Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a national recreation area in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Understand

Official tourism website

• nps.gov

Get in

See San Francisco/Golden Gate.

See

Alcatraz Island

• 1 Alcatraz Island. The infamous island prison in San Francisco Bay, once the holding site of notorious mobsters. (updated Jan 2022)
• 2 Lands End, Lands End. A scenic coastline near the Golden Gate Bridge with hiking trails overlooking jagged cliffs, shipwrecks, and the ruins of a 19th century bathhouse. (updated Jan 2022)
• 3NOT EXISTING LISTING IMAGE Marin Headlands. North of the Golden Gate Bridge, a hilly region with spectacular views over the Bay and San Francisco, ocean cliffs, and historic sites. (updated Jan 2022)
• 4 Muir Woods National Monument. A forest of old growth coastal redwoods. (updated Jan 2022)

• The Sutro District is a collection of historic attractions developed by Adolph Sutro in the late 19th century which includes:
  • The Cliff House - a historic restaurant first built in 1863, rebuilt following fires in 1894 and 1907. Also houses the Camera Obscura, a historic building containing a device which projects a 360° image
  • Sutro Baths, a concrete ruins of an indoor swimming pool constructed in 1894 by former SF mayor Sutro dominate the southwest corner
  • The Sutro Heights Park, a public park and former estate of Sutro

Fort Mason

• 5 Fort Mason. Fort Mason was a U.S. coastal defense port and military post for over 100 years. In 1985 it was ordained a National Historic Landmark, primarily for its critical logistical role during World War II and later during the Korean War. Today it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and falls under the National Park Service. Located on a promontory, Upper Fort Mason offers stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The approximately 5-hectare Lower Fort Mason is the site of the former military port and now houses the Fort Mason Center, which is dedicated to non-profit cultural activities. The center emphasizes recreation and education in areas such as visual arts, humanities and the environment. It has three museums and six theatres. The area hosts nearly 20,000 events each year. Most activities are offered at minimal or sometimes no cost to the public. (updated Oct 2019)
  • 6 Museo ItaloAmericano, Fort Mason Center, Building C, ☏ +1-415-673-2200, sfmuseo@sbcglobal.net. Hosts exhibitions of photos and the work of Italian artists. Free entry. (updated Oct 2019)
  • 7 San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art — Artists Gallery, Fort Mason Center, Landmark Building A, ☏ +1-415-441-4777, artistsgallery@sfmoma.org. Housed over two floors, SFMOMA showcases the works of more than 1,000 established and emerging Northern Californian artists in a variety of styles and mediums. (updated Oct 2019)
  • 8 Long Now Foundation, Landmark Building A, ☏ +1-415-561-6582, services@longnow.org. The Long Now Foundation was created to foster a better understanding of a "slower/better" mindset, as opposed to a "faster/cheaper" mindset. In addition to holding many seminars, the foundation is a museum and offers local products in a store. (updated Oct 2019)

The Presidio

The Presidio with the Golden Gates Bridge.

• 9 Presidio. Founded in 1776, the Presidio was the oldest military post in the United States before becoming a base in 1994. It is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and has been designated by Congress as a National Historic Landmark . The highest historical designation that can be given to the United States. The park is a magnificent set of 775 hectares of mainly hilly and wooded areas. The Presidio has approximately 800 buildings within its perimeter, many of which have historical significance. Some buildings have residential tenants, others commercial. At the end of 2005, about 2,500 people lived in the Presidio, which houses the headquarters of Lucasfilm (owned by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas), a unique situation for a national park. Some of their drinking water comes from Lobos Creek (Rio de los Lobos), the last free-flowing creek in San Francisco. The Presidio Trust, which manages most of the park, is renovating the rest of the buildings with a view to increasing the number of its residents to 5,000. The Presidio contains 11 miles (17.7 km) of hiking trails, including the Golden Gate Parkway, Coastal Trail, an Eco Trail, and portions of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Bay Trail, and Anza National Historic Trail. Cyclists can explore the area on 22.5 km of paved roads and along some unpaved parts of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. A world-class windsurfing area borders Crissy Field, while the nearby rocks and pier offer plenty of fishing and crabbing opportunities. Along the way you will also find many historical and architectural sites, as well as fantastic views and natural landscapes. (updated Oct 2019)
  • 10 Battery Chamberlin. The location is named for Captain Lowell A. Chamberlin, who served in the Civil War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1976 as it is one of the last remaining coastal defense "disappearing guns" on the U.S. West Coast. (updated Oct 2019)
  • Baker Beach - the birthplace of the Burning Man festival which is a popular sunbathing spot that is clothing-optional at its northern end.
  • Crissy Field - a former airfield restored to a 100-acre (40 ha) shoreline
  • 11 Fort Point National Historic Site, Marine Dr (Long Ave and Marine Dr), ☏ +1-415-556-1693. Video orientations, guided tours, self-guiding materials, exhibits, and publication sales are offered F-Su 10AM-5PM. A fort at the southern base of the Golden Gate Bridge that formerly housed 126 cannons to protect the bay against invaders and somewhat functions as the guardian of the Golden Gate. It was built beginning in 1848 to protect the entrance to San Francisco Bay during the Civil War, but it never fired a shot in combat. The fort appears in Alfred Hitchcock's film Cold Sweat. Free. (updated Jan 2022)
  • The San Francisco National Cemetery

See also: The Presidio as covered in the article for the Golden Gate area of San Francisco.

Eat

• 1 Presidio Social Club, 563 Ruger St, Bldg 563 (at Lyon St), ☏ +1-415-885-1888, fax: +1-415-885-9188. M-Sa 5:30PM-11PM, Su 5:30PM-9:30PM, Brunch Sa-Su 10AM-2PM. Serving traditional American and international cuisine like fish and chips, Kobe beef, and liver and onions. They have a large outdoor veranda that is an excellent place to dine... weather permitting! There is also a lively bar on the premises if you fancy a few stiff drinks. $18-27. 

Sleep

Camping

• 1 Kirby Cove Camp. (updated Jan 2022)