Shaping SF: Lost Golden Gate Park

Three events created most of the map of contemporary Golden Gate Park: the Midwinter Fair of 1893, the building projects of the WPA, and the construction of Highway 1. Our guest guide, Nancy Botkin, creator of the walking tours in the new book, Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide, leads us on a walk of “Lost Golden Gate Park”. With few entry points, this semi-secret area is arguably the least visited section of Golden Gate Park, much of it unchanged since the Depression. We explore a 20-acre section that was cut from the rest of the park by the creation of Crossover Drive/ Park Presidio Bypass / Highway 1 to speed traffic from 19th Ave to the Golden Gate Bridge. You’re pretty much guaranteed to see things you’ve never noticed before, including special views of the Bridge.

Distance: 2-3 miles, expect rugged dirt trails with uneven surfaces.

RSVP to shaping@foundsf.org