Parks and Facilities

The Balboa Natural Area (also known as Parcel 4) is a small, 1.8-acre site at the corner of Balboa Street and the Great Highway in western San Francisco (Figure 1-1). This Natural Area is located in the southern corner of the Sutro Heights Park and across the Great Highway from Ocean Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Because the site is entirely sand, public access is provided via an elevated boardwalk that helps to keep people out of the sensitive dune vegetation. The Balboa Natural Area is one of only a few foredune communities in San Francisco and the only one within the Natural Areas System. This Natural Area provides: recreational trail use on an elevated boardwalk; trail connections to neighboring Golden Gate National Recreation Area; views of the Pacific Ocean; diverse foredune plant community; and suitable habitat for dunedependent animals.