Day Trip Adventure: Archery in Golden Gate Park
Rent Archery Equipment in the Richmond District and head over to the park to discover your inner Robin Hood or Katniss Everdeen!
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying with my kids once social distancing and shelter in place isn’t the norm any longer.
Golden Gate Park Archery — A Bonus Adventure
Archery can be a lot of fun. Having an archery range here in Golden Gate Park with an Archery Pro Shop only a few blocks away makes this a convenient way to spend part of your day. You can get a rental package for the day from the pro shop and visit the range to get your inner Robin Hood or Katniss Everdeen fix.
You probably only need to rent one set of equipment, only one of you will shoot at a time, anyway. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy your time at the range.
Adventure: Archery in Golden Gate Park
Rent equipment from San Francisco Archers
Golden Gate Park Archery Range
Rent Equipment from San Francisco Archery Pro Shop
Archery Safety: http://www.bestrecurvebowguide.com/archery-safety-rules/
Located on 39th and Balboa a few blocks away from the Golden Gate Archery Range, you can rent an archery package for the day. I’d suggest a compound bow, there is a pulley system that takes the weight off the bowstring once you draw it all the way back making practicing a little easier.
The times I’ve visited the pro shop, their staff has been really helpful, even giving a quick lesson in the shop — which is always a good review, even if you are experienced. Review the rules at the link above also.
Please don’t goof around with the bow, it is a weapon and should be treated with the proper attention and respect. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.
Visit the Golden Gate Park Archery Range
Archery Range in Golden Gate Park by Cody Tolmasoff
Entering Golden Gate Park from the 47th Avenue entrance on the Richmond side is the easiest way to find the archery range. It will be on the left-hand side before you reach JFK Drive. Usually, archery here is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Try to find a good spot. If it’s a nice day, you may need to hang out for a bit to wait for your turn. Bring a picnic blanket, watch what everyone else is doing.
Bonus: San Francisco Archers
If you are looking for a bit more guidance to get started, consider attending a program from the San Francisco Archers in Pacifica. They have regular volunteer-run programs to get your feet wet with archery asking only for a simple donation.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from a book, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park West.
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 8 May 2020