San Francisco Zoo - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Lake Merced is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California. It is surrounded by three golf courses The lake is home of the Pacific Rowing Club and St. Ignatius College Prep Rowing Team, both competitive rowing programs for San Francisco high school students.

This is a 33-acre recreational site in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California. It consists of several park sections including the Concert Meadow, the West Meadow, and Pine Lake Park. The grove's Pine Lake is one of three natural lakes in the city of San Francisco. In 2005, Stern Grove underwent a $15 million renovation, designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. New features included drainage improvements and erosion control, an expanded outdoor stage and performance facilities.

Hawk Hill is a magnificent remnant hilltop dune with ocean views of southwestern San Francisco. It offers a prime vantage point for viewing thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures collectively known as “raptors” as they soar overhead during their annual fall migration.This unique site in the Marin Headlands is steeped in military history and plays an important role in the vitality of endangered mission blue butterflies.

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps are a set of mosaic staircases in the Inner Sunset District. These colorful pieces of art showcase intricate designs that can be enjoyed from both far away and close up. The theme of the overall design focuses on the sea to the stars. You will see lovely spiral designs with small sea creatures all around them. You will also see a set of stairs with a beautiful moon. Another popular one is a yellow and orange sun.

Grandview Park is a local elevated park in the Sunset District that's relatively small, but it's packed with botanical and geological wonders.The summit of Grandview Park rises to about 666 feet. It provides one of the last remaining habitats within the city for a number of native plants, including the endangered Franciscan wallflower and dune tansy, and also bush lupin, beach strawberry, bush monkey flower, and coyote bush. The hill is crowned with Monterey cypress trees.

Thornton State Beach is a remote beach below tall bluffs just south of San Francisco. The park is known for the hiking and equestrian trails on the bluff terraces high above the waterline.There are some multi-purpose trails, some covered with vegetation or sandy dunes, that wind down closer to the ocean, but these trails have not been maintained and may be badly eroded.