Grand View Park
Encyclopedia
Grand View Park, also referred to as Turtle Hill by local residents, is a small, elevated park
in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California
. It is surrounded by 14th and 15th Avenues, as well as Noriega Street.
Despite its small size, 1.1 acre (0.4451546 ha) or about the size of a city block, the park is important geologically
and botanically
and offers views of downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate Park
, to the Pacific Ocean
, the Marin
headlands, and across to the Sutro Tower
.
The summit of Turtle Hill rises to about 666 feet (203 m). It is an outcrop of chert, which is part of the heterogeneous assemblage known as the Franciscan Formation, or Franciscan Assemblage
, the primary geologic feature on which the city of San Francisco is founded, here covered with a thin layer of sand. It provides one of the last remaining habitats within the city for a number of native plants, including the endangered Franciscan wallflower
and dune tansy, and also bush lupin
, beach strawberry, bush monkey flower, and coyote bush. The hill is crowned with Monterey cypress trees.
Because of the fragility of the environment, visitors to the park are asked to keep to paths. An active restoration program is under way, led by the California Native Plant Society and the city of San Francisco's Recreation and Parks department.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is surrounded by 14th and 15th Avenues, as well as Noriega Street.
Despite its small size, 1.1 acre (0.4451546 ha) or about the size of a city block, the park is important geologically
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and botanically
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and offers views of downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
, to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, the Marin
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
headlands, and across to the Sutro Tower
Sutro Tower
Sutro Tower is a three-pronged antenna tower near Clarendon Heights in San Francisco, California. Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, it is a prominent part of the city skyline and a landmark for city residents and visitors...
.
The summit of Turtle Hill rises to about 666 feet (203 m). It is an outcrop of chert, which is part of the heterogeneous assemblage known as the Franciscan Formation, or Franciscan Assemblage
Franciscan Assemblage
The Franciscan Assemblage is a geological term for an accreted terrane of heterogeneous rocks found on and near the San Francisco Peninsula. It was named by geologist Andrew Lawson who also named the San Andreas Fault which bounds the Franciscan Assemblage....
, the primary geologic feature on which the city of San Francisco is founded, here covered with a thin layer of sand. It provides one of the last remaining habitats within the city for a number of native plants, including the endangered Franciscan wallflower
Franciscan wallflower
Erysimum franciscanum, commonly known as the Franciscan Wallflower or San Francisco Wallflower, is a plant endemic to the northern California coast, from Sonoma to Santa Cruz Counties. It is a member of the wallflower genus in the mustard family, the Brassicaceae.The plant is a biennial or...
and dune tansy, and also bush lupin
Bush lupin
Bush lupin or Bush lupine is a common name applied to a number of shrubby species of lupin:*Lupinus albifrons Silver bush lupine*Lupinus arboreus Yellow bush lupine*Lupinus chamissonis Chamisso bush lupine...
, beach strawberry, bush monkey flower, and coyote bush. The hill is crowned with Monterey cypress trees.
Because of the fragility of the environment, visitors to the park are asked to keep to paths. An active restoration program is under way, led by the California Native Plant Society and the city of San Francisco's Recreation and Parks department.