Golden Gate Park Windmills

Definitely a relaxing and beautiful stroll with your dog or friends.

Pretty cool site to see as I was biking at the Golden Gate Park. We were able to get off our bike and take look around they neatly preserved area where the windmill presides for over hundred years (if my memory serves me correctly) I think it was built in 1902 and was commisioned to get restored.
Its a pretty large structure that sits quietly upon neatly trimmed grass and a garden. Its site definitely puts things in perspective as to how far we have come with things that make our everyday lives easier.
It you’re in the area you should definitely come take a peek, its right before the beach so you can see that as well.

It’s nice to look at. There’s also a tulip garden right by the windmil.

Huge windmills! You can’t miss them. They are fun to look at for a little while and take photos of. There were a small amount of flowers planted around the grass area in front of the windmills. They are worth a visit if you like taking photos. You won’t spend spend a long time here. once you’ve seen them. that’s it. Pretty cool though!

Pretty cool! The windmills look pretty cool in the distance as you see them hovering over the trees. Plenty of street parking here since people usually just stop by and leave.
Located on the very West side of the Golden Gate Park — it’s hard to miss! There’s also a tulip garden right by the windmill (go when the flowers are in bloom!).
Visits usually don’t take more than 15 minutes, but it’s nice to park by here and walk out to the beach/​coast and stroll around.

The flowers are pretty my in bloom right now. There were only a few tulips though. Most of the the flowers were pretty but not tulips. They were also looking on the dying side of things so not sure how much longer they will last.
It’s such a cool tiny park. It was pretty packed. But had a nice feel to it. The windmill looms over it. It’s a really beautiful place.

I went past the windmills today on my way to the beach chalet for lunch. They are awesome! Though I’m not sure how old they are because I didn’t have time to read anything about them, but they really add a nice ambience to the area. I highly recommend checking them out when you’re in the ocean beach area!

I love finding the little gems of SF! This specific one is located within Golden Gate Park. It’s almost towards the end or the other side (entrance) of the park. It’s almost across from the Ocean Beach. You can pretty much park right there on the street, get out, and take five steps to the windmill.
You can’t really get another view of the windmill on the outside, which was kind of disappointing. But still, it’s such a cool place! There’s also some benches to just sit and relax and enjoy the view. This place is literally a small garden with a giant windmill in the background. How cool is that?!
I really wish they opened the windmill to allow us to go up and take an even nicer view of the windmill and also the park! It’s a small place, but it’s a cute place to enjoy the view. If you’re ever at the Golden Gate Park, drop by here!

Really cool windmills.
Winter is not the optimal time to visit as there are no flowers in bloom, but the windmills are impressive and worth a quick look.
Try again in the spring…
4.5 stars

There are a pair of windmills located in the western section of the park. You won’t be able to miss them, you’ll see them if you’re heading into the park from the west near the Pacific. Take lots of pictures. Get out of your car and walk around a bit. Hear the music from Ico in your head, if you’re a gamer like me or better yet, have your husband call to you like Yorda… we can’t be the only folks who did that, right?
The first is the Dutch windmill (north) standing nearly 75′ and surrounded by gorgeous colourful flowers in the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden. The Dutch windmill was completed in 1902 and cost roughly $ 25,000. There was a caretaker’s cottage and he stayed on premises to maintain the windmill and check on the local animals in the park. Because the first windmill was so successful, a second was built. The Murphy Windmill (south) was funded by the vice president of a local bank and carries his namesake. A local lumber yard donated the wood and the dome was made from donated copper.
At one time, both windmills were responsible for pumping over one million gallons of water daily. As the decades passed on, they were fitted with motorized pumps and no longer needed the wind to facilitate their sails. Maintenance fell by the wayside and during WWII, the metal inside both windmills were removed and melted down for the war effort. It wasn’t until the mid-​60s that a campaign was started to save the windmills, both in terrible states of neglect.
Over the next few decades, renovations began and in 2012, the refurbished cap was returned to the Murphy Windmill. Go here if you’d like to see a better timeline of the completed and planned renovations:
A cool trivia thing that I learned while reading about the windmills is that after a Dutch architect studied Murphy Windmill, he learned some unique things. After a week’s residence taking measurements and dealing with the resident pigeons, he noted that the sails were much larger than traditional Dutch sails (150 feet vs 90 feet) and that the sails turned clockwise, rather than the traditional Dutch windmills.

