We’ve all been there: trying to soothe a fussy baby and absolutely nothing is working.
With my first baby, my go-to for these times looked a little something like this. First, I would wrestle with the Moby wrap while wondering if I needed to watch the how-to video yet again. Then I would origami my daughter’s angry body into the Moby before hurrying down the stairs of our apartment building, knowing her cries were being heard by all my neighbors.
But then, we were golden. The walking and fresh air almost immediately worked their magic. And things were really golden, because Golden Gate Park was just a block away.
When I say my kids were raised in Golden Gate Park, it doesn’t feel like an exaggeration. We didn’t have a backyard, so it became ours. We also weathered the pandemic mostly in the park. The playgrounds might have been closed, but there were trees to be climbed, a car-free street to scoot and bike on, and meadows to run in.
With the countless hours I’ve logged in Golden Gate Park with my kids over the years, I’ve discovered so many things. Here are some ways to make your next visit more fun, memorable and low stress.
The Botanical Garden’s Best Spots
A park-within-a-park, the Botanical Garden has many spots that kids love: the bamboo forest and tiny bridges in Temperate Asia, the mysterious trails in the Redwood Grove, the giant dinosaur footprints in the Ancient Plant Garden and the bridge where you can watch koi swim below. There are regular nature storytimes, too – check the calendar at gggp.org.
There’s also a Children’s Garden! This is a bit of a hike beyond the main area of the Botanical Garden, but this under-visited area is great for getting dirty and creative. There’s an area for building forts with branches, a “mud kitchen,” a storybook stroll and a hidden pond. On “Bean Sprouts Family Days,” there are volunteers and arts and crafts, too. All around, the Botanical Garden is one of my favorite destinations with kids.
Small and Big Outings with Littles
Spreckels Lake was built in 1904 specifically to sail miniature sailboats. The tradition continues today with model sailboats, steamboats, speedboats and tugboats. There’s a timeless appeal for all ages in watching the small boats in action.
The events schedule at sfmyc.org is a bit hard to decipher, but your best bets are the Tug Fest, the Navigational Challenge and Vintage Boat Day. There are regattas most Saturdays and Sundays from late morning to early afternoon in the summer.
While you’re in the area, add some big animals to your outing. The Park Police Horse Stables is right across the street and up a short hill from Spreckels Lake; there are always a few horses outside to say hello to (but don’t feed or pet them). The Bison Paddock is just 0.3 miles down John F. Kennedy Drive. Daily feedings happen between 11am and 1pm and are a good chance to see them a bit closer. If they’re roaming farther away, you can always walk the 0.75-mile multi-use trail that goes around the paddock. (This would be fine with a stroller.)
Soak Up Nature with Short Hikes
The 0.8-mile Phil Arnold Trail in the very northeast corner of the park explores the coast live oak woodland. This native forest has been here since long before the park, and you’ll find a thriving ecosystem and a zillion acorns amidst the curving trunks and trails. Go to inaturalist.org and search for “Golden Gate Park Oak Woodlands” to get a checklist with photos of things to identify. You’ll also find a nature guide along the trail. For this is one, you’d need to leave the stroller behind.
I highly recommend visiting the renovated Middle Lake. The approximately 0.5-mile, stroller-friendly loop trail includes an option to hike up along a meandering waterfall with logs to climb on and a feeling of adventure for kids. Add on nearby North Lake for more mileage (0.65 miles), wildness and birding.
You don’t have to leave the city to experience a coastal redwood forest – there are five groves in Golden Gate Park! Connect the Memorial Redwood Grove and Heroes Grove (both are right next to John F. Kennedy Promenade) for a hike that’s about 1 mile roundtrip. Enter the trail at JFK Promenade and 10th Avenue at the huge “Heroes Grove” stone. Head west until you reach the Rose Garden, and then find the trail on the north side of the Rose Garden and continue west. Continue on trails until you reach Doughboy Meadow. Cross through the meadow and continue into more of the wooded trails in the Memorial Redwood Grove before turning back before Prayerbook Cross to retrace your steps or walk on JFK Promenade. This hike would be fine with a jogging stroller.
Tips for Busy Attractions
Especially in the summer, the California Academy of Sciences can be a zoo (fun fact: before the San Francisco Zoo opened, Golden Gate Park had elephants, kangaroos, zebras and more).
As soon as you arrive at the academy, check the daily schedule at the front desk. There are sometimes programs specifically for the littles, like puppet shows. (Note that kids must be 4 or older to attend the planetarium shows).
There are also areas in the academy where you can take things down a notch. The “Wander Woods” outdoor area can be a godsend to take a breather. The indoor “Curiosity Grove” doesn’t limit numbers or ages anymore but can be a good place to regroup. The “Nature Lab” on the third floor, which usually opens at 11am, has interactive exhibits in a smaller, quieter space. The “Living Roof” is less visited than you’d think and a spectacular spot to play “I Spy.” With my kids, we like to go to the farthest corners of the lowest level of the academy to observe fish, coral and rays in a more relaxed way.
The Koret Playground and Children’s Quarter, which is what I’d call a “destination playground,” can also be packed in the summer. While it’s big enough to absorb a lot of kids, it can require more vigilance as a caretaker. Late afternoons and evenings are much quieter if you can make it work with the nap schedule, and the carousel and the concessionaire California Kahve are open later than you may think. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, both are open from 10:30am to 4:30pm to weekdays, and 10am to 5pm on weekends.
Car-Free Spaces
John F. Kennedy Promenade, a 1.5-mile stretch of car-free space in the park, is a wonderful place to give kids some practice or freedom on a bike or scooter. On weekends, the section from Kezar Drive to Eighth Avenue can be pretty crowded so if you have a very young child, go onto nearby Conservatory Drive East, which loops around Dahlia Dell.
But there are more car-free spaces in the park than JFK Promenade. I recommend Middle Drive West from Overlook Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which is relatively flat – plus you have Metson Lake as a perfect homebase and picnic spot.
As a rule, it’s hard to go wrong when you go to Golden Gate Park. So get out and start discovering more of those 1,017 acres of our big, shared backyard!
Marta Lindsey is a mom of two and the author of two books about Golden Gate Park, “Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide”(Mountaineers Books, 2026), and a children’s book, “Golden Gate Park: An A to Z Adventure.” You can learn more tips about the park at secretgoldengatepark.com and @secretgoldengatepark on Instagram.
