the steepest way to get up to the peak of Buena Vista Park. It's fun and nice to try. Try to go on a less steep area of the park. You may go by the park but not take the walk up the hill. It's surrounded by so much of the Haight district.

    Jonathan C.

    Plenty of free street parking around the park. Trails are well paved, smooth, and fine for regular sneakers. There is incline to the top so keep that in mind depending on your physical level. You do get great views of the entire city including both the ocean and bay as well as the Golden Gate. A great place to walk around for 30-60 min. Overall, a great little oasis in SF that is quiet and makes you forget that you're in the city.

    Buena Vista Park 6/12/21
    Korina Y.

    Unclaimed Gold Rush era headstones were used to build the walls and gutters in Buena Vista Park. I found some of those headstones in gutters here this morning. ( pics ) History - In 1901 burials were banned in San Francisco , and by 1909 the city ordered most of the cemeteries to be moved. Though the bodies were relocated to Colma, the majority of headstones were not. The headstones of the rich , and those with living family who paid to have markers moved were relocated . Any unclaimed headstones were repurposed as building material for the city. Sweeping view of the city including Golden Gate Bridge. The fog was starting to roll in from the Pacific and covered most of the bridge except the suspension parts, very picturesque ( couldn't capture with my phone ). Along with Bernal Heights , this park is my favorite:-)

    Joan W.

    I had always seen this park while visiting Haight street as a teen and thought it was just the park where the wannabee hippies/homeless/druggies hung out on the grassy knoll. I didn't realize it was an actual open space area and expanded really far back up the hill with trails, lots of trees, and views. There are a lot of different views throughout the park of the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown, Sutro Tower, and the southern part of the city. It's not a destination viewpoint onto itself like Corona Heights or Tank Hill but it's nice to stroll along and admire different views throughout your walk. For a hike there is enough incline to get a work out and kick your butt yet it's not too long so if doable for a hike after work before it gets dark. Many paved and unpaved trails zigzag through the park so it depends on which trails you use but in general it's about 45 minutes-1 hour/1.5 miles to go around. For something longer it's best to add Corona Heights/ Vulcan stairs which are like 5 minutes away.

    View of St. Ignatius Church and environs
    Ed U.

    As a Bay Area native, I am embarrassed to admit that I had never walked into Buena Vista Park before last weekend. Like most people who don't live in the immediate vicinity, my default choices for bucolic frolicking have been Golden Gate Park, the Presidio or Dolores Park where spaces are more wide open. But if you like a little more elevation (575 feet high) in a condensed forest, then Buena Vista does the trick, all 37 acres of it. Jamie W. and I just happened upon it because we were at the Castro MUNI station, and out of sheer randomness, I suggested we go north on Castro versus our usual route of going into the Castro. Jamie was a good sport, and we trudged our significant arses up 15th Street and then Park Hill Avenue where we were greeted by a large rat only to find a long flight of steps beckoning us. From there, it was just a quick stroll to the summit where there were already a herd of camera-wielding European tourists and a couple of dog walkers, all of them taking in what we could see of the view through the trees. The best view from here is toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but you have to position yourself just right for your obligatory photo op. We then descended down toward the west where there is a genuinely nice view of St. Ignatius Church and the NOPA neighborhood. You eventually find yourself on Haight where the grassy area is festooned with what looks like the remnants of Woodstock or at least Burning Man with a lot of hippie types in all sorts of horizontal positions. The smell of weed was thick, and if it were better quality, we would have stayed. But no, it was time to leave the park.

    View from the top
    Karen M.

    I went to Buena Vista Park during a run. There are great views of the city from the top! There are stairs with a lot of shade from the trees that lead you there. The park was really clean and not crowded at all. Great spot to walk around at!

    Vincent H.

    Quiet forest in the city Buena Vista Park is a hidden oasis in San Francisco. On the map it's not huge, but in a city like SF it can easily be missed. When you're tired from walking and you decide to hike these trails, it's more tiring. But it doesn't take too long. It's unpaved paths, with manmade wooden steps. Dogs are welcome. There's even a playground in here too. It has a great view at the top, but since you're not that close, everything does seem small in perspective. It's well maintained. I see staff picking up garbage. I did notice a few tents in the park, most likely homeless people living there. But which part of SF doesn't have homeless people? It's not far from Haight Street and Golden Gate Park, but if you're searching for a short uphill hike, this is a great place.

    Carlos A.

    Don't let this park fool you: this shit is STEEP. The views of the city from the top are amazing, but it's a nice workout to get up there. Beware of people having sex in the bushes, needles and spooky homeless people. I'm not saying it's a dangerous park, I'm just saying it's not a walk in the park. Wait, that didn't make sense. Seriously, go while the sun is out unless you're into Senator Craig-type antics.

    トモ Tomo Toro E T.

    We need to cut down those trees at the peak so that we humans could enjoy the view of the city - the human creation made of steel and wood. Oh wait, that would defeat the purpose of having nature friendly parks. But seriously, I was expecting a better view from the top of a park named Buena Vista, but 30 yard radius grass platform at the peak is nice for a picnic, but trees blocked majority of the view. Far better unblocked view of the city could be found at Corona Heights (http://www.yelp.com/biz/tGCFC0PTjLbU5m7Euw2NJg?hrid=r9ks4E3Hngro7vrktND4Mg) next to Buena Vista Park. There is good number of free street parking on Buena Vista Avenue. While there are several paths up the hill, if you would like to minimize the climb, park at a higher altitude location, perhaps around corner of Buena Vista Ave & Upper Terrace. From there, there is a paved road (not accessible via car) that is not a steep climb that leads you to the top.