I think I can resonate with the tales of Don Quixote now. Windmills are just weird. Especially on the approach.
Whilst enjoying a morning in Outer Sunset, we happened upon a few trails through Golden Gate Park and then — BOOM. There were windmills built into our view across the park. Crazy huge, glorious windmills. Are they really anything more than something to look at? Not really, but they are super cool and make for great pictures.
Also, I’ll note that these windmills in particular are huge. Though, I’m not sure they are still operational.
I’ll chase these any day.

A retired US Navy SEABEE made it possible by restoring the windmill and donating it to the city of San Francisco.
Impressive when you see it in person. The pictures do not do it justice.

As I was walking around by myself and admiring the different windmill structures, I was surprisingly approached by a gentleman who began small talk and educating me on the many different facts about this specific windmill as well as the history of how it came to be.
The particular windmills located here in Golden Gate Park were built in 1903 and 1908 and parts were shipped from Holland. They are now considered one of the largest windmills of the world. The windmill is still fully functional and hooked to a water system. One can pump 30,000 gallons of water per hour and the other 40,000. The sheets on the mill are currently rolled up because the prevailing winds off the ocean would be too great in strength for the windmill to handle.
Originally, Golden Gate Park was built on sand dunes that required substantial irrigation. These were the exact reasons for building the windmills.
There is a little cottage perched to the side of this windmill which I have not further explored, but intend to do so in the near future.
What a lovely tutorial lesson out of the blue that I received while curiously viewing this incredible piece of windmill architecture.
Goes to show that passion lives everywhere and surfaces when you least expect it.

Huge Dutch style windmill surrounded by pretty landscaped flowers, reminiscent of the Netherlands. Serene environment by the coast. Worthwhile tourist stop.

The windmill guarding the intersection where Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach meet doesn’t rotate, so it serves no purpose aside from being aesthetically pleasing, and that’s good enough for me. I mean, who doesn’t love a giant windmill?
I know a fella who mutters «Dutch Windmill» under his breath every time we drive past here, an understated joke that always makes me giggle about an over-​sized beauty mark on SF.
It’s a gorgeous landmark that apparently hosts events if you’re looking for a stunning backdrop, but the events are strictly exterior. And no need to pay for said event, just have a cute little picnic here amidst the tulips. Dutch tulips, naturally.
…Dutch Windmill.

So these are actually two windmills that are on the other side of the park from each other. I’m not sure why I thought they were RIGHT next to one another. So I only bothered going to one of them. I don’t know, it’s free so why not just check it out. Massive looking and fun. Too bad they don’t operate it.
The surrounding area is clean and the grass is nice and soft to lay on. Not a bad stop if you’re in the area.

Beautiful garden tucked away across from Ocean Beach! Regardless if it’s sunny or foggy, it’s a delightful site to visit in a very unexpected location. Lovely flowers and benches you can sit on to enjoy the windmill and gardens. Check it out!

So many historic structures have been destroyed by earthquakes and progress; it is amazing that this San Francisco landmark still exist just a few hundred yards from the ocean.
The Dutch windmill was constructed in 1902 to pump water to irrigate Golden Gate Park. By 1913 electrical motors were introduced and the windmills were become obsolete and it fell into disrepair. A five year restoration was completed in 1981. Unfortunately, nothing much has been done since then to maintain the windmill and it does seem to be showing signs of neglect.
It is still is a must see place in Golden Gate Park. You can sit in the garden at it base. Take interesting photos, or just relax on a bench. Maybe someday the interior will be opened to the public. I’ll be the first in line it it does. I have read that there are things that I would enjoy seeing: deteriorating paintings on the wall and rusting equipment

The windmills are easy to find, and they’re really serene and calming! There are benches to have a nice intimate conversation and to just enjoy the surrounding nature.

To fulfill the bf’s San Francisco sightseeing trip he’s never done, we made a stop at the Golden Gate Park Windmills.
We trekked it all the way there before he tells me that they are non-operational!!#@~! Seriously?
Yes they were pretty, but the position of the windmills were blocked by trees (we couldn’t get a good shot of the front).
At the Dutch Windmill the landscaping was gorgeous, but the newly renovated Murphy Windmill just had dirt.
This would be a great spot to check out if you were close by, but not a place you’d go out of the way to see.