**John McLaren, who oversaw Golden Gate Park for 50+ years, hated statues. He probably wouldn’t be thrilled about this one of him, but it’s one of my favorites. See if you can find it!**

When I was writing Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure (coming out May 5), I decided that the funny and surprising history of statues in the park had to be in the book. You’ll find out more in “V is for Verdi.”

But I also thought it would be fun to try to find all of them in one big statue scavenger hunt. Below is a list of all* the statues in the park. Some are hard to find… and that’s part of the story. You can print this checklist for your own statue scavenger hunt.

Why are some statues so hard to find in Golden Gate Park?

From early on, wealthy people donated statues to the park. But longtime park superintendent John McLaren, who oversaw the park from 1890 to 1943, hated the statues. He thought the statues didn’t go with the natural, pastoral look he wanted for the park.

So, what did McLaren do? He had the park’s gardeners plant trees and bushes around them. Even today, it’s easy to walk right past some humongous statues, like the one of composer Giuseppe Verdi (“V is for Verdi”). You can learn more in Christopher Pollock’s essay.

Do your own scavenger hunt

You can do a scavenger hunt of almost all of the park’s statues using the Map & Guide to Golden Gate Park (Rufus Guides), available at many shops in and near the park (and online).

You can also use my list of the statues of Golden Gate Park below, which are listed from east to west. You can print this checklist for your statue scavenger hunt.

Share your photos with #GGPstatues and #GoldenGateParkAtoZ on Twitter and Instagram. If you actually visit all of them, message me on Twitter or Instagram!

Panhandle

William McKinley Monument

Near the Conservatory of Flowers

James Abram Garfield Monument

Baseball Player (across the street)

Major General Henry Wager Halleck Monument (across the street)

Near the Koret Children’s Quarter

Sarah B. Cooper Memorial

John McLaren Rhododendron Dell

John McLaren

8th Avenue and Fulton Street

Cougar and Bear

Music Concourse

Francis Scott Key Monument NOTE: This statue was partially removed on June 19, 2020. In 2021, an installation by sculptor Dana King called Monumental Reckoning was placed around the monument.

General Ulysses Simpson Grant Sculpture NOTE: This statue was removed on June 19, 2020; though the base is still in place.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Grouping

Padre Junipero Serra Monument NOTE: This statue was removed on June 19, 2020; the base is still in place.

General John Joseph Pershing Monument

Giuseppe Verdi Monument

Near the California Academy of Sciences

Goethe and Schiller Monument

Robert Emmet Statue

Ludwig van Beethoven Bust

Shakespeare’s Bust (in nearby Shakespeare Garden)

Near the de Young Museum

Lion Statue

Dore Vase

The Sphinxes

Indian Boy and Mountain Lions (in the Pool of Enchantment)

Apple Cider Press Statue

Roman Gladiator Sculpture

Chaplain William D. McKinnon Statue

Robert Burns Memorial

Thomas Starr King Statue

Leonidis

Rose Garden

Thomas Garrigue Masaryk Bust

Redwood Memorial Grove

The Doughboy

Pioneer Log Cabin

Pioneer Mother Monument

Above Rainbow Falls

Prayerbook Cross

*I would say that you’ll find the full list here, but in my research, I couldn’t get anyone to confirm the exact number of statues in the park. So… who knows when you might stumble on another one!

Marta Lindsey, Children's Author