The stages have come down. The Pink Pony Club has moseyed along. After two weekends overrun by hundreds of thousands of music fans, the west end of Golden Gate Park is a local domain once again, and it’s a perfect time to explore.
Even if you’re familiar with this side of the park, something new awaits. For years, Middle Lake was the missing link in the historic Chain of Lakes. But after a $10.8 million restoration, it’s now a centerpiece that inspires creative walking routes that tie together the nearby attractions — some world-famous, some semi-secret.
The lake bed, dry for decades, provided a perfect kid zone for making forts, but the return of water to Middle Lake has brought locals to its picturesque path through beds of blooming wildflowers, mature trees, and newly planted natives.
The Chain of Lakes — North, Middle, and South Lake — were once seasonal ponds among the vast dunes west of 19th century San Francisco, the original Outside Lands.
John McLaren, the father (officially title: superintendent) of Golden Gate Park, harnessed the ponds in the late 1890s as part of the park’s water management system. North Lake got a makeover in 2004; South Lake is still awaiting its turn.
Middle Lake’s two-year construction project marked Golden Gate Park’s largest environmental restoration in two decades, funded in large part by voter-approved bonds.
The work included a new 18-inch thick layer of clay to line the lake bed; unclogging the pipes that supply the lake’s water from South Lake; and an aeration system to improve water quality — hence the bubbles you’ll see at the surface.
The result is not only a beautiful new destination for picnics and walks, but a new path, the Cascade Trail, alongside an 800-foot-long babbling brook that creates a sort of back door to one the park’s hidden gems: the pools that are home to the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club.
Two loops
Inspired by the Middle Lake rejuvenation, we spent a recent afternoon exploring the restored area and mapped out a nearly four-mile walk in two different loops that kicked off from the new Middle Lake.
Along the way, we hit five bodies of water, two groups of wild animals, four unique sporting grounds, and countless chances to people-watch. The east loop, which includes Middle Lake and Spreckles Lake, is up to three miles. To the west, a stroll to the Dutch Windmill and back will add another mile or two. It all adds up to a fantastic day exploring the park’s western end.
Don’t worry about the weather. The Chain of Lakes is equally fetching in both fog and sunshine. Take an hour or a few hours; pack a picnic or don’t. But go soon! Word of Middle Lake’s gorgeousness is spreading fast — and with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass the first weekend of October, hordes of music lovers will again make this end of the park hard to navigate.
Middle Lake: Just add water
After years of just a jumble of bushes and dirt, thanks to excavation and the new clay bed the lake is now 50 percent larger, and it glistens in shades from rainforest green to Caribbean blue depending on the weather. Rec and Park replaced three acres of invasive vegetation with 10,000 native plants, including a swap of eucalyptus for oaks.
Landscapers also built small islands to attract nesting birds that frequent the area, including cormorants, geese, and herons.
A wide, half-mile path encircles the lake, with each curve and cove presenting a lovely new view. The west side of the path isn’t terribly peaceful, as it hugs the busy Chain of Lakes Drive, often clogged with cars. But the trail soon jogs away from the road and into large trees whose long branches dangle almost to the water. We nod hello to an older couple who have spread out on one of the benches made from reclaimed logs. “Isn’t it pretty?” the man asks, smiling.
At the south end of the lake, stone edges, California poppies, and fallen logs enhance the environment for wildlife. The trail is wide enough to accommodate visitors of all types, including a woman pushing a stroller, a man using a walker, and a child scooting by on a toddler bike.
At the bottom (south end) of Middle Lake, take a short detour to South Lake. There’s no path around it, so pause a moment to dig its jungly vibes.
Head back to Middle Lake and wrap up your circumnavigation on the east shore. Before you reach the north apex, you’ll hear the sound of rushing water and see the new Cascade Trail. It curves upward along a small gurgling stream, which is artificial but none the worse for it. The cascade drops into Middle Lake and uphill, native plants and rocks of different sizes line the stream bed.
Wide and not too steep, the Cascade Trail is unpaved but designed to accommodate visitors with mobility challenges and wheelchairs. Follow it for ten minutes or so, and you’ll find yourself in a place that’s easy to miss for all but the most intrepid park explorers.
Cast off your troubles
The Cascade Trail makes a final turn and emerges at three wide and serene pools. There’s no pretense or illusion of nature here: the pools are sculpted concrete. This is the home of the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club, and members have practiced their flycasting in these pools since 1933.
The club has hosted landmark competitions and puts on a variety of public events, including free casting lessons the second Saturday of every month.
Bring your own road and cast away, or just use the open, tranquil space as a watery Zen garden for contemplation. The metronome rhythms of people casting lines into the pools can be hypnotic.
Stroll around the site, and be sure to take a closer look at the historic Angler’s Lodge, fashioned like a cottage with its stone entry, shutters with leaping-trout cutouts, and some of the park’s cleanest public bathrooms.
Bison and turtles and yachts, oh my
On the other side of the Angler’s Lodge is a parking lot. Head down the driveway, and you’ll pop out on JFK Drive across the street from the famed bison paddock.
Though elk, deer, and bears were attractions in the park’s early days, bison have roamed this meadow since 1899. Now managed by the SF Zoo, the herd of ten females and their ancestors have birthed more than 500 calves, one of the captive breeding efforts that kept the species from extinction.
