Bay Area’s best picnic spots: Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco
An ugly parkway used to cut through the Presidio. Now it's an incredible place for picnicking.
If you took that old Joni Mitchell lyric – “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot” – and turned it on its head, you’d get San Francisco’s stunning new green space. An ugly freeway used to cut through the Presidio, a former military and now national park site, blocking views of the Bay and Golden Gate bridges. But the road’s been banished to underground tunnels, and as of 2022, the top now serves as a public park with lovely lawns, a cliff walk and a botanic garden with 200,000 plants.
The “starchitect” behind the Tunnel Tops is James Corner of Field Operations, which also designed the innovative High Line in New York. At its fundamental level, Presidio Tunnel Tops is a giant amphitheater for admiring nature’s glory reflected in the Golden Gate – the verdant hills of Marin, the ghostly fog rolling in, birds diving and whales breaching. Broken down into geographic bits, it’s a recreational wonderland that could take a day to soak in, with forms of entertainment you’ve probably never imagined possible.
For the kiddos, there’s a play zone made from huge trees, which have naturally fallen over in the surrounding hills. One has a cavernous interior to shimmy through, while another mimics the structure of local birds’ nests and is great for climbing. A science museum provides the opportunity to literally taste the Presidio, with water infused with native herbs like minty yerba buena. There, you can also pet the first coyote radio-tagged in the park (it won’t bite, it’s taxidermied).
Wander in any direction, and you might find something surprising, like a campfire circle sheltered with boulders against the marine breeze; on weekends, rangers lead talks about the Presidio’s history here. There are vibrant outdoor murals and, if you wander over to the park’s edge, views of traffic zooming under your feet – a reminder that as cities get denser, we’ll need to be this creative about carving out beautiful new park spaces.
The picnic: You could pack a lunch to enjoy in one of the meadows or reserve a spot at the park’s Picnic Place with barbecue grills and incredible bay views. But there’s also a resident food-truck park with everything from empanadas to borscht, Indian snacks, beer and cocktails. Check the park’s website to see who’s serving that particular week.
The details: The grounds are open daily, but seasonal hours vary for specific attractions, including the museum and play zone. Drive or take public transit (including a free shuttle that stops at Embarcadero BART) to the Presidio Visitor Center at 210 Lincoln Blvd., San Francisco; www.presidiotunneltops.gov.
Extras: Tunnel Tops is a jumping-off spot to explore other fun stuff nearby. Toward the water, there’s Crissy Field and Fort Point, a historic military site that’s open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday and offers unusual views of the Golden Gate Bridge’s underbelly. Back at the Presidio, you’ll find the Walt Disney Family Museum, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, and the headquarters of Lucasfilm, where you can snap a selfie with the Yoda statue at any time of day.