Between San Francisco State, Stonestown and Fort Funston lies the city's biggest lake. Lake Merced is the center of a 614-acre park run by the Recreation and Park Department, while the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission manages the water. Rec and Park says the park draws boaters, hikers, cyclists and birdwatchers.

Things to do

  • Walk or bike the loop: a 4.5-mile paved trail circles the lake.
  • Get on the water: there's a boathouse, a fishing pier and a boat launch. The Pacific Rowing Club and St. Ignatius College Prep's rowing team train here, and San Francisco State runs a paddling program.
  • Birdwatch: the lake is an important stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. More than half the park is managed by Rec and Park's natural areas staff, who restore bird and wildlife habitat and maintain the trails.
  • Golf: the lake is ringed by golf courses, including the city-owned TPC Harding Park.

If you fish, note that the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe-eating advisory for Lake Merced because of mercury in fish.

The water-level problem

The SFPUC calls Lake Merced a terminal lake, with no significant water source other than direct rainfall. Its level fell for decades, threatening recreation, habitat and its role as an emergency water supply. The utility now uses recycled water instead of groundwater pumping to irrigate land around the lake. It is also working with Daly City on the Vista Grande project, which would send stormwater to the lake during storms. And it is studying whether extra water from the Westside Enhanced Water Recycling Plant could provide a year-round supply.

History

Spanish Capt. Bruno de Heceta named the lake Laguna de Nuestra Señora de la Merced in 1775. The Spring Valley Water Company bought its water rights in 1868 and later the surrounding land, part of its monopoly on the city's water before Hetch Hetchy. The company eventually sold land that became the golf courses and, in 1940, the site of Parkmerced.

The lake's most famous event happened on Sept. 13, 1859. California Supreme Court Chief Justice David S. Terry shot and killed U.S. Sen. David C. Broderick in a duel on its shore.