McLaren Park - San Francisco

Volunteers for Outdoor California

McLaren Park is one of the largest and most treasured parks in San Francisco. It was named after John McLaren, the superintendent of Golden Gate Park from 1887-1943. Its 317 acres include natural ares rich in native plants and animals, lawns and planted gardens, as well as transition areas between the two. Large portions of the park are currently open to dogs on leash, although in practice few owners keep their dogs leashed.

The volunteer project will take place in several different areas with-in the park. One area open to dogs gets significant traffic on hillsides that have developed social trails which are unstable and damaging large sections of native grasses. We will design and build a path system using the contours of the hills to promote a safe and enjoyable route through this area while allowing the natural spaces to flourish. This network of paths will be built at 3-4ft width and we currently estimate approximately 1500 ft of new trail.

On the southern portion of the park, local users have built a narrow path along a route that is generally in a sustainable alignment but is currently relatively unsafe. V-O-Cal will work with staff to address some minor and some significant alignment adjustments to ensure safety, sustainability and overall user experience. In some areas, minor retaining structures are likely to be needed to achieve safe trail width. Although the trail will not be moved in many stretches, significant work will be needed to bring the tread to standard. This trail will be approximately .75 miles long when complete.

There are several other areas in the park that could use our attention and we will put them on the list pending overall volunteer turnout and work capacity.