KQED Guides

Adam Savage: Best Bay Area Spots to Take Kids and Dogs

September 13, 2012 | 4:45 PM | By

Flickr:MrFraley

Glen Canyon Park

Mythbusters’ Adam Savage has two kids and two dogs, and as a longtime San Franciscan, he has no shortage of ideas of where to take them for fun and frolic. Below, Savage’s favorite places to romp freely while enjoying the Bay Area’s most beautiful spots.

Flickr: MaryCSalome

FORT FUNSTON. As one of the family’s go-to places in the city, Savage relies on Fort Funston for guaranteed fun and makes the trek there at least once a week. “Watching the handgliders take off is awesome,” Savage says. “And if you feel like going to the beach, there’s a nice little access walk, which is great for both humans and dogs.”

THORNTON STATE BEACH. Just south of Fort Funston is Thornton State Beach, a scenic, windswept beach at the end of John Daly Boulevard in Daly City. The 3/4-mile hike down to the beach, Savage warns, is “kind of ambitious in terms of a hike, but it’s gorgeous,” he says. “It’s a very rocky landscape, so you have to hold onto a rope to get down the path. It’s not to be done with delicate shoes.” Savage’s kids and dogs love to play around the bunkers in the area.

Flickr: 50-Phi

STERN GROVE. Best known for its summer music festivals, Stern Grove is one of Savage’s favorite city parks, a lush, green escape that was one of the first places he visited when he came to San Francisco in 1988. “It’s beautiful, with the lake and the ducks,” he says. Dog owners love Pine Lake as a spot to let their dogs run free, off-leash. And on any given weekend, Savage says there are hundreds of dog owners for their breeds’ specific meetups.

GLEN CANYON PARK. “I can’t believe a park so amazing exists just five minutes away from the busiest part of the city,” Savage says of Glen Canyon Park. “It’s this amazing little wilderness oasis.” In the summers, especially, Savage says the canyon turns into one of the most verdant places in San Francisco, so much so that it’s hard to get through the vegetation. “Savage takes his kids and his dogs down to the end of the main paved section to a dirt path that they all scramble up along. “It’s a super rugged little path, and there’s a secret rope swing that only kids know about,” he says. The Savage crew love to walk all along the different paths and climb along the rocks. “Everyone gets worn out,” he says.

-Tina Barseghian

  • SARAH

    What about the East Bay and Marin?

  • Helena

    According to the Thornton Beach website: “This beach is not available to the general public at this time.”

  • Arnita

    Definitely the pick of
    the San Francisco litter! Two of my other favorites for the family that aren’t
    to be missed are McLaren Park and Baker Beach. Both offer a chance for a game
    of fetch in calm waters and some relaxed off-leash freedom.

    Just a reminder that
    Thornton and Funston are both shared with horses and some dogs react
    unexpectedly to horses. Leash up as soon as you see a horse if you don’t know
    how your dog reacts to horses. Also don’t let your dogs play too close to the
    cliff edges as once in a while a dog gets stranded over the edge and has to be
    rescued by the fire department. Sometimes an owner even get stranded while trying to rescue their dog.

    Everyone that loves to be out with the entire family needs to join http://www.facebook.com/saveoffleash or SFDog to help stop the plans to drastically reduce the places we can go with our dogs in San Francisco as well as Marin and San Mateo County. Gotta keep the Bay Area dog friendly for us, our kids, and our best friend.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jeff.stallings Jeff Stallings

    I am a dog trainer and avid hiker and have searched all over the Bay Area for the best off-leash hikes: http://betternaturedogtraining.com/offleash.htm

  • Jen in Tenn

    ha! My husband and I married in Stern’s Grove! Lovely place…

  • Chuck

    If you want something that kids like, why don you do a story on Carnegie SVRA. Don’t come out this Thursday, during the week when of course there will be no kids because they are all in school. Come on a weekend and you will see a lot of kids having a wonderful time.