Nature Walks

We organize guided walks that highlight San Francisco’s natural habitats, waterfront, shoreline and hilltops! With so much to explore, we aim to host nature walks that show the beauty of every season.

Join our free nature walks!

Our walks connect people to important natural sites in San Francisco and provide opportunities to learn about about their history and future. You’ll meet other nature lovers while discovering the secrets of San Francisco's natural heritage. With expert guides who are passionate about the walk topic and location, we explore beautiful areas where city residents have worked tirelessly — and successfully — to protect and restore local nature.

From the peaks of Mount Davidson and Nob Hill to the shoreline at Heron’s Head Park, Mission Bay, Land’s End, and Ocean Beach, our walks explore many of the plant and animal species depicted on the Nature in the City map. It’s up to all of us to protect and conserve the home we share with native wildflowers, plants, trees, butterflies, birds, bees, and the myriad other creatures that depend on these habitats.

Sign up now!

RSVPs are requested in the event of last-minute changes or cancellations. Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter (at the bottom of our page) or join our Facebook page to receive early invitations.

We are proud to offer walk leaders an honorarium. If you’re interested in leading a walk in SF, please email us.

Additional Resources

  1. Upcoming and Past Nature Walks on Eventbrite

  2. Self-Guided San Francisco Nature Walks

  3. Nature in the City’s Projects on iNaturalist

  • Tigers on Market Street walk featuring the BART/MUNI Canopy Living Roofs and nature hotspots in downtown parks, plazas, living walls, and more!

  • This walk leader is sharing about San Francsico's famous red rock formations that make up the majority of our hills.

  • The beaches, tide pools, and shorelines surrounding the San Francsico peninsula give us countless ways to explore nature.

  • We organize annual events like this community picnic in McLaren Park where we invite you to enjoy free food and drink while hearing from us and our partners about the work we're most excited aobut.

  • Every year, we lead a group to help record the butterflies in McLaren Park as part of the North American Butterfly Association's annual butterfly count.

  • During the Green Hairstreak Butterfly Corridor Bioblitz, we record all the species we can find and contribute data to iNaturalist during the City Nature Challenge.

  • On this tour, our Nature Guardians received a first look at newly opened sections of Yerba Buena Island planted with myriad native plant-focused landscapes.

  • This walk features the parks, hills, and hidden gardens on a tour from Francisco Park to Russian Hill.

  • This walk and volunteer event held in Spanish centers the Spanish-speaking community in partnership with Garden for the Environment and Sutro Stewards.

  • A guide with San Francisco Recreation & Parks shares about why wildflower grasslands are important to biodiversity at Palou Phelps Park.

  • Each year, we meet with experts during the annual winter Monarch butterfly monitoring season to learn how to count this iconic species in overwintering locations.