Fact Sheet | Presidio Tunnel Tops Outpost Meadow Picnic Area
Fact Sheet | Presidio Tunnel Tops Outpost Meadow Picnic Area
Unveiled in July 2022, Presidio Tunnel Tops has been a tremendous success with the public, hosting nearly five million visits through June 2025. We’re now expanding it to give visitors more of what they’ve told us they need by opening the Outpost Meadow picnic area. Located next to the popular Outpost nature playground and Field Station discovery lab, Outpost Meadow provides more gathering space and amenities for families, including shaded, wheelchair accessible picnic tables, barbeque grills, a large lawn, bike parking, water fountains, easy access to Presidio Pop Up food trucks, and views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
FAST FACTS
- 1.5-acres
- Total seated picnic capacity for approximately 240 people, organized as follows:
- Three picnic pods, each with an average of six picnic tables (19 tables total, including 10 that are accessible); total pod seating capacity for 138 people
- Six communal picnic tables, including four that are accessible, surrounding the lawn (total seating capacity for approximately 100 people)
- One picnic pod features two double BBQ grills, for a total of four grilling surfaces
- Nine large umbrellas for shading
- One large lawn for picnic and play, accommodating up to 250 people
- Two drinking fountains, each with a water bottle filling station and pet bowl
- 23,000 Presidio native plants (including oak trees)
- 4,000 adapted and drought-tolerant ornamental plants (including other tree species)
- 14 accessible parking spaces
- 75 spaces for bicycle parking
- Pull out to provide easy access to Presidio Pop Up food truck offerings
FUNDING
The $12 million Outpost Meadow expansion was funded through the California Natural Resources Agency and supports the “Outdoors for All” initiative.
PICNIC RESERVATIONS
All picnic tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis through October 2025. A reservation system (via reservation.gov) for some picnic tables will be rolled out in the fall, with details to be posted at presidio.gov/outpost-meadow.
LAWN & GARDENS
To create Outpost Meadow, 1.5-acres of a former asphalt parking lot was converted into a landscape of coastal dune and bluff habitat surrounding a grassy meadow, with permeable and non-permeable paved surfaces nestled within. The predominantly native and biodiverse plantings support pollinators and other wildlife. Flowering groundcovers and shrubs such as Seaside Daisy, California Poppy and California Lilac, provide visual appeal. The shade trees, selected for their resiliency and adaptability to coastal conditions, include species such as California Live Oak and Torrey Pines. The new landscape will be able to absorb water, reducing flooding during storms.
COMMUNITY ART
The Ancestral Futurism Public Art Mentorship three-year pilot program was launched with the 2022 opening of Presidio Tunnel Tops. Based on positive public feedback about how art created a sense of welcome, Outpost Meadow will feature playful representative artworks from each of the participating artists on the underside of the nine umbrellas at the picnic pods, providing visitors with an unexpected delight as they gather for a meal.
PUBLIC INPUT
Outpost Meadow’s design was informed by the public outreach process supporting development of Presidio Tunnel Tops, which included several years of public workshops and tours, online comments, and consultation with community organizations and health leaders. To inform its operating plan, the Presidio Trust conducted focus groups and hosted online surveys with community organizations, seeking feedback on topics such as the picnic table reservation system, signage, food service, site activities, and community outreach.
ACCESS & PARKING
- Direct Muni 30 service to the site
- 7-minute walk from the Presidio Transit Center, a hub for Muni 43 and the free Presidio GO Shuttle which provides service from Embarcadero BART and Union/Van Ness Street
- Paid parking near Presidio Visitor Center and in immediately adjacent lots
PRIMARY CONTRACTORS
- Field Operations, Landscape Architect
- Plant Construction, General Contractor