The best walks and hikes in San Francisco

If you want to avoid the Bayview Hill between SF and SSF go through Candlestick Park. As others have noted, lots of fun gravel trails you can ride with the surface being compact and smooth. Take care however, the trail can get a bit sandy and loose in small parts. You can avoid the dirt and follow the road until you reach the top of the hill and pass the white barricades. There is space between them for cyclists to pass. The road is bumpy but car free. You can also choose to ride through the parking lot which is better paved but always take care with cars.

Solar Totems informational plaque at the Glen Canyon Recreation Center : Artist: Charles Sowers, American, b. 1966. Solar Totems 2017 Reclaimed redwood logs, lens, solar power, heliograph mechanism Solar Totems is an installation of three 12-foot-tall reclaimed redwood logs with a solar powered mechanism mounted to the south face. The sun’s rays are focused by a lens, which lightly burns into the wood. As the sun moves across the sky, the burn becomes a line; preserving a record of sunshine periodically broken by fog or cloudy skies. The lens is advanced a small distance each day to create a distinct daily line. The mechanism records one year of daily atmospheric conditions. When the yearly record is complete, the mechanism is moved to another log, leaving a sculptural archive of daily variations in sunlight that park visitors can use to compare regional weather patterns from year to year. The artwork turns the plaza into a kind of civic, solar and atmospheric observatory, artistically expanding our understanding of place and connecting us to our environment through that understanding. Collection of the City and County of San Francisco Arts Commission SFAC

In the 1870s and 1880s, Golden Gate Park was planted on sand dunes and required substantial irrigation. In 1902, the Park Commission authorized the construction of two windmills to pump groundwater for park irrigation rather than purchasing water at exorbitant costs from the Spring Valley Water Company. The Murphy Mill was completed in 1908,[4] and pumped 40,000 US gallons (150,000 L) per hour to the park.

Take moment to appreciate the shimmer on the water. The Bay Trail gets you really close to enjoy sweeping views, fresh breeze and relaxing water sounds. Benches and picnic tables make for a great rest stop during long rides.

The Twin Peaks Reservoir is a 10.5-million-gallon storage reservoir made out of 6-inch-thick (150 mm) reinforced-concrete slabs on the north slope of Twin Peaks. The reservoir is made up of two tanks, and each is able to empty separately for safety reasons. A trail wraps around the fence and on one side has great views toward downtown San Francisco.

St. Mary’s College (now located in Moraga, California) was located on this College Hill, 200 feet and served as its namesake. The hill was physically carved in two by the Bernal Cut, which is now San Jose Ave

Clarendon Heights (850 ft, 251 m) is the site of the Sutro Tower telecommunications tower. You can approach it only to the fence of Sutro Tower complex adjacent to reservoir.

Great spot for panoramic views of the bay, and the mountain ridges on both sides sides, not at sunrise. Popular Popular with anglers