The Panhandle

I live quite close to here and I wish I didn’t. Homeless hang out here all day with off leash dogs and obviously stolen bikes but nothing is ever done. Plus the bike path is full of Lance-​tards hauling butt and weaving around slow walkers who really should be on the other path.
One last thing. Shouldn’t no smoking in parks mean no smoking of ANYTHING?

Love. It.
There’s a lane for bicycles and a lane without bicycles.
Joggers, walkers, people picnicking, playing basketball, lounging, doggies playing, and all sorts of stuff.
Minus one star for the occasional squirrel and freaky gophers.

We walked the length of this park from Schrader to Baker along Fell St side. The path is shared by pedestrians as well as bicycles but as there is plenty of grass on either side there is room to get out of each other’s way. Many homeless people were finding refuge here but there were also family groups having picnics, people just sitting in the sun reading, playing guitar or just sunbathing. The park runs parallel to Haight Street, only a couple of blocks away, and the contrast is remarkable. I am sorry I didn’t get a sandwich to go and pop down to this park to enjoy the quiet. The park has many eucalyptus (gum) trees. There are some very nice houses along Fell St too.

Dog, kid and homeless friendly. Other than when Bay to Breakers is happening (and a few days afterwards) the Panhandle is great. It has a nice jogging, walking, biking road, some basketball courts, a kids playground and plenty of green space. It also has a public bathroom which attracts homeless people. Just don’t use the bathroom. It’s gross.
Note that dogs (and people) pee on the grass, so I would suggest a picnic blanket before sitting/​laying on it.

I don’t come by this neighborhood nearly enough! The air is so fragrant and fresh in this a wonderful park, which is by far my favorite in SF. With a cup of coffee from Bread and Butter, it is so relaxing even with the high density of bikers. Love the real real neighborhood feel. Park benches are plenty, and the tall, old trees make me feel like I’ve escaped the Bay Area for a while.

The Panhandle is just one of those things that makes SF great. I’ve always found it to be a great spot to go on an evening run — but you can also walk or ride your bike. It has a clearly defined bike lane on one side and a path for just walkers and joggers on the other, so it’s easy to navigate.
Once you reach the end, you’re right at the entrance to Golden Gate Park, so there are a lot of great scenery and things to do. Once you get to Stanyan Street, try making a left and checking out Kezar Stadium — it has a track that is open every day. You can also turn around and head back through the Panhandle a few blocks and check out the basketball courts, playground, or go to Haight Street, which is only a few blocks away.

Such a lovely space stuck right in the middle of the city. It’s a useful way to bike cross-​town and stay immersed in nature.
The plus side: There’s great dog watching if you are a person with serious dog envy like me. There’s usually some good basketball, drum circle or other such thing to watch. It’s usually full of locals out for a jog or people walking their dogs/​kids. Not at all touristy. It’s almost never too packed to enjoy yourself (see below)
The down side: At peak hours people are commuting via bike (great work San Francisco’s cardiovascular systems!) and not screwing around about it so if you are dilly dallying (me) better watch out not to get run over.
How is the panhandle so skinny but yet have so much character? With chicks it’s usually the opposite! (I kid I kid)

The strip of park that leads you to Golden Gate Park is a great place to exercise, picnic and play. Although it’s surrounded by two busy throughways you are surrounded by lots of big trees and green grass. There are two paths that go the length of the panhandle. The bicyclist path is closer to Fell and the pedestrian path is closer to Oak. It’s a very mixed use space. There are lots of joggers, walkers and bicyclists. On nice days, the panhandle fills with groups of people barbequing or having picnics. There is plenty of room to spread out and find your own space. On Bay to Breakers day it becomes one big party here, people bring music, lots of booze and some food. Within a few blocks is Haight where you can find lots of food and shopping. If you do want to have a picnic and you need supplies, The Haight Street Market is a great option or you can go to Whole Foods if you want to spend more. Overall a great place to hangout. There are some shady characters, but just keep walking and most of them will leave you alone.

I pass through the Panhandle several times a week, I’m a fan.
It’s a good place to have a picnic, lay in the sun, read a book, shoot some hoops or just stroll towards Golden Gate Park. Usually this is where the fog comes to meet you as you head west and it heads east, reminding you of why it’s much better to live on the east side of SF.
The only drawback to the Panhandle is the idiot joggers and other morons who don’t look where they are walking or running. According to the law of Natural Selecton, sooner or later these folks will jog under a bus, so there’s always that to look forward to. :)

Great place to throw the football with friends. Just watch out for the land mines.

It’s hard to be sure whether this is a long, skinny extension to Golden Gate Park or a park unto itself, but it is a great spot. I love to walk through in the evenings on the way to the Haight or the Inner Sunset, or Cole Valley, and just smell the eucalyptus, watch the dogs run around, and avoid eye contact with the bums.
A favorite memory is going on an impromptu picnic in the Panhandle on the 4^th of July with boxed food from Bi-​Rite, sitting on the grass, and pretending it was 20 degrees warmer than it actually was.

