San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department - Mountain Lake Park

Did you know? in the spring of 1776, after a 900 mile journey from what is now Mexico, Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza and his soldiers came upon Mountain Lake. They were searching for a suitable location for a northern settlement and found the lake an ideal location. It offered abundant water and pasture land, grazing deer, and one of the finest harbors in the world. They broke ground half a mile from the lake and called the settlement the Presidio. Mountain Lake Park is part of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, whose mission is to provide enriching recreational activities, maintain beautiful parks and preserve the environment for the well-being of our diverse community.