Jul 25, 2024 - Things to Do

Visiting San Francisco's newest park: Middle Lake

Claire Reilly

A picture of a rocky stream in the foreground and lake in the background, surrounded by trees and garden beds. — Middle Lake now has fresh landscaping and a beautiful cascade that winds through the park. Photo: Claire Reilly/Axios

San Francisco loves its parks and now there's a new one to explore.

Driving the news: Middle Lake, a landscaped park at Chain of Lakes Drive and JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, has quietly reopened to the public after its closure for rehabilitation and rebuilding over the past 18 months.

By the numbers: San Francisco was recently ranked seventh in the country for our public parks. The city has more than 4,000 acres of recreational and open space, a quarter of which is Golden Gate Park.

The vibe: I took my dog Dusty down to explore and it was a delight. The lake is surrounded by shady benches and plenty of trees as well as a lot of newly landscaped garden beds and fresh plants.

The highlight is the rocky stream that winds down the hill, alongside and underneath the path. I spotted kids chasing it uphill to see where it came from.

What they're saying: I passed two older gentlemen walking the path for the first time. "I remember this place from when I was a kid," one of them said to me, "but this is such an improvement."

• "All we need is a cocktail!" he added.

Zoom in: Check out our video of the park on Axios SF's Instagram (featuring our four-legged intern Dusty).

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Visiting San Francisco's newest park: Middle Lake

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