When Golden Gate Park feels overwhelmingly expansive, there is a perfect solution RIGHT next door.
I adore The Panhandle for it’s quirks – a basketball court, a sweet little park for tots, and lots of pups can be found in this block-​wide slice of evergreen. It draws essentially no tourists due to the proximity to GGP, which is awesome when you’re looking for a less chaotic vibe in the area. As someone who loves to run, the loop is absolutely ideal for morning jogs, perfectly shaded by the branches of big, old trees.
My friends and I spent the 4^th of July picnicking here and had a total blast. It’s close to Haight Street Market and Whole Foods if you need a snack and a deli sandwich, and there is always room for a blanket and a smashball session.
This dense pocket of greenery is one of the more underrated parks in SF – I’m so grateful I live in the neighborhood so I can take advantage of all that is has to offer. :)

I’m not sure if it violates local drinking ordinances, but even if it does, the Panhandle Park is regardless a GREAT place to have a beer.
I like coming here at night especially – usually pretty peaceful. Sometimes there will be funk, but I’ve noticed as the neighborhood has gentrified over the years, this has been less so.
Great place to just sit quietly under a bench to read, reflect, or flirt.

The Panhandle is a great little park to run/​jog, bike or stroll through. The paved flat path that goes around the perimeter of the park is great for interval training and should especially be appreciated by both novice and injured runners. There are plenty of shady and sunny spots depending on the time of day and it’s quiet enough to allow for undistracted reading. There’s a small gated playground and the park overall seems to be quite popular with families and various individuals alike.
Generally, the Panhandle is very pleasant and safe during the day.

Love to run through the panhandle! Coming from Lower Haight, you’ve got to get up that pesky ever so slight incline from Divisadero to Baker. But from there, you’re golden.
Also great to bike over here now that the lane has been added to Fell.
But be advised, bicyclists are going up and down the path frequently and speedily. Watch your left and pay attention to bells.

OK bathrooms? Eh. no they reek. But, what do you expect from public ones frequented by transients.
I’m biased about the panhandle because I live in the «NOPA» neighborhood. I’ve never played basketball here but the courts seem lively. I frequently jog through here on the way to Golden Gate Park or stop and do some P90x with my headphones on. A SF Bike Party event actually began here once which was pretty cool.
On a hot day it’s a decent place to have a few drinks and throw the frisbee around.

A 1.55 mile loop once around if you follow the bike/​jogging path.
The borders include the Baker Street sidewalk (east) and Stanyan (west, going up to touch the stoplight pole at the edge of the panhandle).
Yes, I manually Google-Map-Pedometer’ed this.
Perfect for people like me with low stamina.
The loop between Baker and Masonic is 0.65 miles.

Awesome location for an afternoon run, a great place to bring your pup, and the perfect short-​cut to Haight Street on your bike. Ok bathrooms, and a really nice kids play area.
The grounds are lined with beautiful trees to provide shade on a hot day. Just be careful if has been raining, it gets super muddy!

It’s funny, when I first moved to San Francisco, I knew that Golden Gate Park was pretty close to my pad, and with my senses ass backwards from settling down in a neighborhood I knew absolutely nothing about, I was convinced that The Panhandle was Golden Gate Park. I was utterly disappointed. «Really, *this* is the famous park I’ve heard so much about? Where are the buffaloes?», I’d say to myself. That is, until I walked another ½ mile down the path and learned that I’d actually not yet reached the west coast equivalent of Central Park, and that what I was galloping through was essentially its wading pool. The joys of learning your surroundings, I suppose.
I can’t say I ever take time to hang out in The Panhandle, largely because no matter how nice the day is, the morning dew never seems to lift. If you stroll through the grassy parts, you’re almost guaranteed to leave with wet shoes and mud spackle on your backside. However, it is a very nice place to run through (even when being harassed by gutter punks and homeless folks), and of course… it’s one of two unofficial urban toilets when Bay to Breakers descends upon San Francisco (the other being Alamo Square). Gross, but sometimes you just need to let it fly.
If you’re a bike rider, this serves as a real nice route to peddle through if you’re trying to get to Haight-​Ashbury or Cole Valley, and of course, the JFK entrance to Golden Gate Park and beyond.

The Panhandle, which we live north of, is this stretch of grass/​mud that leads up to Golden Gate Park and borders the Haight. Because of its location, you tend to find hipsters and some street urchins hanging out here, but if you haven’t seen skinny jean dudes in neon sunglasses playing kickball, have you really lived?
There’s an easy path to bike/​run/​walk on, and scenic enough to keep you occupied if you’re doing some contemplation during any one of those activities.
There’s an decent playground in there, next to some basketball courts, and Dash is a frequent scenester on the slides and swings. Plenty of dogs roaming around as well, so it’s a generally friendly park.
Is it the nicest park in San Francisco. Definitely not. But it is green and fairly lush, and if you live within a few blocks, it’s nice to have it as your expanse of backyard.