Spreckels Lake

A peaceful little oasis in the city, Spreckels Lake skirts the edge of Golden Gate park but seems a world away from the bustle and noise of San Francisco. I found it quite by accident after visting the bison paddock. Driving through the park, on my way out, I noticed the lake and felt compelled to park and take a stroll around it. There were lots of birds and turtles to see, and the path itself around the lake is short, but perfect for just meandering and taking it all in.
It’s quite a peaceful spot and wasn’t crowded on a sunny Saturday. Plenty of benches and grassy spots to sit and relax, read or picnic. So glad I found this quiet little happy spot.

Jaw dropping views and clean crisp air. The trees are An inspiring place to ponder life. This is a resort of untouched Mother Nature. This place reminds me of my childhood in the woods.

Thanks Alma and Adolph for the awesome lake.
This is a great place for little kids to take out their rc motorboats, feed the ducks, or just walk around the lake.
Sundays are fun as you can see the pros whip out their remote control beauties and zip around the lake.

Fun in the sun!
Or fog, or maybe even rain. There are lots of trees and birds, restrooms nearby, and easy access from the street. I am in a group that meets here once a month to practice our radio skills, not the least of which is playing with equipment that reminds me of walkie-​talkies. It’s fun to learn how to use the equipment, to share insights and accomplishments, and to help new friends get more grounded on the air.
There’s another group that meets here when we do, the RC boat people. It’s fun watching their speedboats racing around a course they have set up, or watching their sailboats lazily float around the lake. Today one of them broke out a tugboat and pushed a disabled speedboat back ashore!
Adults have great toys, don’t they? If you want to play with us, check out
for details. It’s a fairly idyllic setting. Benches and walkways surrounded by trees and many species of waterbirds remind me to enjoy nature itself. So do the walkers and the tai chi class that share the lakefront with us.
Golden Gate Park has so many things to enjoy, sometimes I forget it’s surrounded by a city.

Great little lake for an afternoon walk! Every once in a while you even see model boat races. Just a hop skip and a jump away from the polo fields!

On a warm windless day, at the beginning of Indian Summer, we visited Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park, one of the finest manmade model boating facilities in the world. As if they were creating wind out of thin air, model yachtsmen raced their crafts back-​and-​forth past ducks and gulls on the opaque green water.
At lake edge, we met two friendly gentlemen sailing their elegant model boats. With ease and grace, they trimmed the tall sails by remote control. In between tacks, they kindly educated us about their specialized hobby and extraordinary club.
We were told the story of Adolph «the original sugar daddy» Spreckels, himself a model yachtsmen, who built the lake specifically for model sailing. Established in 1898, the SF Model Yacht Club is now the oldest in the Americas.
We peeked into the stylish WPA era clubhouse, and were welcomed by enthusiastic club members eager to show us the world’s largest collection of model yachts. Arranged by class, the boats are intricately hand crafted, and immaculately maintained.
Boating season runs from March to October and regattas are held on the weekends. Every day, powerboats run in the morning, and sailboats run in the afternoon when the west winds usually pick up.
We were charmed by the friendliness of the model yachtsmen, and impressed by the skills required to sail a boat by remote control, on a warm windless day, at the beginning of Indian Summer.

Duck duck turtle.
Not a goose to be found but there are turtles climbing on top of a submerged artificial turtle. It’s quite meta and quite awesome.
Racing around the turtles are model yachts:
There are numerous benches to sit and enjoy the peaceful and beautiful scene. Grab one as you won’t want to duck out anytime soon.

I take every visitor from out of town for a walk around speckles lake when they come by to visit. It’s so luxurious, you gotta just spoil yourself with it as much as possible. Plus, the turtles are super sweet

Spreckels Lake is a beautiful, scenic area of Golden Gate Park that I definitely recommend everyone visit if in the area. The lake in the middle is large and there’s always plenty of things going on when you’re there.
It’s a nice place to go walking around the lake, and you can soak in the feel of the park. Also, there are many birds, so you can enjoy viewing both wildlife as well as other people running, walking, playing with their kids, etc.
But one really cool thing about this lake is that there is a section where many people go to sail their remote controlled boats. It is very enjoyable to watch and fun to see those experienced at it, as well as children excited to learn about this hobby too.

