Guide to Golden Gate Park

If you're new to San Francisco or live in other parts of the Bay Area and haven't had a chance to stroll Golden Gate Park in all of its splendor, Jennifer Alpeche has a great guide to the park's many beauties.

We owe our thanks to William Hammond Hall and John McLaren for the lushness that is Golden Gate Park today. Hall was the young surveyor hired for a topographical overview, who envisioned the forested green space that would replace the sand dunes of the Outside Lands. He also implemented curved pathways and roadways to slow the pace of traffic. Hall was the park's first superintendent (1871), succeeded by John McLaren.

McLaren, a Scotsman, was a landscape designer whose efforts helped anchor the sand dunes, reduce erosion, and build the green scape that covers more than 1000 square acres of our city. (Central Park in New York is 843 acres.) McLaren was an honored superintendent for more than 50 years, with a number of statues and icons dedicated to his name -- including McLaren Park.

See Jennifer's profile of Golden Gate Park for more information on the park's amenities.

^{Pictured: Japanese Tea Garden Entrance - Golden Gate Park
Photo © Ingrid Taylar}