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On the west end of Golden Gate Park, west of Spreckles Lake you’ll find a herd of American bison roaming around their enclosed field in the park. It's a great place to let kids run around, and if you want to know more about the Bison check out this site: https://goldengatepark.com/buffalo-paddock.html)

ROCK CLUE: On John F Kennedy Drive there are a few wooden benches to sit and watch the bison. To the right of the benches is a big tree. You’ll find the rock past the tree, hidden in the tall grass by the long fence surrounding the paddock.

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"Raccoon Pond" (aka North Lake, on Chain of Lakes Drive East)

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"Raccoon Pond" (aka North Lake, on Chain of Lakes Drive East)

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Toward the Richmond side near the Fulton and 43rd Ave entrance to Golden Gate Park, is a pond that our play pod calls Raccoon Pond. There you can find all sorts of ducks and birds swimming and flying about, squirrels in the trees, and huge koi fish in the pond.... and raccoons. Beware of the raccoons near this location because they are not afraid of humans and can get aggressive.

ROCK CLUE: on the east side of the pond, there is a set of stairs leading down to a landing at the edge of the water. To the right there are a couple of large grey rocks ... look carefully around one of these rocks to find the Lakeshore rock.

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This peaceful and beautiful part of Golden Gate Park is especially awesome if you have toddlers who you want to let roam without worrying about car and bike traffic. It's a bummer not to be able to let your big kids scoot and bike inside the botanical gardens, but the trade-off is nice for the freedom it affords the little ones. So many great little ecosystems to explore throughout the gardens, and it's free admission to anyone with a San Francisco address on your ID. Our favorite time of year is the annual Flower Pianos exhibit, when you can follow your ears around the gardens to find people playing pianos hidden throughout the grounds.

ROCK CLUE: Our first rock was not hidden well enough and went missing right away, so we replaced it a little further inside the Botanical Garden Gates. There are two entrances to the gardens. The Rock is closest to the North Gate, but this entrance is not always open to the public, so if it is closed, you'll need to come in from the main entrance, near MLK Drive and Lincoln Way. Make your way to Waterfowl pond, and look for a small pair of stone benches near the "Australia Walk" with a plaque memorializing someone named Joan Nelson Jackson. The leopard rock is tucked out of sight, under a boulder and a bit of tree branches. If you find it, please be sure it's tucked away again out of sight before you leave, since we don't want it to go missing again! Thanks :-)

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Mount Davidson Entrance, Juanita Street Stairs (37.739250, -122.457874)

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Mount Davidson Entrance, Juanita Street Stairs (37.739250, -122.457874)

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This is one of several trailheads on Mount Davidson, and is one of our favorites.  A short uphill walk from here will bring you to the highest point in the City/County of San Francisco, on eucalyptus and blackberry lined trails that are very well maintained.

Observant eyes may spot garter snakes, rabbits, mice, and all sorts of other critters who call the underbrush home.

ROCK CLUE: The lakeshore rock is to the left of the staircase on the ledge near the first stair.

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100+ bird types at Heron's Head Park (wetlands restoration area)

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100+ bird types at Heron's Head Park (wetlands restoration area)

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Because of the piers, a lot of San Francisco's natural wetlands have been developed, but we discovered this wetland restoration initiative during coronavirus quarantine, and learned that it's a great place for birdwatching, if any of your kids are super into birds. It's got BBQ areas and a place for hot ash disposal, bathrooms, and a ecology/science center that we think hosts school groups in ordinary times.
The Port of San Francisco published a guide to identifying bird species that live and migrate through these wetlands: https://sfport.com/field-guide-100-birds-herons-head
And there's an interesting  video about the restoration project here:
https://vimeo.com/190647922

ROCK CLUE: Look for a footbridge across the water. On the south side of the bridge there is a metal sign that says "Hunters Point Shoreline." You'll find our leopard print rock at the base of that.

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We discovered this lovely little park on our bikes, and love that it has a fun playground for big kids and little kids, a little lake, grassy fields for picnics, and nice paths for scooting and walking.

ROCK CLUE: Look for this stump between the tennis court and the playground, beneath three tall redwood trees.