This was the start of the 2^nd half marathon.
SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
I’m glad this location was chosen to beginning this leg of the race. It was very serene and peaceful. With the lake in the background, I was able to meditate and stretch while waiting for our corrals to line up.
There are benches, a couple walkways, and gorgeous trees that surround the lake. Great place to stop in Golden Gate Park.

This lake is gorgeous; definitely something of a local secret.
I always get surprised to see how few people are hanging around this lake whenever I get to it. I guess this would not be such a big deal for people who just cab over right to the lake. Its definitely a big deal to people like me who typically pass by it on their hike from Nob Hill to Ocean Beach!
This is probably the nicest lake to just sit next to. (Stow has a lot of paddle boaters and runners hovering around it, and North feels like its inside a forest!)
Also this is right at the edge of the park, so you can hop onto the 5 Fulton anytime you want to quickly get back downtown!

The lake has a lot of birds. There were also men with remote controlled boats, so that was kind of cool. The best part was seeing a turtle sitting atop the concrete turtle in the water.

Always a great start to my Saturdays and Sundays. I love this Lake.

I don’t know how this area could get 4 and a half stars… it’s a really beautiful place…
People, …please find me a beautiful place like this one in another big city…

Don’t throw whole slices of bread at the seagulls. They WILL CHASE YOU.

This lake is calming and serene. I love spending a nice afternoon here with my dog. While walking around the lake, you see turtles and ducks in the lake and squirrels by the trees. This place is a nice break from a busy day.
The weekends can be a bit more crowded where people play with their remote control boats, which is a lot of fun to watch. If you need a snack, there’s a hotdog stand. Cute, cute, cute!

Took my 2 month old puppy here on a walk after her vet appointment. Catch: she hadn’t gotten all her shots yet, so I did all the walking for her (read: walked around and held her in my arms like a fluffy white baby).
Spreckels is basically a medium sized lake teeming with fish (that apparently leap out of the water like Free Willy) turtles, ducks, and seagulls. The lake is surrounded by a concrete path that is home to many seagulls and pigeons (rats with wings). There are many green benches for lake go-​ers to sit, but be careful because many of them are covered in bird poop.
I took a leisurely stroll around the entire perimeter and encountered many characters. There was a homeless man playing his banjo, old Chinese ladies on a walk, a group of Eastern European men playing some sort of dominoes game, and some dog walkers who fawned over my puppy with her bunny pink ears. Only in San Francisco!
P. S. I walked by a grassy patch and caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. You know how you always see holes in the ground, but never the thing that makes those holes? I SAW IT! It was a brown chubby little gopher in the process of enlarging his hole. Dirt would fly out of the hole as he dug and every couple of seconds, he’d pop his head out and repeatedly smush his chin onto the dirt at lightning speed (in order to compact it, I guess). Cutest thing I ever did see.

This is a lake with dichotomous charm! While u enjoy an idyllic morning looking @ the lake n the ducks, you will see a remote controlled boat race by! It’s fun to enjoy both– nature’s bounty and games man made :)

A ten minute stroll from my cozy little sunset home brings me to one of the most serene settings in the middle of an urban suburb. Spreckels Lake is THE place to float your little remote control boats, ride your bike, jog, or simply relax with a hot dog and a lemonade from the hot dog stand.
After taking a nice jog on the Polo field, trot past the abandoned horse stables to Spreckels Lake. There are always enough green chairs to plop your booty on, so don’t worry. The Monterey Cypress trees paint a beautiful silhouette against the sunlight, especially at dusk and dawn.
The little turtles poke their heads up every now and then. Many fish here occasionally flop up and out of the water to scare you. I remember coming here a few years back only to find hundreds, and I mean HUNDREDS, of dead fish simply laying on the circumference of the lake. It was a record hot day, so maybe that was the cause. But to this day, I do not really know what happened to prompt such an occurrence.

I SAW A FISH JUMP UP LIKE FREE WILLY TODAY!!! It was silvery grayish with an orange striped stomach? It must have been about 20inches long. IT WAS CRAZY!!! I said «DANGGG» & everyone around looked at me as if I was crazy. I saw/​heard it jump like 4 times.
I also saw a bird dive under water and came up with 1 fish like 20 times. Buffet of fish down in the lake.
Someone had a hotdog stand. What is this??? Central Park? I’ve NEVER in my life seen it before.
Squirrels eating popcorn. Turtles floating and sun bathing with no sun. People racing their boats on this lake. I’ve always wanted to do that.
Who needs the zoo when I’ve got a lake!!!