Enjoy The Great Outdoors In San Francisco

When you visit San Francisco, you’ll have miles of trails, breathtaking scenery and spectacular views of the Bay, Golden Gate Bridge and the city’s famous terraced hills and skyline—all right outside your door.

Our city is an outdoor haven with parks, play spaces, trails and bikeways in every neighborhood. In fact, as of 2017, San Francisco was the first and only city in the U.S. where all residents had access to a park within a 10-minute walk. New parks and protected spaces continue to be created at a remarkable pace. 

Presidio Tunnel Tops, which opened in July 2022, are among the most anticipated, innovative, and unique attractions to arrive in San Francisco in years. Designed by James Corner Field Operations, the team that created New York City's High Line, Tunnel Tops encompasses 14 acres of new parkland at the heart of the historic Presidio. By being ingenuously built over Highway 101, the Tunnel Tops connect the Main Lawn of the Presidio to Crissy Field, giving visitors a safe and car-free way to walk all the way to the shoreline.

The 4.5-acre Francisco Park opened in the Russian Hill neighborhood in April 2022. The park combines previously inaccessible open space with the long-abandoned Francisco Reservoir, offering a panoramic view over the Bay and 100,000 square feet of recreational space. Visitors can hop off the Hyde Street cable car and explore the 25,000 square foot main lawn, viewing platforms, and a children’s playground. 

Created by a coalition of passionate urban hikers and bikers, the 17-mile Crosstown Trail was completed in June 2019. It stretches diagonally across the city from the southeast to the northwest, connecting many of San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods, open spaces and local trails. The Crosstown Trail shows off the city’s diversity, bringing visitors to locations not typically found in most guidebooks.

Downtown’s newest park is Salesforce Park. Opened in August 2018, it sits 70 feet above street level atop the roof of the Salesforce Transit Center. The 5.4-acre urban park runs a nearly four-block stretch and offers the tranquility of spacious lawns and botanical gardens.  While commuters on the lower levels are catching buses, visitors to the park will find 600 trees and 16,000 plants arranged in 13 different botanical ecosystems.

With all this open space and San Francisco’s temperate year-round climate, travelers looking to get their fill of fresh air need look no further than the City by the Bay for their next adventure.