Golden Gate National Recreation Area

History

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area was established through a bipartisan effort by San Francisco Congressmen William S. Mailliard and Phillip Burton. Dr. Robert Busha, an administrator in Mailliard’s Washington office, came up with the idea of a non-contiguous park to get around the usual rule that national park land must be connected. President Richard Nixon signed the law creating the park in 1972, setting aside $120 million to buy and develop land.

The National Park Service’s first purchases were Alcatraz and Fort Mason from the U.S. Army. To fill in the north bay section, the Nature Conservancy bought the Marin Headlands property that had been part of the failed Marincello development from Gulf Oil Corporation, then gave it to the GGNRA. Over the next three decades, the Park Service added more land and historic sites from the Army, private owners, and corporations, including the Cliff House, Sutro Baths, Sweeney Ridge, Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Funston, four Nike missile sites, the Presidio, Crissy Field, and Mori Point.

In 1988, UNESCO named the GGNRA and twelve nearby protected areas the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve. On December 9, 2011, the Peninsula Open Space Trust transferred Rancho Corral de Tierra to the GGNRA and the National Park Service.

Locations in the park

Fort Baker is a former Army post on the northern side of the Golden Gate. The Marin Headlands include the Marine Mammal Center, Rodeo Lagoon, Rodeo Beach, Muir Beach, Tennessee Valley, and Gerbode Valley. Muir Woods National Monument contains large Coast Redwoods, Coast Douglas-fir, Bigleaf Maple, Tanbark Oak, and California Bay Laurel. Oakwood Valley, bordered by Marin City and the Marin Headlands, holds the largest untouched woodland of Coast Live Oak and California bay trees in the GGNRA.

Olema Valley stretches 10 miles from Tomales Bay to Bolinas Lagoon. Point Bonita Lighthouse is an active lighthouse maintained by the United States Coast Guard. Stinson Beach lies north of San Francisco and south of Bolinas Lagoon. Muir Beach Overlook, a former Army base-end station on State Route 1, offers a clifftop view of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco.

Fort Cronkhite is a former World War II Army post near Rodeo Beach. Nike Missile Site SF-88 is a decommissioned Army surface-to-air missile site near Fort Barry. Camping options include Bicentennial Camp (year-round, three 3-person sites, no pets or fires, stoves allowed), Hawk Camp (spring and summer, three 4-person sites), Haypress Camp (spring and summer, five sites, four campers maximum per site), and Kirby Cove Camp (March–November, five 10-person sites and one 35-person day use site).

Alcatraz Island contains a Civil War fort, military prison, and the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. China Beach is a small beach near the Sea Cliff district and the Presidio. Fort Funston, a former coastal fortification and Nike missile site, is now a popular hang gliding spot. Fort Mason, the San Francisco Port of Embarkation National Historic Site, now houses non-profit organizations and offers cultural activities.