Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park covers 1,017 acres on the western side of San Francisco, running about 3.5 miles from the city center to the Pacific Ocean. Surveyed in 1870 by William Hammond Hall on windblown sand dunes known as the Outside Lands, it was transformed through a major reclamation effort into a man-made forest of more than 30,000 trees, broken by open meadows and linked by curving roads and paths. Hall served as the first superintendent, and John McLaren carried the plan forward for 53 years after 1889. The design follows the picturesque tradition influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. Lakes, gardens, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Music Concourse, the Japanese Tea Garden, monuments, and 1930s public works facilities were added over time. The park was listed as a historic district with 135 contributing resources. Its original spatial layout of forest, meadow and road system remains largely intact, and visitors still picnic, stroll, boat and play sports much as earlier generations did.