Heron's Head Park sits on San Francisco's industrial southeastern waterfront in the Bayview. Wikipedia says the area used to be called Pier 98. In 1998, about 5,000 tons of garbage and waste were cleared away to make room for picnic areas, paths and native plants. Today the park covers about 22 acres, including 8 acres of intertidal marsh, and the Port of San Francisco maintains it.
The EcoCenter
San Francisco Recreation and Parks says the EcoCenter at 32 Jennings Street serves as a classroom for local schools, community groups and agencies, with the motto "Discovering Nature Through Hands-on Learning." The building is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The outdoor Nature Exploration Area is open sunrise to sunset.
The department says the play area won UNICEF's 2021 Cities Inspire Award, with balance challenges such as a suspended rope bridge, a tree cave and "Create with Nature" zones. Wikipedia adds that it was built with the nonprofit KABOOM!, designed by Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, and shaped by input from more than 100 local children.
The EcoCenter hosts K-12 field trips where students garden and restore the park's wetland. It also runs summer day camps, and rentals are limited to community meetings, educational events and public workshops.
Birds and a retreating shore
Wikipedia says more than 100 bird species have been recorded at the park, including great blue herons. Shore crabs, leopard sharks and striped bass live in the water, and plants include California seablite, pickleweed and ceanothus.
The shoreline has been eroding. Wikipedia estimates it has moved 50 feet inland since 1998. In 2020 the Port began a project designed to help it hold up against erosion and rising seas for 30 years, using nature-based methods instead of seawalls. The first phase, completed in 2022, added two acres of coarse beach along the tidal marsh and 1,600 linear feet of living shoreline.
Next door in the Bayview: our Candlestick Point State Recreation Area guide.