Bison Paddock

I mostly saw a lot of fences, and large animals behind three layers of fences were likely bisons, but I’ll give them two stars out of sheer kindness and hope that they treat these animals better than tourists.

Bisons are cool. I wish they were out of the caged area and on the grass, but they were not. Still - was fun to see them there.

It's pretty wild wandering through a park in a very dense city then all of a sudden, BAM. North American mega fauna! Very cool. No idea what the history of these guys are but I'm glad they're there.

It's a very small section as you drive in. It's neat to see for sure. It sits across the street of the park where you can gather for soccer games, picnics, or take in the beauty of its gardens, trees, and lakes. Ocean Beach and the historic windmills are at the end of the park. There are lots of sand dollars there. Definitely take a peek and move on to the many wonderful things. Tip: Charge your phone. There's a lot of photo ops. Safeway is a few blocks down if you need to grab something for a picnic. As for the bison pad, it's a gated area you can walk up to with your dog and kids or see from across the street (narrow streets).

The best time to come is later in the afternoon on a weekday you can park, walk around the fenced area to view the Bison. Side note there are also restrooms nearby on the walking path.

The paddock is located in the western part of Golden Gate Park, near the intersection of John F. Kennedy Drive and Chain of Lakes Drive. It covers about three acres and is home to a small herd of bison, which were introduced to the park in the 1890s as part of a conservation effort to preserve the species. The bison are a fascinating sight to see up close. They are massive creatures, with shaggy brown fur and huge curved horns. You can watch them graze on the grasses, roll in the dirt, and interact with each other. They seem very comfortable in their surroundings and often come quite close to the fence, giving visitors a chance to get a good look at them. In addition to the bison, the paddock also has a small educational exhibit that provides information about the history of the bison in Golden Gate Park and the efforts to conserve the species. There are also knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any questions you may have about the animals. One thing to keep in mind when visiting the paddock is that the bison are wild animals and should be treated with respect. Visitors are asked to stay behind the fence at all times and to avoid making loud noises or sudden movements that could startle the animals. Overall, the Golden Gate Park Bison Paddock is a unique and enjoyable attraction that offers visitors a chance to see one of North America's most iconic animals up close. Whether you're a local or a visitor to San Francisco, it's definitely worth a visit.

While there is the lack for them to roam, and migrate as natural, needed and normal, as well they don't have the ability to do typical rut season behaviors, plus Magpies as their usual back bugs clearing buddy ... nope. They are safe from hunters, killers (whether cattle farmers or taxidermy head mounters), -30 degrees below temps, snow every 3rd day for 5 months, predators like Grizzly & wolf packs, and other challenges that they would face if part of the Yellowstone herd. And a complete opposite compared to Yellowstone - no Tourons (Tourist + Morons). The observers are few, they don't hop the fence, and are absolutely not harassing, taunting them or their young just to get a cool back drop situation for a "I was Here" selfie. If you have the slightest desire to do even a tiny bit of that. Die. I’ve been here several times and usually there’s not too many people maybe occasionally a very serious person on nature photography because they’ve got a lot of equipment. Today there was 1 Touron. Three adults walked up to the fence. One said really loudly. “I love You fuzzy puppies!” Stood there for about 10 seconds at which point even louder said “Do something!” About 20 seconds pass. Not quite as loud but still projecting announces to his two friends, “I’m bored let’s go.” I sigh. With a raised eyebrow and a smirking half smile, I think to myself: scoot ya bums.

You either love it or you don’t. I find it very pastoral and calming. It’s also always easier to park over there.

It's a hidden spot jn the Golden Gate Park, and I'd say you shouldn't miss it, where the bisons have lived in the bison paddock since the late 19th century. SF Zoo staff provide daily care and feeding and veterinary services, and Recreation and Park Department maintain the paddock and grounds.

Bison Paddock is a lovely little part of Golden Gate Park. The bison are usually pretty far and hard to see, but you will get a glimpse of at least one. Across the street is a very cool casting pond. There's also a handy list of everything you can find in Golden Gate Park as well.

If you like the weird and the wonderful, drop by a rarely visited section of Golden Gate Park to see the bison! I did! They were quite happy and tranquil in the rain as was I! Life is good with a unique, hidden destination!

I HAD NO IDEA THERE WERE BISON IN THE MIDDLE OF GOLDEN GATE PARK!! I was in the car on my way to the tulip garden and was very taken aback because I wasn't expecting to see a full grown bison so close by. It turns out the paddock is an exhibit managed by the SF Zoo. Super cool and definitely made my day :) Quite cute and surreal to watch the bison -- they also run surprisingly fast for their size haha

This was such a fun surprise. A family member was telling me she remembered seeing bison in the park Years ago. So I looked at the map and was like hey there is a bison paddock. Let's go check it out. Glad we did. We counted 11 bison, not sure if there are more. Smelly, but where else am I gonna get that close. Cool experience. And it's free. Even better

It's great that the city has this bison paddock here! It makes people aware of the history of America and the previous abundant population of bison.