Ever since Edie was born my one on one time with Henry has been cut down considerably. Gone are the days when Henry comes home from school and has my undivided attention to watercolor or put together a puzzle.  Edie requires so much attention when we’re at home so all that one on one time now has to be scheduled to when Edie’s sleeping or when Jared’s able to watch her. One of our favorite things to do together when we have one on one time is ride bikes! Henry just mastered riding a two wheeler a couple months ago and it’s made the biggest difference in our one on one afternoons. We’re spending so much more time outdoors which always feel amazing. Golden Gate Park is just across the street from where we live so it’s one of our favorite spots to bike.

So today I partnered with Blue Diamond Almonds to share a few of our favorite spots to bike around and explore in Golden Gate Park  (plus a lovely afternoon picnic)…

 Photography by Loren Croiser

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

It always amazes me that you can spend so much time in Golden Gate Park and still find something new and incredible there. So much effort and love has gone into creating this beautiful outdoor space. It’s lush and green, and the plant variety is incredible. There are trails and secret fairy doors, bamboo mazes, lakes and waterfalls, and hundreds of hidden paths and climbing to trees to explore. Although our neighborhood in the Richmond isn’t considered super desirable since it’s not very walkable and doesn’t have trendy shops or easy transportation, we feel so lucky to live just across the street from such an amazing outdoor oasis.

Here are a few favorite spots we like to explore on our bikes in the park:

1. The Redwood Grove. Right across the street and through the Rose Garden is a secret little redwood grove to the left. It’s the perfect place to explore on a hot day (as it was the day we took these pictures last week) because it rarely gets direct sun and is so peaceful in the late afternoon. You feel like you’re transported to another place. It’s easy to forget that you’re still in the city!

We biked through the dirt and down to a little clearing where we set up a simple picnic of berries and some cans of Blue Diamond Almonds. Such a great healthy snack to bring along on our rides. There are lots of yummy flavors, my favorites are the toastedcoconut and the lime and chili.

2. Twisted climbing trees. These are located at several spots but one favorite is just west of the path leading from the Rose Garden to the Japanese Tea Gardens. There are strong, low lying branches that seem to extend forever. A perfect spot for little legs to stretch and explore (and for me to have a seat).

3. Fairy Doors. There are a few of them and so special. Someone has created a door that fits perfectly into the hole at the base of a tree, or log (as is the one below). The ones we know of are in the Grand Concourse, which is between the DeYoung and Academy of Science (I explored that a couple weeks ago here), and in the path between the Rose Garden and Japanese Tea Gardens. There are always found treasures left inside. It’s very sweet and one of Henry’s favorite spots.

5. Japanese Tea Gardens. I talk lots more about this spot right here. It’s just magical and if you show up before 10am on mon/wed/fri it’s free admission!  A great place for a walk on a foggy SF morning.

(My own Japanese Tea Garden images above)

6. Stow Lake. Just lovely. I have a separate post about this coming up soon! You can rent a boat, feed ducks, or enjoy lunch in the newly renovated boat house. There’s a waterfall to climb (here’s a post about that from last year with Blue Diamond Almonds), and hikes to the top of Strawberry Hill lead to spectacular view of the city and bay (just watch out for the coyote!).

Do you have a favorite spot in Golden Gate Park? Where do you like to bike in your neighborhood?