SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced on September 19 that they will provide a protected path in Golden Gate Park for cyclists, walkers, joggers, and skaters, at the Ferry Building, continuing to the ocean, and stretching down the Great Highway.

This is a part of the San Francisco city’s temporary slow streets program under the COVID-19 pandemic. It enabled walkers and bikers to go from the Panhandle on the east side of Golden Gate Park all the way out to Ocean Beach in the middle of a car-free way.

SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin, who assisted conducting the program commented “Golden Gate Park is one of San Francisco’s most precious resources, and it needs to be accessible to everyone.”

Bikers, walkers and runners should be still careful since there are some spots along the route that intersect with regular park traffic or share the road with vehicles, as the map below shows.

While drivers can use Transverse Drive, Chain of Lakes Drive, and 25th Ave/Crossover Drive/19th Ave/Park Presidio as usual when they go through the park from the north or south, the following streets are closed for cars.

  • The west portion of MLK Drive, from the Metson/Middle Drive/MLK loop to Lincoln Way
  • Overlook Drive and Middle Drive, between Transverse Drive and the Metson/Middle Drive/MLK loop
  • JFK Drive, between Kezar Drive and Transverse Drive (had already been closed during the City’s initial COVID-19 response)

The SF Recreation and Park Department’s website also describes how to arrive at popular destinations in the park including the museums, Japanese Tea Garden and Music Concourse during the slow streets program. The program is temporary, taking effect seven days a week throughout the City’s COVID-19 response. “All of this has to be ripped out within a hundred days after the emergency declaration expires,” Jeffrey Tumlin commented.

For further questions, email RPDinfo@sfgov.org.
For immediate assistance, call Park Ranger Dispatch at (415) 242-6390.

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