How special is it that the world’s premiere travel-and-photography outlet puts a macro lens on a new Bay Area park? For its 25 Breathtaking Places and Experiences for 2023, National Geographic includes San Francisco’s Tunnel Tops as one of the top destinations in the world, praising its family-friendly atmosphere and opportunities to conduct citizen science.
The name-drop comes in a discussion of the 17-mile Crosstown Trail meandering through the city. Here’s the relevant bit, from a sublist of trips to inspire the whole family:
Designed by the same firm behind Manhattan’s High Line, the new recreation site is set atop concrete freeway tunnels and buzzes with a plastic-free nature play space, food trucks and campfire talks. At the Field Station, adventure guides lead hands-on nature activities, including identifying local plants, learning about the urban coyote population, and sampling water from San Francisco’s last free-flowing creek.
Never been and want to check it out? Check out our own travel guide to the Tunnel Tops with seven great things to do there, from the food trucks to a play zone made from fallen trees to the field station, where kids can taste local plants and stroke a taxidermied coyote that once lived in the park.
Tunnel Tops is in good company in NatGeo’s ranking – here are the other four destinations that made the family-trip list. For the rest of the 25 destinations, and some spectacular photography, check out the entire travel package (email address required to read):
Switzerland: for its family friendly rail system
Colombia: for its unique bird watching
Manchester, UK: for its culture and football
Trinidad and Tobago: for its sea-turtle tourism
The world’s best trips for 2023 include a new San Francisco park, Tunnel Tops
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