20 Attractions to Explore Near Thornton State Beach

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.

Mussel Rock is a rock formation on the coast of San Mateo County, California, offshore from Daly City. It consists of one large and numerous smaller rocks of a type known as a stack, where a headland is eroded unevenly, leaving small islands. The rock itself is located 15 meters from the shore of Mussel Rock Park and stands 18 meters tall. The area above Mussel Rock consists of steep cliffs with frequent landslides, threatening homes in a subdivision above.

San Francisco Zoo is a majestic 100 acre property, which is home to more than 2,000 exotic, endangered, and rescued animals in 100 acres of majestic and peaceful gardens located directly on the Pacific Coast.

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.

San Bruno Mountain is an elevated fault block, created by the buckling of the earth's crust starting about 1 million years ago. It is near the southern boundary of San Francisco, surrounded by the cities of Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, and South San Francisco.

San Bruno Mountain State Park, officially San Bruno Mountain State and County Park is a park located in northern San Mateo County, California. It is a landmark of local and regional significance, standing as a unique open-space island in the midst of the peninsula's urbanization at the northern end of the Santa Cruz Mountain Range. The park is dominated by San Bruno Mountain which is a 4 miles ridge.

Mount Davidson in San Francisco is the highest peak in the city. It reaches 928 feet above sea level and offers a great hiking experience. The hill is well known for its 103-foot concrete cross on the top of it. Each year on Easter, you will find a sunrise service in front of the cross. They also have an annual event on April 24 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. It is the site of a yearly prayer service, performed on Easter.

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.

Milagra Ridge is a 275-acre open space park that is an isolated island ecosystem, located about 7 miles south of San Francisco, between the cities of Pacifica and Daly City. It was first inhabited by the Ohlone indigenous people, and was later claimed by Spanish settlers and Mexican ranchers.

Glen Canyon Park is a city park in San Francisco, California. It occupies about 70 acres along a deep canyon adjacent to the Glen Park, Diamond Heights, and Miraloma Park neighborhoods. O'Shaughnessy Hollow is a rugged, undeveloped 3.6 acres tract of parkland that lies immediately to the west and may be considered an extension of Glen Canyon Park.

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.

Pacifica Municipal Fishing Pier is an old concrete pier located on the waterfront in the Sharp Park neighborhood of Pacifica CA. The quarter mile pier was built in 1973 as part of the city of Pacifica's sewer system. It carries a 28-inch pipe that continues one quarter mile offshore through which treated wastewater was pumped into the Pacific Ocean. The pier is famous for salmon runs where hundreds of salmon are caught in a single day.

This is the San Francisco's second largest park, offers a wide range of both active and passive recreational opportunities. These elements range from trails and paths, to six playgrounds, five picnic areas, tennis and basketball courts, an amphitheater, natural areas, a clubhouse and so more. The park is surrounded mostly by the Excelsior, Crocker-Amazon, Visitacion Valley, Portola and University Mound neighborhoods.

Sharp Park Beach is located along Beach Boulevard in Pacifica, CA. The park is a narrow strip of land with grass and picnic tables and benches above the sandy beach. There is a trail that parallels the beach for biking north and south along the entire Pacifica waterfront. It is one of the iocni location for an outing.

The Twin Peaks are two prominent hills with an elevation of about 925 feet located near the geographic center of San Francisco. The top of Twin Peaks is undeveloped. It is part of the 31 acres  Twin Peaks Natural Area, managed and owned by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. These preserved areas are home to many natural resources and wildlife. As part of the Mission blue butterfly habitat conservation, Twin Peaks is one of the few remaining habitats for this endangered species.

This is a large urban park located in San Francisco administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. It is a large urban park with windmills, bison, museums, lakes and a carousel among its many attractions. . Golden Gate is the third most-visited city park in the United States after Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial.

This is a living garden within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, showcasing over 8,500 different kinds of plants from around the world. Its 55 acres represents nearly 9,000 different kinds of plants from around the world, with particular focus on Magnolia species, high elevation palms, conifers, and cloud forest species from Central America, South America and Southeast Asia.

The Stow Lake Boathouse is a recreational facility in San Francisco.The boathouse is located at Stow Lake, which is on the easternmost side of Golden Gate Park.

This is the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States located inside Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Originally built as part of a sprawling World's Fair, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. Though many of its attractions are still a part of the garden today, there have been changes throughout the history of the garden that have shaped it into what it is today. This complex of many paths,, and a teahouse features plants and trees arranged in a Japanese style.