Editing San Francisco (section)

==Parks and recreation==
{{See also|List of parks in San Francisco}}
[[File:Aerial view of San Francisco, 30 Jun 2018 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Golden Gate Park]] is the 3rd most-visited [[Urban park|city park]] in the U.S., after [[Central Park]] and the [[National Mall]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sf.curbed.com/2018/8/22/17769694/golden-gate-park-trust-public-land-parkscore-2018|title=Golden Gate Park ranked third most popular park in US|first=Adam|last=Brinklow|work=Curbed SF|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=November 13, 2019}}</ref>]]
Several of San Francisco's parks and nearly all of its beaches form part of the regional [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], one of the most visited units of the [[National Park Service|National Park system]] in the United States with over 13&nbsp;million visitors a year. Among the GGNRA's attractions within the city are [[Ocean Beach, San Francisco|Ocean Beach]], which runs along the Pacific Ocean shoreline and is frequented by a [[surfing]] community, and [[Baker Beach]], which is located in a cove west of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the [[California Academy of Sciences]], a research institute and natural history museum.

The [[Presidio of San Francisco]] is the former 18th century Spanish military base, which today is one of the city's largest parks and home to numerous museums and institutions. Also within the Presidio is [[Crissy Field]], a former airfield that was restored to its natural [[salt marsh]] [[ecosystem]]. The GGNRA also administers [[Fort Funston]], [[Lands End (San Francisco)|Lands End]], [[Fort Mason]], and [[Alcatraz]]. The National Park Service separately administers the [[San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park]] – a fleet of historic ships and waterfront property around [[Aquatic Park Historic District|Aquatic Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boulevard |first1=Mailing Address: 2 Marina |last2=E |first2=Building |last3=Francisco |first3=2nd Floor San |last4=Us |first4=CA 94123 Phone: 415 561-7000 The public information office is open from 8 A. M. to 5 P. M. PST Contact |title=San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm#:~:text=San%20Francisco%20Maritime%20National%20Historical%20Park%20(U.S.%20National%20Park%20Service) |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Alamo Square with Painted Ladies, SF, CA, jjron 26.03.2012.jpg|thumb|[[Painted Ladies]] on [[Alamo Square]].]]
[[File:Cliff House from Ocean Beach.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Cliff House, San Francisco|Cliff House]] over [[Ocean Beach, San Francisco|Ocean Beach]]]]
There are more than [[List of parks in San Francisco|220 parks]] maintained by the [[San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://sf-recpark.org/index.aspx?page=56
|title=Facility Listings
|access-date=July 25, 2010
|work=San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department
|publisher=City and County of San Francisco
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816184256/http://sf-recpark.org/index.aspx?page=56
|archive-date=August 16, 2010
|url-status=dead
 }}</ref> The largest and best-known city park is [[Golden Gate Park]],<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks.pdf
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090318011047/http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks.pdf
|archive-date = March 18, 2009
|title = The Most Visited City Parks
|access-date =June 17, 2008
|date = October 11, 2007
|work=Center for City Park Excellence
|publisher=The Trust for Public Land
}}</ref> which stretches from the center of the city west to the Pacific Ocean. Once covered in native grasses and sand dunes, the park was conceived in the 1860s and was created by the extensive planting of thousands of non-native trees and plants. The large park is rich with cultural and natural attractions such as the [[Conservatory of Flowers]], [[Japanese Tea Garden (San Francisco)|Japanese Tea Garden]] and [[San Francisco Botanical Garden]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Golden Gate Park Points of Interest |url=https://sfrecpark.org/1116/Golden-Gate-Park-Points-of-Interest |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=sfrecpark.org}}</ref> The [[Dahlia]] is the official flower of San Francisco.

[[Lake Merced]] is a fresh-water lake surrounded by parkland{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2024 |title=Lake Merced Trails |url=https://sfrecpark.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Lake-Merced-Trail-58 |website=San Francisco Recreation & Parks}}</ref> and near the [[San Francisco Zoo]], a city-owned park that houses more than 250 animal species, many of which are endangered.<ref>{{cite web
|title = What to See at the Zoo
|publisher=San Francisco Zoo
|url = http://www.sfzoo.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=15015&orgkey=1821
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719005811/http://www.sfzoo.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=15015&orgkey=1821
|archive-date = July 19, 2011
|access-date =June 14, 2008
}}</ref> The only [[List of California state parks|park]] managed by the [[California Department of Parks and Recreation|California State Park]] system located principally in San Francisco, [[Candlestick Point State Recreation Area|Candlestick Point]] was the state's first urban recreation area.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Candlestick Point SRA
|publisher=California State Parks Department
|url = http://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=519
|access-date =January 27, 2009}}</ref>

Most of San Francisco's islands are protected as parkland or nature reserves. [[Alcatraz Island]], operated by the [[National Park Service]], is open to the public. The [[Farallon Islands]] are protected wildlife refuges. The [[Seal Rocks (San Francisco, California)|Seal Rocks]] are protected as part of [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]]. [[Red Rock Island]] is the only privately owned island in San Francisco Bay, but is uninhabited. [[Yerba Buena Island]] is largely utilized by the military.

San Francisco is the first city in the U.S. to have a park within a [[10-Minute Walk]] of every resident.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/SF-1st-city-in-nation-with-a-park-10-minute-walk-11150987.php|title=SF 1st city in nation with a park 10-minute walk from every home|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=May 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/05/16/in-san-francisco-everyone-lives-within-a-10-minute-walk-of-a-park/|title=In San Francisco, Everyone Lives Within A 10-Minute Walk of a Park|date=May 16, 2017|work=CBS SF Bay Area|access-date=May 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref> It also ranks fifth in the U.S. for park access and quality in the 2018 ParkScore ranking of the top 100 park systems across the United States, according to the nonprofit [[Trust for Public Land]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parkscore.tpl.org/rankings.php|title=ParkScore|website=Parkscore.tpl.org|language=en-US|access-date=May 23, 2018|archive-date=May 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524003623/http://www.parkscore.tpl.org/rankings.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>