El Polin Spring

I was waiting for something special for my 1,000^th Unilocal review. Should it be a restaurant like most of my reviews? How long should I hold off before writing another review? I didn’t have to wait too long. And it’s a review on the great outdoors.
Living in one of the best cities in the world, there’s plenty of ooh aah moments. Today was a gorgeous day. After all, we’ve got the best weather in September/​October timeframe. Why not spend it in the City?
Today we drove over to Inspiration Point Overlook which looms over the restored Tennessee Hollow Watershed inside the Presidio Trust. Plenty of Kodak opportunities from atop. You can see Alcatraz Island and sailboats in the Bay, the top of the Palace of Fine Arts, etc. And a clearly marked hiking trail leading down down to El Polin Spring. It’s a 0.6 mile easy hike downhill.
You’ll find the natural creek at the bottom of the trail as you walk around. A natural freshwater spring that supported first the Ohlone native Americans tribe, and later the Spaniards in the 1800’s. You’ll also learn about the wildlife inhabitants and the native plants.
There’s a picnic area and public restrooms also. We saw lots of folks on the trail walking their dogs, joggers, bikers, all enjoying themselves.
There are other ways of reaching El Polin Spring, but we hiked back up to our car.
Explore the City. It’s your oyster!

I recently finished reading Gary Kamiya’s «Cool Gray City of Love» which is full of SF factoids — one being El Polin Spring which was the site of one of the first Ohlone settlements (the other being in the Mission) because of the fresh water spring. So I made the trek out here to see this bit of natural history myself.
The location feels like a hidden gem in the valley between Arguello Gate and Presidio Gate right behind Julius Kahn Park. I approached by bike and if not for this spring I would never venture to this area. It’s located at the end of a dead-​end street and it looks completely renovated with nice dirt paths and lots of benches. The source of the spring is hidden in the brush somewhere but they’ve made a nice stone/​concrete riverlet for it to flow. Some picnic tables. Totally cute and mostly locals too. Total surprise!

I was planning a company BBQ, and one of my coworkers suggested this picnic area since it was walking distance from our office and had space to accommodate us. The picnic area has four large tables and a double grill. Located nearby are hiking trails and portalets (which are apparently slightly nicer porta potties). The area is managed by the Presidio Trust, and is offered on a first come first serve basis. No reservations are given, and the website says it’s best for small groups. Parking can be somewhat limited since it is located next to a residential area. There is some 2 hour free parking located nearby the picnic tables. Overall, we had a great BBQ here, and I’d highly recommend it.

Is this that website where you report worm nests? Because it’s been raining a lot lately and there was this giant writhing pile of worms in the riverlet, right where the two riverlets join together and feed into the well thing. FUCKIN GROSSS
two stars.

Just completing beautiful $ 7.2M restoration.
Gorgeous meadow and terraced hill with picnic tables and walking trails.
Fantastic romantic date picnic area, and one of the few places in San Francisco that make you feel like you’re outside the US.
Park by the Julius Kahn playground, and stroll down from the top, which is absolutely hidden from street view.
I personally guarantee your experience to be tourist free this month only!