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The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service, which surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is two-and-a-half times the size of the city and county of San Francisco. It is one of the largest urban parks in the world and one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year.

The park is not one continuous locale, but rather a collection of areas that stretch from northern San Mateo County to southern Marin County, and includes several areas of San Francisco. The park is as diverse as it is expansive; it contains famous tourist attractions such as Muir Woods National Monument, Alcatraz and the Presidio of San Francisco. The GGNRA is also home to 1,273 plant and animal species, encompasses 59 miles of bay and ocean shoreline and has military fortifications that span centuries of California history, from the Spanish conquistadors to Cold War-era Nike missile sites.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is not synonymous with Golden Gate Park, which is an urban park located entirely within San Francisco and managed by the city.

History

The park was created in 1972 when President Nixon signed into law "An Act to Establish the Golden Gate National Recreation Area." The bill allocated $120 million for land acquisition and development. The National Park Service then purchased Alcatraz and Fort Mason from the U.S. Army and the Marin Headlands from Gulf Oil Corporation, which formed the initial basis for the park.

Throughout the next 30 years, the National Park service acquired land and historic sites from the U.S. Army, private landowners and corporations, incorporating them into the GGNRA. The acquisitions range from the historic Cliff House restaurant and Sutro Baths in San Francisco, to large and expansive forest and costal lands, such as Sweeney Ridge in San Mateo County and Muir Woods National Monument in Marin. Many decommissioned Army bases and fortifications were incorporated into the park, including Fort Funston, four Nike missile sites, The Presidio and Crissy Field. The latest acquisition by the National Park Service is Mori Point, a small parcel of land on the Pacifica coast.

In 1988, UNESCO designated the GGNRA and 12 adjacent protected areas the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve.

Future expansion

In February of 2005, Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation in the Senate that would add 4,700 acres (19 km²) of natural land to the GGNRA in San Mateo County including a 4,076 parcel known as the Rancho Corral de Tierra. The property, located south of Pacifica and surrounding the communities of Moss Beach and Montara, is home to many diverse plant and animal species. The bill passed in the Senate, but still has to pass the House of Representatives and be signed into law.

Locations in the park

Marin County

San Francisco

  • Alcatraz Island – The infamous federal prison and the West Coast's first and oldest operating lighthouse.
  • China Beach - A small beach located north of the Sea Cliff district in San Francisco near the Presidio of San Francisco.
  • The Cliff House Restaurant - A historic restaurant first built in 1863, rebuilt following fires in 1894 and 1907.
  • Crissy Field - A former airfield restored to a 100-acre shoreline.
  • Fort Funston - A former coastal fortification and Nike missile site SF-59L; now a popular hang gliding spot.
  • Fort Mason - A former military base that now houses non-profit organizations and offers a variety of cultural activities.
  • Fort Point National Historic Site - A fort at the southern base of the Golden Gate Bridge that formerly housed 126 cannons to protect the bay against invaders. Completed just in time for the Civil War, but never fired a shot in combat.
  • Mile Rock - Historic lighthouse located at the southwestern edge of the Golden Gate
  • Presidio of San Francisco – A former military reservation, site of Battery Chamberlin, the last remaining coastal defense "disappearing gun" on the U.S. West Coast, the San Francisco National Cemetery, Crissy Field, Fort Point and Baker Beach.
  • Baker Beach – Birthplace of the Burning Man festival, a popular sunbathing spot that is clothing-optional at its northern end. Located at the southwestern corner of the Presidio.
  • Ocean Beach - A popular surf spot on the western side of San Francisco.
  • Sutro Heights and Sutro Baths – Concrete ruins of an indoor swimming pool constructed in 1881
  • Lands End – A pristine area of land on the northwest corner of San Francisco that has amazing views of the Marin Headlands, located in Lincoln Park.

San Mateo County

  • Milagra Ridge - 240 acre (1 km²) parcel of land that is home to several endangered species and Nike Missile Site SF-51L
  • Sweeney Ridge – Location of where Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà discovered the San Francisco Bay and is home to several WWII lookout nests and pillboxes as well as Nike missile site SF-51C
  • Mori Point - The newest addition to the GGNRA, Mori Point is a small undeveloped parcel of land located in Pacifica

External links

Golden Gate National Recreation Area | National parks in California | National Recreation Areas of the United States | Parks in San Francisco | San Francisco Bay

Golden Gate National Recreation Area | Golden Gate National Recreation Area

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Golden Gate National Recreation Area".

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