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This is where our family goes when we want beautiful views and an adventure. The kids love exploring around the old Sutro Baths, hiking out to Eagle's Point, and flying a kite on a really long string from midway down the stairs to the baths.

ROCK CLUE: A pair of proud stone lions greet you at the entrance to Land's End, along Point Lobos Ave. Our leopard print rock is hiding behind the lion on the ocean side.

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Waterfall on Strawberry Hill at Stow Lake

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Waterfall on Strawberry Hill at Stow Lake

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Our family has been to Stow Lake so many times over the years, and somehow we never discovered Strawberry Hill until we were going stir crazy during quarantine and made our way across the bridge and up the paths. Now this is a regular adventuring spot for us. We love the sound of the waterfall, climbing all over the giant fallen trees and boulders at the top of the hill, and visiting the ducks and geese all over the lake.

ROCK CLUE: We hid our leopard print rock near the top of the waterfall, behind a big boulder on the north side of the little brown footbridge that goes over the waterfall. The quickest path to this spot is up the stairs from the north side of Stow lake (just east of the Boat House, along Stow Lake Drive East), but you can get here from any direction you climb.

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We haven't figured out the rhyme or reason to when and how often this fog machine goes off, but our kiddos are DELIGHTED anytime we are biking through Golden Gate Park and come across this spot at the moment the fog mechanism is active. Be warned, it can be a bit of a muddy affair if anyone slips onto their bum in the fog, so spare pants are not a bad idea. Nearby free attractions we like to visit while we're waiting for the fog to turn on include the lily pad fountain, the silver pirate statue, and the "cauliflower trees" between the de Young and the Academy of Sciences. We also love the sculpture garden outdoors on the other side of the de Young, especially the "Three Gems" sculpture that you can sit inside and play with sound effects. The ferris wheel looks beautiful all lit up at night, and the Japanese Tea Garden is a fun place to visit for a splurge (admission fee charged), but most often we just enjoy the free stuff.

ROCK CLUE: Just northeast of the boardwalk area around the foggy field, look for some bronze statues. There is a small leopard print rock tucked away in a corner beside the concrete path to the left of a pair of 100+ year old penguins! To keep the rock from being carried away, we concealed it beneath some leaves and underbrush, so you may not see it at first glance.

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Crissy Beach and San Francisco Bay Trail

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Crissy Beach and San Francisco Bay Trail

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We love coming to this beach for it's nice calm, gentle waves, great sandcastle sand, and beautiful views of the golden gate bridge. Awesome spot for biking and picnics on the Crissy Field grass (if your family isn't a big fan of sand)!

ROCK CLUE: Just west of the Crissy Field Center, beside the "East Beach" parking lot, there are some benches along the San Francisco Bay Trail. The leopard print rock is nestled in the sandy shrubs behind this bench overlooking the beach and the Golden Gate Bridge.

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Not much to look at in the off season when the bushes are pruned back, but when this garden is in full bloom it's a wonderful place to visit and see all the beautiful, colorful varieties of roses, read all their names, and try to find the best smelling blooms. Just to the east of the rose garden is also a great little grove of trees our kids like traipsing through and playing make believe.

ROCK CLUE: We hid the leopard print rock right on top of the Rose Garden sign. Hope it stays put!

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Hardly a secret... lots of folks know and love this park, but we wanted to put it on the map because our family spends so much time here. If you get hungry after a long afternoon at the park, you can eat food from virtually anywhere in the world just a few blocks east, along Valencia and Mission streets. We love Panchita's (on 16th) for yummy pupusas, Thanh Tam II for Vietnamese or El Toro Taqueria (both on 17th), Cafe Ethiopia (b/w 19th and 20th), Truly Mediterranean (on 16th) for schwarma, or Pakwan (also on 16th) for yummy tandoori chicken and fast service.

ROCK CLUE: We hid the rock at the base of the sign welcoming visitors to the park at the southwest corner, which famously offers some of the most amazing cityscape views. Just below this spot down the hill a bit is the Helen Diller Playground which we've been going to for years and haven't tired of yet!