Belly up to the fence. Sometimes there’s not much action at all, but if you’re lucky you’ll catch one of the one-ton giants taking a roll in the dirt.
When you’ve had your fill of giant fuzzy beasts, head east along JFK Drive and cross 36th Avenue. Just up a small rise is Spreckels Lake. Circle the thousand-foot-long lake with scores of locals on power walks and people scattering bread crumbs and seeds for the birds. (We don’t encourage this, by the way.)
Spreckels Lake is home to carp, ducks, turtles, herons, and seagulls, and it has human residents too: the San Francisco Model Yacht Club, which dates from 1898 and is thought to be the oldest club of its kind in the U.S. The SFMYC boathouse across 36th Ave. features an amazing collection of model yachts, but it’s only open when a member is present.
The lake was purpose-built for the SFMYC to showcase three-foot boats in 1903, and it remains a place where the public can pilot both sailboats and motorcraft. The best time to see the action is on weekends during sailing season, March through October. (The club’s biggest event of the year, Model Boats on Parade, is coming up on Sunday, Sept. 15.)
Raccoon kingdom
To get back to the Chain of Lakes, find the path just north of the SFMYC boathouse. Follow it west along the back side of the Bison Paddock – on your right, you’ll see a recently renovated dog park (officially a “dog training area”) — until it reaches Chain of Lakes Drive.
Cross the drive (watch for traffic!) and start your loop around North Lake, which at first is hidden behind reeds and bushes. A wooded path encircles the entire lake. Though busy on weekends, North Lake was quiet on our Tuesday afternoon ramble, with a young mom strolling her baby and dachshund, several pairs of women engrossed in Russian conversation, a dad pulling a wagonload of toddlers, and flocks of ducks doing their thing.
But one thing became immediately clear: Raccoons rule here. A mama and four kits entertained visitors near the water; a woman scolded an impatient one approaching on its hind legs and waving its arms at a bag of food she held out of reach; and a veritable platoon marched straight at us until they veered off the trail at the last moment.
The raccoons are everywhere. And they’re in charge. (Just like with birds, feeding them is against park rules – and it’s bad for them, to boot.)
Fans of the cute masked mammals will be in heaven, but skittish humans and dogs might want to skip this lake. Either way, it’s an easy walk from here back to Middle Lake.
Arrows and clubs
I find it impossible to bike, walk, or drive through the west end of Golden Gate Park without a stop at the historic Dutch Windmill, where wedding parties often take photos in the gardens, and a walk on Ocean Beach. But my new favorite place is the recently reopened golf course. It’s worth extending your trip there, even if you’re like me and don’t know a putter from a driver.
From the north end of North Lake, you have two choices. From the small traffic pullout, you can find a wide foot path to the west. Follow it uphill through the woods, then down again, and you’ll end up at 47th Avenue where it enters the park. Or you can walk out of the park via Chain of Lakes Drive to Fulton Street, turn left, then left again on 47th Ave. back into the park.
Head south on 47th Ave. and on the left, you’ll get a glimpse of yet another “I’ve never seen this!” pockets of the park: local sharpshooters — the bow-and-arrow variety — taking aim at the archery range. If you squint, you can pretend you’re at the Esplanade des Invalides watching the Paris Olympians. Or, if you prefer, on the set of Game of Thrones.
A few steps beyond, you’ll find yourself in a very different sporting venue: the golf course parking lot.
Recent renovation is quite the theme at this end of the park: The Golden Gate Park Golf Course reopened in February following a $5.8 million overhaul. The public nine-hole, three-par course debuted in 1951.
After a fire in 2018, the old clubhouse was razed and replaced with a sleek, sustainable one. The course was also revamped to better reflect the original design, including holes with views of Sutro Tower, the Pacific Ocean, and the windmill. A round costs $20 to 25 for city residents and $40 to $50 for out-of-towners, but there’s another way to enjoy it. The clubhouse pours craft beer, serves gourmet snacks, and offers Adirondack chairs overlooking the course and its cypress groves for any walker who stops by.
To finish your loop back to Middle Lake, turn left out of the golf course parking lot, turn left again at the intersection, and follow the footpath uphill, away from the ocean. The golf course will be on your left as you make your way back up JFK Drive until it reaches Chain of Lakes Drive.
Of course, you can keep wandering and exploring. Our two loops have left out several places tucked into various corners of the park, including the Beach Chalet soccer fields, the Bercut Equitation Field (where a horse abuse scandal has ended activities for now), and various unnamed glades and glens.
Find a footpath and follow it. Chances are you’ll create a route worth sharing.
Getting to Chain of Lakes
Several Muni routes serve the west end of the park, including the 5 Fulton along Fulton Street, the 29 Sunset along Lincoln Way, and the 18 46th Avenue along the Great Highway. The N Judah also runs parallel to the park, two blocks south on Judah Street.
Bay Wheels bike stations are located near Spreckels Lake, South Lake, and on JFK Drive near North Lake.
Parking is available on JFK Drive near the Bison Paddock and in public lots on Chain of Lakes Drive. Take extra care crossing streets in the park, even in crosswalks. Avoid contact with lake water and raccoons — even the friendly ones.