How to get to McLaren Lodge

From Sunset or South Bay via 280: Take 280 North to SF. Exit onto 19th Avenue/Junipero Serra (Cal route 1 north). Take 19th Ave. about 4 miles to the EDGE of the park, but DON'T go in. (If you do, see the directions from the north.) Turn right onto Lincoln Way. Go east 10 blocks (about 2/3 mile) to 9th Ave. Turn left and enter the park, then almost IMMEDIATELY (a hundred feet or so) turn right onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Go past the ball field (about 1/3 mile), then bear left onto Bowling Green Dr. Go to the end (another 1/3 mi.), turn right on Middle Dr. E., which ends in a few hundred feet, then turn right onto JFK Drive. Park on JFK or Conservatory Drive (see parking instructions below); DON'T go more than 600 feet or so on JFK or you'll be back out on Oak Street and beyond all help.

From Richmond or North Bay via GG Bridge: Stay to the RIGHT after the toll plaza and exit onto Cal route 1 south (MacArthur Tunnel, Park Presidio Blvd., 19th Ave.) About a mile past the tunnel, BEFORE you get to the park, turn right onto Balboa or Cabrillo. (If you miss it and enter the park, see the directions from the south.) Then turn left onto 14th or 15th Ave., then left again in a block or two onto Fulton. Go east 4 or 5 blocks (about 1/4 mile) to 10th Ave. Turn right and enter the park. Turn left onto JFK Drive, and drive about half a mile until you see the Conservatory of Flowers (the white wedding-cake building) on your left. Park on JFK or Conservatory Drive (see parking instructions below); DON'T go much further on JFK or you'll be back out on Oak Street and beyond all help.

From elsewhere in SF, East Bay via 80, or South Bay via 101: From the East Bay, take the Bay Bridge into SF, and follow signs for 101 NORTH. From the South Bay, take 101 North to SF. Follow the 101 North freeway all the way to the end, PAST the 101 exit. Exit onto Fell Street. Take Fell St. west, along the Panhandle Park, and into GG Park at Stanyan St. (about 1.6 miles). Stay to the RIGHT. McLaren Lodge is the stone building RIGHT THERE on your right as you enter the park. If you're quick, and if there's parking (not unheard of), you can turn right into the driveway; otherwise, bear right onto JFK Drive as the main traffic stream curves left, and park as soon as possible.

Parking: Park in front of the lodge, or on JFK Drive, or on Conservatory Drive E., which is the one-way road that goes north, up a hill, from JFK Drive, about midway between Middle Drive/Conservatory of Flowers and McLaren Lodge (about 500 feet from each). If there's no parking on Conservatory Drive either, keep going around; it circles back onto JFK, and you can try again. Pay attention to parking signs! Some areas are restricted during rush hour. There are currently no bicycle racks, but this should change when renovations are finished.

Via MUNI: The closest stops are on Stanyan Street. The 5 Fulton, the 21 Hayes, the 31 Balboa, the 71 Haight/Noriega, and the N Judah all cross Stanyan; see the directions to Stow Lake Boathouse via MUNI for more details. The 7 Haight runs from downtown to Haight and Stanyan. You can transfer to it, like all the others, from the 14, the 22, the 24, etc. The 33 Stanyan runs from SF General Hospital at Potrero and 25th via Twin Peaks to Laurel Heights at Sacramento.

Via BART: Get off anywhere from Embarcadero to Civic Center. Transfer to MUNI Metro inside the station, and take the N Judah line. Get off at Stanyan St. and walk north along the park to the lodge; see the map of the park.

Map of Golden Gate Park:
(New Map Coming Soon)

Disclaimer: Drive, ride, walk, and most especially park, at your own risk! We have attempted to get the details right, but no warranty is expressed or implied as to the safety, legality, or (sorry) even the geographical accuracy of these instructions.