Picnicking
Pack a blanket and a basket full of your favorite snacks and stay a while at these scenic spots.
Crissy Field (San Francisco)
Crissy Field is a great place to gather with friends and family across a picnic table. Bring a basket, enjoy the scenery and catch a spectacular sunset from East Beach or the West Bluffs.
Coyote Point Recreation Area (San Mateo)
Find your perfect family picnic spot in this 670-acre county park. Under the shade of eucalyptus trees, enjoy miles of trails, Magic Mountain playground, CuriOdyssey Museum and access to the water’s edge.
Sunnyvale Baylands Park
Located right on the bay, Baylands Park offers over 70 acres of parkland dedicated to active recreation and picnicking. Two large group picnic areas can seat 325 people, and four small group picnic areas each seat 60-130 people. A large grassy field, a children’s play area and miles of Bay Trail make this a popular park for family gatherings. Pets are not allowed in the park.
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (Oakland)
You can reserve a large group picnic area with BBQs within this 38-acre park. It also offers a small beach, large lawn areas, a multi-story observation tower with scopes, and breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge. It’s also one of the few areas that you can take an up close look at the Port of Oakland cranes at work.
Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline (Richmond)
This large 307-acre park boasts nine separate picnic areas with BBQs that can be reserved and accommodate 50 to 200 people. It’s great for big family gatherings, birthday parties and social club events. There’s also a volleyball and horseshoe court.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
Point Pinole is a 2,315-acre park with several picnic areas with BBQs and boasts over 12 miles of trails, one of the longest fishing piers (at 1,250-feet-long!), a play area and a volleyball and horseshoe court.
China Camp State Park (San Rafael)
Picnic and BBQ facilities are available at several lovely shoreline spots within China Camp State Park — Buckeye Point, Weber Point and Five Pine Point, as well as China Camp Village and Bullhead Flat.
Paradise Beach Park (Tiburon)
This bayside gem is truly gorgeous with its mature landscaping, colorful poplar trees, wildflowers, rolling grassy hillsides above the San Francisco Bay, and a grove of tall redwoods. Facilities include family and group picnic sites along the bay, numerous lawn areas, a horseshoe court, a narrow beach, a long fishing pier and more.