    The view of the city from the top of the park
    Diana C.

    A beautiful park that makes you forget you are in the city. There's some hiking trails and steps that can take you to the top of the park and get a nice panorama view of the city. A bit of a workout going up but the hike is quite short and maybe takes only 15 minutes. Truthfully, the harder part is going back down the steps since the steps are so wide. At the top, it is a very tranquil spot and a wonderful place to just sit and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature. There's not many tourists here and a lot of locals bring their dogs here to run around the paths. There is a small children's playground in the park.

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    Steep hills and they were hard to climb up. My mom is handy cap they did not provide anything for handy cap people

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    Ask the Community - Buena Vista Park

    Review Highlights - Buena Vista Park

    My friend and I wanted to hit our Fitbit 10,000 steps, so we decided to hike the hill of Haight Street.

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    Mission Creek Park

    Mission Creek Park

    4.5
    (55 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    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
    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.
    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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    Glen Canyon Park

    Glen Canyon Park

    4.5
    (160 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    Took the Portola trail with the dog. Path was well maintained and relaxing with lots of birdsong…read more There are benches, a playground, field, picnic area and water stations prior to the trails.

    You can explore the great outdoors and indoors in San Francisco at different parks around the city…read more What if I told you there is a place which has an outdoor pickle ball court, basketball gym, and indoor climbing, and a baseball field all within less than a half block of each other. What if I also told you it was the location were the first dynamite factory in America. You would have seen lots of different dynamite fire at this location in 1868. Today this place is located in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco and it's called Glen Canyon Park and Recreation. On a Spring stroll you can enjoy the sun in San Francisco and go out for a jog and hike and also walk the dog at Glen Canyon Park. This place feels as you stepped into nature inside a forest and canyon outside San Francisco. This place looks far from the scenery around the Civic Center. You will also find a community painted mural which reflects the Glen Canyon Park habitat like the animals and birds designed by animated television series Bob Burgers artist Sirron Norris. There are no amusement parks in San Francisco but you can be amused at the different local parks the city has by living that park life. Make " sometime "to go on a stroll to Glen Park Canyon you will see flowers the color of lemon and grass the color of "lime" don't be sour in SF you can book online for some "pickleball time" or an indoor rock wall "climb" Hike around the canyon and get view of some birdies like the owls and the coyotes and" Sutro Tower" Glen Canyon Park a former site in 1868 of a place which they built dynamite with blasting "fire power" now you can do some rock wall climbing for "$15 an hour"and go outside and see the purple and yellow "flower"

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    Stalker
    Stalker
    Trail marker
    Trail marker
    Signage

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    Signage
    Billy Goat Hill

    Billy Goat Hill

    4.1
    (174 reviews)
    1.9 mi

    Billy Goat Hill would be a definite five stars in most other US cities, but I can't go passing out…read morefive-star San Francisco-park reviews like candy, and the swing no longer exists and/or works, and the swing was/would be what got this review to five stars. But Billy Goat Hill, man. It's difficult to overestimate just how surprising it is as a San Francisco park. It's not overbuilt, overthought, or annoying. Do you know how much of San Francisco is all three of those things? And especially some of its parks? No, the hill is just that: a hillside that was spared from construction, probably because of the complicated nest of streets and elevations at its lower, northern end. The best way to appreciate it is to come in the afternoon. If you really want to unspoil the surprise, drive east on Addison Street past Walter Haas Park. Turn right on Everson Street and then left on Beacon Street. Right after the houses end on the north side of Beacon Street, park your car. The view of downtown is amazing. Give yourself a little bit of time up on the street before you go down the path and stairs. After that initial stunning view, the rest of the park can feel anticlimactic. It's not really maintained as a green-grass park; it's just a more-or-less feral hillside with some iconic trees, some rocky ground, and wooden box steps and handrails that have seen better days. The path goes down the hill to Laidley Street. It's fairly steep, so if you're bringing someone with mobility issues, they should either not go all the way down, or you should drive and pick them up--which is its own issue because although it's only down the hill, it is impossible to drive to the bottom of the park without going three or four times the distance. From where you parked on Beacon Street, continue west and turn right at Diamond Street. Then turn right again onto 29th Street. Turn right on Castro Street, and when it dead-ends at the park, turn left onto 30th Street. The path at the bottom of the park ends near the weird intersection of 30th & Laidley Streets. Oh, and that "dead end" of Castro Street isn't really where it ends--after a long gap, it reappears in Glen Park for a little more than a block between Bemis and Chenery Streets, where it ends for good. It gets really windy up here, and there are no real places to sit, so it's more of a short-hike park than a hanging-out park. Still, it can be serene to just sit in your car and take in the view, which never gets old. Another fun part is looking almost due east from the promontory and seeing Bernal Hill also standing out beautifully and boldly in the city. I'm sure you can see Billy Goat Hill from Bernal Hill as well. I've been many times on beautiful, fog-free days, and I've never had trouble finding street parking right on Beacon Street. There's regular street sweeping, of course, but I'm really surprised it's not more crowded with cars.

    Plenty of street parking, no problem at all…read more You can enter the park from atop the hill or at the base. There's street parking at both ends, more on top since it's a quieter road up there. It's not a huge park. Good for a short walk. Great view of the city. Stand there and take it all in. Especially nice on a sunny day. One bench. Stairs and dirt path

    Photos
    Weak rails from rot and termites
    Weak rails from rot and termites
    Billy Goat Hill
    Billy Goat Hill

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    Buena Vista Park - parks - Updated August 2026

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