Hilltop Park is an amazing park and when the playground was there in the 80's and 90's it was even better. Just as crowded as Golden Gate Park would be, the park attracted many families from around the city. The playground area had a huge structure and was literally a fortress for a kid imagination. There was a rotating structure that had a deck to walk onboard to. The structure spun 360 degrees and was the coolest thing I've ever seen in a park. There were many picnics and BBQ's in the center of the park and for myself growing up in the neighborhood I had the skate park which became known as the "Dish" amongst those of us that skateboarded there regularly. Many skateboarding teams such as the Santa Cruz, Santa Monica Skateboards, and Thrasher magazine affiliates would come up from time to time to skateboard. There was a time the sundial was very nice. All the lights work, fresh paint covered the walls and ground and it was a place of peace for many people who visited the park. The park has one of the best views overlooking two different vantage points. The first view is a glorious panorama of downtown San Francisco spanning as far as the Dumbarton bridge. The second panorama overlooks Candlestick Park, Brisbane, South San Francisco and beyond and major residential areas of Bayview, Mission and Excelsior districts. For those who are interested in sitting down watching nature, the park is rich in many different species of birds, cats, squirrels, etc.. Home for many animals due to the trees and landscape provided by the park.
Today the park is still great although it can use an upgrade for the kids that live in the neighborhood and families who would like to visit. It is not a horrible neighborhood anymore than the rest of the neighborhoods around the city. A few people a long time ago in a period of time made things difficult for a while, but that has been long gone for some time now.
The neighborhood is very multicultural and many people use the park. Those who live there know that the park is safe, just very dark at night. As stated before, the park needs an upgrade which is in the works now. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings about this park. read more