Top Ten Things Families Can Do Right Now at the Presidio

Even during a pandemic, summertime is blooming in the Presidio, with a new slate of long-standing opportunities for discovery and play in nearly 1,500 acres of park right at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. The season is ripe for family-friendly outdoor recreation exploration while adhering to the social distance requirements.

Presidio Slow Streets

​​​​​​​​​​​Safe space for walking, running, and biking, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Parks are vital to our health and well-being, especially in stressful times. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Presidio remains open for exercise and outdoor activities.

Picnic

The Presidio's Main Post lawn is always a favorite spot to gather with family or lay out a blanket with your small group of friends. And the Presidio also features other sites that are perfect locations for picnicking in the park—some with views, some near beaches, and some forested nooks ideal for observing nature. While picnic tables are currently not available, the park offers plenty of open space to stretch out your spread.

Geocaching

For a fun new way to explore The Presidio through "geocaching" – a popular, real-world outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devises. Your goal with geocaching is to find a hidden container, or a "geocache," in a particular location using its geographic coordinates.

Story Walks

A public library and Parks Conservancy partnership, a Story Walk is a children’s book that is placed as a series of sign panels along a trail for a fun “seek, find and read” strolling experience. This summer there are two Story Walks: “I Wrote You a Note” at Mountain Lake featuring a little girl seeking a hidden note in a lakeside setting and the latest installation, “The Hike”, that starts at the Visitor Center that features three children on an adventure in a park.

Adventure Map

An illustrated adventure map that highlights 25 things you can do in the park, with fun colorful details that invite exploration and discovery of the myriad nooks and crannies of the Presidio. Maps can be picked up from green and orange wooded boxes at three spots in the park: the Graham Street Lawn nature play pop-up, the north side of Mountain Lake, and the Crissy Field Overlook.

Birdwatching

If you walk through Mountain Lake Park, or really anywhere in the Presidio, at any given time of day or year, there is a very good chance that you will see more than one of the species pictured in this guide.

Discover Goldsworthy

Goldsworthy has explored this complexity through four art installations - Spire, Wood Line, Tree Fall, and Earth Wall. The Presidio is now home to the largest collection of his works on public view in North America. The works build on a long tradition of art within parks. They are fundamentally about place, derived from materials found here and designed to allow viewers to experience the familiar in a new way.

Tennessee Hollow Watershed Walk

The Tennessee Hollow Watershed features residential neighborhoods, endangered native plants, forests, trails, playing fields, public art, and historic treasures. A trail walk here showcases so much of what is wonderful about the Presidio.

DIY Exploration Backpack

The Presidio will not have their Exploration Backpacks available but here are suggestions on creating your own: binoculars, downloadable activity pack to print and fill out, pencils, crayons, markers, worksheets such as this scavenger hunt at the Ecology Trail or Wildflower Guide. Prepare a fun craft from one of these kids craft projects or Golden Gate Bridge specific craft project. Discover nature around you with this Backyard BioBlitz. In addition, the National Parks Service has some of their Junior Ranger Booklets online to download. Don’t forget to pack water and snacks!

Presidio at Home

The Presidio has curated an array of free videos, photos, educational tools, and more that invite you to experience the Presidio from wherever you are. Take a virtual tour of trails around the GGNRA.

The Presidio has so many wonderful places to visit – how do you know where to start? These Presidio destinations will give you a taste of all the park has to offer – from wild open spaces to cultural destinations to spots to enjoy a Golden Gate view.

Photos by Myleen Hollero, Damien Raffa, Charity Vargas