By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | April 25, 2022 | People Lifestyle Travel & Recreation Neighborhoods Travel
Adding another to its amazing repertoire of vibrant parks, San Francisco has recently unveiled its newest must-visit attraction- Battery Bluff Park.
This incredibly lush and scenic six-acre park is located atop tunnels in the Presidio and was inaugurated last Friday morning by Mayor London Breed and other city dignitaries, making it the perfect way to kick off and commemorate Earth Day this year.
This expansive green space boasts not only plentiful picnic tables and native gardens, but also restored war artillery structures and a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The park sits on what used to be Doyle Drive near the Korean War Memorial, and is the second of the three sections planned for this renovated area, with the final piece, Presidio Tunnel Tops, to premiere in July.
See also: Take A Tranquil and Meditative Hike At This Hidden Presidio Nature Sculpture
“I’m in awe of the view and the magic I feel today,” Mayor London Breed enthuses while at the ceremonial opening, emphasizing San Francisco's many open spaces as vital for mental health, especially during lockdown.
Cutting the fittingly floral ribbon to the park, Mayor Breed proudly expressed, "People come from all over the world to experience the best that San Francisco has to offer... Now everyone will have more to look forward to and greater access to this national park with the historic renovation of Battery Bluff."
Michael Boland, the Presidio Trust's Chief of Park Development also jokingly amused to the enthusiastic large crowd, "What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to celebrate the opening of a park over a freeway?”
Originally constructed in 1936's New Deal era, Doyle Drive extended to the Golden Gate Bridge but was then cut off from the public and left as an untouched eyesore popularly tagged with graffiti. After being recently torn down, major renovations began to restore the path and the four gun batteries within it.
These immense concrete structures built between 1899 and 1902 are named Slaughter, Baldwin, Sherwood and Blaney, and are now fully cleaned and on display at the rebuilt path connecting the trails to 2020's rebuilt Quartermaster Reach.
Battery Bluff Park, not to be confused with the similarly named Battery to Bluffs Trail, an equally spectacular hiking spot, was designed by the late landscape architect Michael Painter.
There are also walls now with added “anti-graffiti coating,” blooming natural foliage, and trails that connect all the way to Crissy Field, making it perfect for a family outing in the sunny and picturesque Presidio.
See also: These Family-Friendly Hikes Are Perfect For Kids Of Any Age
To get to Battery Bluff Park, drivers can find parking along Lincoln Blvd., or commuters can utilize the city-wide PresidiGo bus, which is free and drops off at the Presidio Transit Center.
However you arrive here, just make sure to bring a good camera because it will be hard to resist snapping photos of the easily-impressive views.
Photography by: Greg Rakozy/Unsplash