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Once a lonely parking lot, neighborhood volunteers rallied to transform this unused outdoor space into a delightful community zone. Come check out the fairy garden, enjoy some takeout or bring your own food to eat at the bistro tables, play a game of checkers or giant chess with a friend, and enjoy the sea life art painted all over the pavement by local teenage artists. There's often live music happening on the weekends. You can follow @friendsoflakesidevillage on Instagram to see what's new at this ever-evolving spot, and hear about upcoming community events like live music offerings.

ROCK CLUE: the rock should be somewhere in the fairy garden corner of the Landing. We placed it under a toy bridge at the base of the tree in the picture, but lots of kids play here and move stuff around, so we imagine it will migrate around a lot.

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Minnie and Lovie Ward Playground and Rec Center

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Minnie and Lovie Ward Playground and Rec Center

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We discovered this nicely renovated park and rec center near our preschool. It's sort of hidden, because it's not green on the map, but it's got a fun grassy hill for rolling, nice playground equipment, and a rec center with good bathrooms and a bunch of SF Parks and Rec camp offerings (in non-pandemic times)!

ROCK CLUE: Just north of the playground there is a reddish tree, leaning over like it wants to play too! We hid the rock at the base of this tree.

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Banana Slugs and other delights in Stern Grove

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Banana Slugs and other delights in Stern Grove

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Our kids are suuuper into slugs at the moment, so we were excited to learn that there is an abundant banana slug population in Stern Grove. You van find them (especially in the morning hours) slithering along the rock wall on the road headed into the park from the entrance on 19th Ave and Sloat Blvd. Be cautious as cars drive in along this road, but there is a gutter you can safely use as a trail while you hunt. At the bottom of the hill, we like to visit the amphitheater area where musicians often casually set up to play, and where our kids like to run around, up and down the terraces and explore the trails. A little further along there is a dog park area and lots of great flat grassy expanses for picnics and enjoying the sun on a nice day.

ROCK CLUE: from the parking lot beside the Rhoda Goldman Performance Meadow, look back up the road you came down to enter the park. There is a leopard print rock sitting atop a section of the rocky retaining wall, toward the bottom of the hill. This is the wall where we find banana slugs scooting around on a cool, damp morning.

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We have a family ritual to spend New Year's Day here at Fort Funston every year, enjoying the clear winter days on the beach and the expansive coastal views at sunset. But this is a fun spot any day of the year... especially if your kids love dogs, because there are a TON of them all over. You can hike down to the beach from the main parking lot either down the beach stairs from the Funston Beach Trail, which deposits you on the south end of Funston Beach, or take a longer (but more flat) walk along the sunset trail, which eventually deposits you on the north end of Funston Beach (also down a sand dune hill, but without stairs). Anytime except high tide, you can walk the full length of the beach, so it's possible to walk a full loop, or you can always go back up the way to came to get back to the parking lot. Great spot to fly a kite or watch hangliders take off and land on the cliffs above the beach.

ROCK CLUE: The rock is resting beneath the sign marking the hang gliding landing area, just to the south of the main parking lot. Follow this path toward the stairs that lead you down to the beach directly (and enjoy the views!)

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Tiny and tucked away, and less widely known than nearby Dolores Park, Mission Playground is a fantastic spot to visit with a lot to offer in a small space. The playground is well maintained, and our kids love it, but if you're not a fan of sandy playgrounds then you might want to skip this part. On the Valencia side of the playground there is a concrete area with a water play area that is a great cooling spot during a heat wave (at least in non-pandemic times!). Soccer fields and tennis courts available, and a rec center with well maintained bathrooms that aren't disgusting to visit. Mission pool is a nice idea, in principle, but we don't end up visiting very often because it's so tiny and pretty crowded on a hot day, and less appealing on a cold day, since it's outdoors. If you get hungry while you're here, you can eat food from virtually anywhere in the world just a few blocks in any direction, along Valencia and Mission streets. Affordable options we love include Panchita's (on 16th) for yummy pupusas, Thanh Tam II for Vietnamese or El Toro Taqueria (both on 17th), Cafe Ethiopia (b/w 19th and 20th), Truly Mediterranean (on 16th) for schwarma, or Pakwan (also on 16th) for yummy tandoori chicken and fast service.

