Lake Merced Meadow

Lake Merced is one of the very few freshwater lakes in San Francisco. It originated as a lagoon connected to the Pacific Ocean, but a massive earthen dam built in eighteen ninety-five permanently severed that link. This transformation turned it into a freshwater reservoir that provided drinking water to a rapidly growing city throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Today, it stands as the largest freshwater wetland between Point Reyes and the Pescadero Marsh, serving as a vital sanctuary for migratory birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway.