This is one of my favourite lesser known car-free paths in the park. It’s not really a suitable path for going fast or getting your miles in, it’s for getting places on a bike and without a car. All of these are also accessible on foot: The 5 will take you to the north side, the N is probably your best bet from the south side. Otherwise, on a bike, you get here via the car free part of MLK, which you can reach either from Car Free JFK, or the occasionally (and eventually permanently) car free Upper Great Highway.

I’m very curious how this route ended up car free - Chain of Lakes East especially looks like it once could be driven on, and the route south of JFK is labeled as 45th Avenue in Google Maps. But it seems like maybe it happened without the drama of elsewhere in the park.

A screenshot of Google Maps showing a 4 minute bike route going from the north part of North Lake in Golden Gate Park, across JFK drive, pass the equitation field, and then across MLK drive to exit on the Lincoln and 45th Avenue playground

South from MLK

You likely already know the Boat Playground shortcut (real name: Lincoln and 45th Avenue Playground). But if you don’t, it’s great for accessing businesses in the inner sunset, e.g. Damnfine coffee (RIP Trouble Coffee), Hook Fish, Blackbird Bookstore, even Andytown. I’ve heard good things about Celia’s By The Beach and Other Avenues but I haven’t been there. I especially like swinging by Damnfine Coffee, it has a parklet and bike racks, just watch out for the streetcar tracks.

I always get off my bike and cross on foot on Lincoln cause that area is deadly - however I do find cars are more polite than at Lincoln and Great Highway. Once we have Ocean Beach Park they’ll finally fix the intersection at the Great Highway. But I find going into the Sunset there and heading through the avenues is more pleasant if I plan to grab lunch or a coffee as well. You can then swing down to the Upper Great Highway from there.

Obviously, go dead slow or dismount your bike when going by the playground, there are usually small children around. There’s also a bathroom and a water fountain there, right near Lincoln. If you’re comfortable riding on dirt paths, the path to the left from MLK goes right to the bathrooms (and crossing) and avoids the playground. It’s not shown on Google Maps, but it’s there. Or you could keep going on the dirt trails, though as you get further east, I find them a bit trickier on a commuter bike, cause they can get pretty sandy.

North from MLK

This one took me a lot more time to figure out.

Follow the path indicated. You’ll go by a nice little garden, especially nice in the spring, with a lot of wildflowers, though you have to park your bike there. There’s no real bike parking but I’ve just locked my bike to its wheel (which is probably overkill, honestly). It’s fairly wild as gardens go, with winding dirt paths and little benches, and not terribly large, but usually quite quiet.

A bunch of pink flowers in a relatively wild garden on a bright sunny day

Small blue and orange flowers in the same garden

A winding dirt with white and yellow flowers in the same garden but on a less sunny day

A closeup of tiny pink flowers with a larger garden in the background

If you turn right, you’ll make your way to Chain of Lakes road by passing by the former location of the horses, and just have to cross over to visit Middle Lake.

The route shown however shows you heading north because you are going to North Lake. When you hit JFK, there are cars on it here, so be a bit careful. But it’s a short enough segment you can just wait for a gap. There’s another pair of restrooms, a water fountain, and a huge bike rack here. But you don’t have to lock your bike here: you can continue biking down Chain of Lakes West, which you may not have known existed, but is a nice little car free road that got pedestrianized some time in the past, maybe without much drama. There aren’t a ton of bikes here, a lot of pedestrians though, so go slowly and carefully and enjoy the wildlife and the flowers (when in season). I’ve seen plenty of coyotes and raccoons around here, which are always cuter when they are washing their food in the lake instead of rummaging through the garbage, as well as a large assortment of birds. You have to park your bike to get right next to the water (or walk your bike). It’s a great place take a little break, have a picnic (there are picnic tables around), and watch the birds.

A lake seen through a gap in some very tall reeds with trees behind the lake

A raccoon in the bushes standing on its hind legs

A lake on a sunny day with trees and reeds behind the lake and several birds on a half submerged log

A red winged blackbird on the ground between some reeds next to the lake

Crossing Chain of Lakes will probably require waiting for a gap in both directions - be careful, visibility to the south isn’t ideal - but if you’re comfortable with dirt paths, it connects up with one that runs parallel to Fulton.

Two narrow dirt tracks through grass full of yellow flowers, going into the trees

If you instead continue north, there aren’t as many businesses on this side, though if you go to Cabrillo and bike down to the ocean, there’s a nice Andytown with a great view. There are a bunch of businesses closer to 36th on Balboa that are worth a visit - there’s The Laundromat, Cielito Lindo, and Balboa Theatre in partiular, but I’d generally either take Cabrillo the whole way (not car free, but a slow street this far out), or leave the park via 36th Avenue (not car free). This area is somewhat hilly.

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