Rainbow Falls

Beautiful feature in the northern part of Golden Gate Park to come across. It's one of the waterfalls in the park. Rainbow Falls is the best because this is close to the museums, but it's still not a real waterfall. Cool to look at of course. This is close to a lot of fun things.

A part of a good hike. It's located along John F. Kennedy Drive close to Crossover Drive, a good location. The falls got its name from when it was dedicated and colorful lights were beamed onto this. A few things of interest are close. The water comes from Lloyd Lake. Often there's lots of creatures to come across. There's birds such as egrets and herons.

Cool thing to check out while around here hiking or some other fun. It's an interesting part of the history of the park. This is one of the of the park's several waterfalls.

Golden Gate Park has so much to offer. My boyfriend and I discovered there were waterfalls in Golden Gate Park sometime last year and finally made it out to a few of em in the park. We came across two larger ones and a mini one.

It really doesn't matter to me that this waterfall and the others are man-made. It was still a sight to see.

There's two hour parking near the Rose Garden sign, and from there it's about a 10-15 minute walk to the waterfall.

Rainbow Falls is the second man-made falls in Golden Gate Park, and this one is along John F. Kennedy drive built on Lloyd Lake.

Rainbow Falls got it's name from the colored lights that originally illuminated this waterfall back in 1930. I wish they would bring those lights back, and it would be quite a site at night.

You can hear the gush of the water in certain spots by Stow Lake and even though it's a man-made waterfall, it still has the effect of an actual waterfall when you hear it. The roar of the water is just a mesmerizing thing to hear.

It also doesn't have that "smell" compared to Huntington Falls as the water is circulated from Lloyd Lake and pumped back up repeating the process. I still don't recommend anyone jumping in though, just leave it for the birds and other wildlife.

Now that they've closed John F. Kennedy drive during the pandemic, people can enjoy this waterfall while maintaining social distancing by walking, running or a simple, leisurely stroll in the park. Hearing and viewing a waterfall, for whatever reason, has a calming effect on some people...albeit for that brief moment in time you feel at peace. You're just gonna have to experience it yourself.

Was that a big gushing waterfall off the side of the road that I just passed? I knew there was a waterfall in Golden Gate park but I always thought it was at Stowe Lake. There are actually two, Rainbow Falls is located on John F Kennedy drive visible from the road. It's pretty and nice to take a photo but other than that there isn't much. You can technically hike behind it but if you want a serious waterfall hike go to Marin County instead.

This one is good to see if you don't have a lot of time and area already doing something in the park. With photos you can make it look like you hiked to some remote beautiful place when all you had to do was take a stop off the road. Since it's man-made this waterfall is around all year round unlike the natural ones in the Bay Area that are only there during the rainy season

Golden Gate Park is one of they truly great urban parks built in the later part of the 19th Century. Around every corner (or curving path) you'll find another gem - whether it by a lake, meadow, museum, garden, or in this case, a waterfall.

Rainbow Falls is a beautiful little spot in located in between the Music Concourse (where the California Academy of Sciences and De Young Museum are located) and Speedway Meadow, just on the north side of John F. Kennedy Drive. This is actually one of two waterfalls in GGP, the other being Huntington Falls located in the middle of Stow Lake. They are beautiful an scenic spots in an already lovely environment. Rainbow Falls is especially photogenic, and is frequently used as a backdrop for wedding or graduation photos.

Now, you may ask yourself, how are there waterfalls in Golden Gate Park? Good question. They are certainly not natural, and are definitely a man-made feature. Both of these waterfalls rely on a massive pumping system to bring water from the lakes below to the top. Rainbow Falls uses a 100hp motor that pumps water up from Lloyd Lake. This also created a added bonus if a stream that runs back down for several blocks and culminates in a mini-waterfall as it re-enters the lake. Over the years, the waterfalls have been shut down at times to limit energy consumption. For one stretch in the early-2000's, Rainbow Falls only operated on the weekend. I believe currently they are functioning seven days a week, as they should be.

One last fun fact: Why Rainbow Falls? Apparently when the falls were dedicated in 1930, they illuminated them with multiple colored lights.

Plenty of parking. We were tracing the source of a river and came to this gorgeous waterfall. Plenty of climbing opportunities for kids in the absence of any playgrounds

When I was a kid, I had to travel from Noe Valley to the Outer Richmond every day for school. After a few years of driving this distance on city streets, my mom decided it would be more fun to drive through Golden Gate Park.

She was right. It was more fun. One of my favorite places to drive by was Rainbow Falls. Not only is it pretty, but I could often spot an egret or heron standing in the pool at the bottom.

The reason I'm only giving it four stars is that occasionally, the falls are turned off. I'm not sure why the city does this, but it makes me sad when there's just a big blank wall of rock instead of a beautiful cascade of water.

After just moving to SF, I immediately wanted to explore my new hood, which included GG Park. Each day, I would walk or run a little farther, until one day I ran into Rainbow Falls. It is truly a sight to see--a real, functioning water fall right on JFK Drive. Even on a bleak, overcast day, walking to Rainbow Falls still makes me happy. After mentioning this to my roommate, she checked it out on a bike ride, and told me that the water wasn't flowing--hence the 4 star rating. Even so, the waterfall is a great local attraction that you should check out some time. I promise you won't be disappointed!