ROCK CLUE: the rock is nestled at a fork in the trunk of a lovely, smooth reddish/orangey tree, in a corner between the soccer field and the water park/merry-go-round part of the playground facing Valencia Street.

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If you've never visited Glen Canyon Park, you have to come see this wonderful little hiking oasis that you can't believe is nestled in the middle of a city. Fun stuff to explore year round, including a great playground and fun trails, but one of our favorite coronavirus quarantine discoveries was that there is an abundance of blackberries you can pick along the trails (peak season is late summer). The recreation center and soccer fields are on the south side of the park, but for peak blackberries, you should enter the park at the trailhead on the north side, along Portola Drive (just to the east of Ruth Asawa SOTA). Recommend you bring  heavy gardening gloves and wear rain boots, jeans and long sleeves if you're going berry picking, as the brambles are thorny! But the reward is sweet and tasty!

ROCK CLUE: look behind this funny scraggly stump, which you will encounter less than 100 yards into your hike, forking off to the right.

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This tiny unassuming park tucked away at 17th and Folsom has in the past been a favorite to visit on a hot day because of the water play area. The different levels of canals make it fun for little kids who want to splash their hands, while  and the spraying fountains keep bigger kids interested too. The water is turned off due to the pandemic, but the park is still worth a visit. They've added a lot of fun features to the park over time that have attracted a lot of community use. Beside the kids play are there is adult playground exercise equipment, and further toward the Shotwell St side there is a community garden and an amphitheater where people lead Zumba and Tai Chi (at different times).

ROCK CLUE: A red Lakeshore Leopard rock is nestled beneath some palm fronts on the west side of the park, next to the stage where outdoor group exercise activities are often happening. See if you can find it!

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Redwood Playground and Picnic Area at John McLaren Park

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Redwood Playground and Picnic Area at John McLaren Park

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Our kids love the playground here, as well as the shade provided by the redwood grove on hot days (why do so many SF playgrounds lack adequate shade options??) The park is huge and there are a lot of other places to explore, but this is a great place to start. The playground offers a great slide, cargo nets, and other climbing opportunities, bathrooms, and a huge grassy hill with a gentle slope. Check it out!

ROCK CLUE: Just downhill from the playground, on the side of the road, there is a pair of trees (non-redwood)  which make a lovely picnic spot. The leopard rock is nestled at the base of the tree on the left (as seen from the road).

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So much to love on this tiny craggy hill! We love to come here to visit the Randall Museum, but even when Randall is closed, it's a delightful spot for nature play. Climb all the way to the top for gorgeous views of the city. Along the way, visit the dogs playing in the dog run, and see if there are any good puddles to stomp in on the north side of the hill. Easiest entrance is from the corner of Roosevelt Way and Museum Way, but if you want to visit the playground and the community garden, enter on foot from States Street, on the south side of the park.

ROCK CLUE: if you hike to the peak and look around the south side of the rocky summit (facing Sutro tower) you’ll see a wooden fence that disappears right into the side of the sloping hill. The leopard rock is at the base of this fence (unless one of the coyotes ran off with it!).

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Bernal Heights Park is a favorite spot to visit, with big grassy expanses to climb and explore, but Esmeralda slide park is a hidden gem just west of the hill that is very easy to miss unless you're looking for it. We love the long side-by-side slides down this hill, and the terraced levels of the park for imaginary play and picnics. Check it out next time you're in the neighborhood!

ROCK CLUE: We hid the rock underneath the platform at the top of the slides. See if it stays out there for you to find (and then enjoy your ride down the hill. Wheee!!

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San Francisco Bay Trail around the Ball Park 

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San Francisco Bay Trail around the Ball Park 

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We were looking for a good spot for biking and scooting during quarantine, and discovered it was fun to loop around the Ball Park. Our kids love climbing on the seal statue, scooting out and back along the pier, watching kayakers and giant container ships out on the Bay, weaving in and out of the palm trees near the main and rear entrances tto the stadium, and visiting the Willie Mays statue. We also follow the trail south to Bay Front park sometimes, or north along the Embarcadero.

ROCK CLUE: We hid a rock at the base of the palm tree closest to the seal statue on the Bay side of the stadium (near the scoreboard). It’s nestled under a metal grate, beside a footlight)