Chain of Lakes

I love this place for many reasons. Not only is it wheelchair accessible, or you can walk around and see plenty of birds rac’coons and other wildlife. I recommend this place to anyone that wants to walk around and see some amazing wildlife, natural landscapes, and just have fun on an afternoon. I would recommend it to locals as well as tourists.

The walking paths are nice and paved making it easy for a wheelchair. The scenery is nice with squirrels, ducks and homeless crazies.
I ran into a lady talking to herself that proceeded to follow me and my kids down the path. It was a bit sketchy with her following closely behind us loudly talking to herself in Latin. Once I got closer to the folks doing tai chi I felt a bit more at ease. Maybe I’m paranoid but those homeless people are kinda scary.
Yeah it’s nice bring a friend that knows Taekwondo. Better safe than sorry.

A beautiful getaway. I enjoy taking strolls along the lakes. Lots of squirrels, ducks, geese, robins, cardinals, koi, and raccoons inhabit the surroundings. The smell of cedar, eucalyptus, and sea breeze is refreshing.

Great place to clear your mind.
Free of tourists. :) Ode to joy!

An oasis in the middle of SF. Great spot for some clearing of the mind. :)

It’s beautiful and tranquil. It’s only half a mile from my current home. So I go walking here a lot. I am writing only about North Lake, actually. But supposedly that is the largest one and the most frequented one as well. The well-​tended walking path may have something to do with it. Speaking of walking path, I’m trying to find out how many miles it actually is around the North Lake. I’m guessing just under a mile, but please message me if you have exact info.
There are regulars to this lake: a small group of older ladies who take their dogs out on walks, a man who’s constantly on his cell phone while his dog sniffs every bush, a couple of older gentlemen who treks from Dolores Park area because they like the quietness, and then there’s me. There are probably more but those are the ones I’ve seen and nodded courteously in the past week or so.
If you do want to visit this neck of the woods, please, please, please keep your dogs on leash! This part of GGPark is a bird sanctuary (so I heard from the two older gentlemen). Even if it’s not, there are lots of wildlife too: squirrels, racoons, ducks, and the aforementioned birds.

Awesome area to hit up, esp. if you’re someone who mainly sticks to the eastern side of the park. I remember back when I was like. ohh…7 years old and the North lake actually froze over one winter! (Yes. Froze. I swear this to be true. I’ve had so many people doubt the validity of this story though).
I remember walking on the ice being terrified that it would break and I’d end up drowning in ice-​cold water. The same day that I was out there some guy walked over the ice and onto one of the center islands that used to be there, then when he attempted to leave, the ice started to crack and he freaked out. Then he waved down some people walking by (on the land mind you) and had them call the fire department. Poor bastard.
Definitely check it out :-)

Chain of Lakes epitomizes the western GGP aesthetic: no big tourist attractions, just acres and acres of beautiful forest to get lost in and forget you’re surrounded by bustling city. North Lake is by far the crown jewel of the 3, set in a positively enchanting glade that’s postcard-​perfect both in sun and fog (when it looks straight out of a mist-​filled fairy-​tale). There’s a nice, narrow paved path all the way around it as well. An essential stop on any cross-​park walk or ride.