San Franciscos first great city park, Golden Gate Park, began to take shape shortly after the end of the Civil War. First park superintendent William Hammond Hall laid out the grounds with winding paths to discourage speeding horses and shield strollers from the wind. In 1887 Hall ceded his duties to landscape gardener John McLaren and over the next 50 years the Scotsman would mold Golden Gate Park into one of the worlds most admired urban greenscapes. He built nine artificial lakes and miles of roads, bridle paths and foot trails in the park bounded by Fulton Street to the north and Lincoln Way to the south from the Pacific Ocean to Stanyan Street. Golden Gate Park boasts more than one million trees and plants from lands around the globe. Over the years the park has hosted every conceivable form of recreation from golf to archery to polo to San Francisco 49er football. The park encompasses more than 1,000 acres and stretches from the Pacific Ocean halfway across the city - more than three miles. In 1972 a menagerie of government properties around the San Francisco Bay that included forts, a prison, an airfield, beaches and forests came together as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, becoming one of the worlds largest urban national parks. In the park are such popular destinations as Alcatraz, the Presidio and the Cliff House at Lands End. Today the park administers 75,388 acres of land - including 28 miles of shoreline - on more than 20 separate parcels. You will not be lacking things to do with your dog in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. One of the best places for dog owners to head is Fort Funston on the Pacific Ocean at the southern extreme of the park in the city (off Skyline Boulevard - Route 35). There are trails to romp along among the cliffs and plenty of unrestricted access to the beach. Look for hang gliders soaring above the cliffs. Except for areas of bird nesting and small China Beach, dogs are permitted on the sand in the city of San Francisco all the way north from Fort Funston to the San Francisco Bay. Across the bay there is first-rate canine hiking in the Marin Headlands and the Oakwood Valley on designated trails. Elevations in the wooded hills climb to over 1000 feet. Dogs are not permitted in the Muir Woods or the Tennessee Valley, the two most significant prohibitions against dogs in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The units of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are located in the western edge of San Francisco along the Great Highway. The parcels of land can be accessed from US Route 1. copyright 2006 |
