Drivers Will Be Charged Up to $4 an Hour to Park In Golden Gate Park Starting January 1

Drivers will soon have to pay to park in Golden Gate Park seven days a week, with hourly rates ranging from $1.25 to $4 depending on the location and time of day, as SF Recreation and Parks contends with a $15 million budget shortfall. SFist warned last year that free parking at Golden Gate Park was likely coming to an end, and hourly rates were expected to be as high as $3 an hour, which has now gone up by a dollar. Beginning January 1, parking in Golden Gate Park will cost between $1.25 and $4 an hour, with fees in effect every day from 9 am to 10 pm. As KTVU reports , the highest rates will apply to parking east of Crossover Drive, near the California Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum, San Francisco Botanical Garden, and Blue Heron Lake. Drivers with disabled placards will remain exempt. Parking fees will vary by location and time. East of Crossover Drive, rates will be $3.50 an hour on weekdays and $4 on weekends until 6 pm, dropping to $1.50 and $2, respectively, afterward. West of Crossover Drive, parking will cost $2.75 an hour until 6 pm every day, then drop to $1.25. Overnight parking is not allowed. Drivers can pay through ParkMobile, HotSpot, or one of the 25 pay stations located throughout the park. According to SFGate , the Recreation and Park Commission approved paid parking in February 2025, and the Board of Supervisors authorized the SFMTA to establish parking rates in July 2025. The Recreation and Park Department is now facing a $15 million annual budget shortfall. The proposal drew some opposition from the outset. During last year's commission discussions, Commissioner Larry Mazzola, who has a history of supporting drivers, questioned whether charging drivers to access the park would further restrict car access, particularly after JFK Drive was permanently closed to vehicles in 2022. “We already closed roads in Golden Gate Park,” Mazzola said last year. “And now we’re going to charge people. It just seems like we’re driving cars out. That’s not something I want to do. The department says the revenue, projected to be around $10 million a year, will help maintain park facilities and preserve public programming, including youth sports leagues, after-school activities, senior classes, summer camps, free fitness classes, and community enrichment programs, per KTVU. “Without additional revenue, we face really difficult decisions about things people really care about, like clean restrooms, well-maintained playgrounds and swimming pools and summer camps,” SF Recreation and Parks spokesperson Tamara Barak Aparto said. “This is a way to really protect the things that people love and rely on.” Park visitors have also expressed mixed feelings about the new fees, as KRON4 reports . Some said they would support paying if the money went toward improvements and maintenance, while others worried that charging for parking would make a visit to the park less accessible. “I think it’s awful. I don’t think they should charge for parking at all because people are here to enjoy themselves, and if people have to worry about feeding a meter, I think it’s wrong,” visitor Donna Quan told KRON4. Previously: It Might Soon Cost You $3 an Hour to Park In Golden Gate Park