Search for monastery stones in the San Francisco Botanical Garden

You’ll find more monastery stones here than any other place in Golden Gate Park

In my book, Golden Gate Park: An A to Z Adventure, ‘M’ is for ‘monastery stones’. I’m kind of obsessed with these medieval treasures, which you’ll find throughout Golden Gate Park.

You can read all about how the monastery stones got to Golden Gate Park, as well as get the map for a one-mile loop to search for them near the Koret Children’s Quarter.

My favorite place to find monastery stones is the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. I think it’s the biggest concentration, plus the stones have been used to build some cool structures and are even used in a fountain.

Here’s the map of the best places to spot monastery stones in the Botanical Garden. But keep your eyes peeled on your treasure hunt. You’ll find them on nearly every path: sometimes just a single stone here and there, sometimes an entire wall.

If you’re short on time, be sure to hit these monastery stone hot spots:

• The pavilion of stones in Rhododendron Garden.

• The huge walls and cool stairs made of stones in the Succulent Garden.

• The fountain, stacks, and low walls of stones right outside the Library.

Here’s the Botanical Garden’s official map, but you’ll find these hot spots in my map. You can also use my map to find the stone face in a pile of monastery stones. I can’t say for sure that it’s from the Santa Maria de Óvila monastery, but it seems possible!

Share your finds with #monasterystones and #GoldenGateParkAtoZ. Tag me on Instagram and Twitter.