Mountain Lake Park
Encyclopedia
Mountain Lake Park is a San Francisco
park in the Richmond District
neighborhood, located north of the intersection of Lake and Funston. It was designed by engineer William Hammond Hall
in the late 19th century, circa 1875. Hall also designed Golden Gate Park and was significantly influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted
. Mountain Lake is a small body of water east of State Route 1
(Park Presidio Boulevard). On the south side of the lake is a playground and tennis court. A hiking trail that starts at Funston and Lake weaves along the south of the lake and then continues east along the southern edge of the Presidio. The trail forks at the southeast corner of the lake as the other trail turns north, weaving around the wilder east and north of the lake before going under Highway 1. The lake is at the southern tip of the Presidio of San Francisco
and just south of the Presidio Golf Course. A variety of birds can be observed around the lake's water including California seagulls and ducks. The lake has even played home to a white alligator that was abandoned in its waters. On the east and south sides of the lake, native plants have been planted.
The Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza
stopped by the lake in 1776. While here he located a site for the Spanish presidio
that was later built. There is currently a plaque near the point where he stayed.
The park comprises approximately 14 acres. In addition to the playground and tennis courts already mentioned, there are other amenities. One of the oldest Parcourses (a "fitness trail
") in San Francisco (1980) has exercise stations around the perimeter of the park. Many of these were renovated by San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department in 2009. There is a cinder block structure opposite the 9th Avenue entrance known by neighbors as the "card shack" which has picnic tables and is a popular location for birthday and neighborhood parties. Each year a neighborhood park support group, the Friends of Mountain Lake Park, organize a Party in the Park to which all neighbors are invited. The park has two meadows, one larger than the other. The large meadow is widely used for picnics, team soccer and lacrosse practice and general relaxation. Users can reserve most of the facilities in the park by obtaining a permit from the Recreation and Parks Department.
At the east end of Mountain Lake Park is an area set aside for owners to take their dogs off leash for exercise and socialization. It is a widely-used neighborhood gathering place.
The Friends of Mountain Lake Park and the Recreation and Park Department organize regular park cleanups and plantings to augment the City's chronic shortage of gardener resources.
The aquifers under Mountain Lake feed Lobos Creek
.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
park in the Richmond District
Richmond District, San Francisco, California
The Richmond District is a neighborhood in the northwest corner of San Francisco, California.-Location:Lying directly north of Golden Gate Park, "the Richmond" is bounded roughly by Fulton Street to the south, Arguello Boulevard and Laurel Heights to the east, The Presidio National Park and Lincoln...
neighborhood, located north of the intersection of Lake and Funston. It was designed by engineer William Hammond Hall
William Hammond Hall
William Hammond Hall was a civil engineer who was the first State Engineer of California, and designed Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA.After serving with the U.S...
in the late 19th century, circa 1875. Hall also designed Golden Gate Park and was significantly influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
. Mountain Lake is a small body of water east of State Route 1
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
(Park Presidio Boulevard). On the south side of the lake is a playground and tennis court. A hiking trail that starts at Funston and Lake weaves along the south of the lake and then continues east along the southern edge of the Presidio. The trail forks at the southeast corner of the lake as the other trail turns north, weaving around the wilder east and north of the lake before going under Highway 1. The lake is at the southern tip of the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
and just south of the Presidio Golf Course. A variety of birds can be observed around the lake's water including California seagulls and ducks. The lake has even played home to a white alligator that was abandoned in its waters. On the east and south sides of the lake, native plants have been planted.
The Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
stopped by the lake in 1776. While here he located a site for the Spanish presidio
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
that was later built. There is currently a plaque near the point where he stayed.
The park comprises approximately 14 acres. In addition to the playground and tennis courts already mentioned, there are other amenities. One of the oldest Parcourses (a "fitness trail
Fitness trail
A fitness trail consists of a path or course equipped with obstacles or stations distributed along its length for exercising the human body to promote good health. The course is designed to promote physical fitness training in the style attributed to Georges Hébert...
") in San Francisco (1980) has exercise stations around the perimeter of the park. Many of these were renovated by San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department in 2009. There is a cinder block structure opposite the 9th Avenue entrance known by neighbors as the "card shack" which has picnic tables and is a popular location for birthday and neighborhood parties. Each year a neighborhood park support group, the Friends of Mountain Lake Park, organize a Party in the Park to which all neighbors are invited. The park has two meadows, one larger than the other. The large meadow is widely used for picnics, team soccer and lacrosse practice and general relaxation. Users can reserve most of the facilities in the park by obtaining a permit from the Recreation and Parks Department.
At the east end of Mountain Lake Park is an area set aside for owners to take their dogs off leash for exercise and socialization. It is a widely-used neighborhood gathering place.
The Friends of Mountain Lake Park and the Recreation and Park Department organize regular park cleanups and plantings to augment the City's chronic shortage of gardener resources.
The aquifers under Mountain Lake feed Lobos Creek
Lobos Creek
Lobos Creek is a stream in Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco, California.-Overview:It runs from runoff in the Presidio and Seacliff areas and underground seepage from springs that form Mountain Lake to the Pacific Ocean marking the division between Baker Beach and China Beach...
.