Where to find fairy doors in Golden Gate Park

About fairy doors and fairies in Golden Gate Park

In Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, the letter ‘F’ is for something even most locals don’t know exist in the park: fairy doors.

Some humans who are friends with fairies have put fairy doors on logs and trees with small spaces for a fairy to take shelter. Because fairies love and care for nature, there are more of these mystical creatures in the park than other parts of the city.

Go on a hunt in search of fairy doors

I know of four fairy doors in Golden Gate Park. But of course, with 1,017 acres in the park, I’m guessing there are many more.

You’ll find two fairy doors on trees in the Music Concourse. These are on the de Young Museum side of the Concourse.

Another fairy door can be found by walking down the path across the street from the “Friend Gate” of the Botanical Garden. This is the pathway that runs between the back of the Japanese Tea Garden and Stow Lake, connecting MLK Drive and JFK Drive. Look for the fairy door in a very large tree where the path cuts up to Stow Lake.

Then continue on the path toward JFK Drive. You’ll see a pathway to the left with a large log. The fairy door is at the end of this fallen log. BONUS: You’ll find monastery stones around the end of the log with the fairy door!

Once you find a fairy door… look inside!

If fairies find notes and treasures (like flowers and shiny stones; fairies like things from nature) from humans behind the doors, they will inspect these items and sometimes take them somewhere else.

Sometimes when I visit a fairy door with my kids, we see that humans have left some items that fairies probably don’t like or things have gotten pretty messy. We clean things up (and you can, too) so the fairies return to a more pleasant place. A good sweeping is always appreciated.

If you’re interested in learning more about fairies, I recommend the book Finding Fairies: Secrets for Attracting Little People from Around the World by Michelle Roehm McCann and Marianne Monson-Burton.

You can share your fairy door photos with #GoldenGateParkAtoZ and #GGPfairydoors. Tag me on Instagram and Twitter.