Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Contrary to the belief of some, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is very much different from the Golden Gate Park.  While the latter is an urban park located entirely in San Francisco and is managed by the city, GGNRA is a US National recreation Area administered by the National Park Service and is composed of several areas from three counties (San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo).  It is one of the largest urban parks in the world, roughly two and a half times the size of San Francisco, and one of the most visited units of the National Parks system, accommodating more than 13 million visitors annually.

GGNRA was created when President Richard M. Nixon signed an act establishing it into law on October 27, 1972.  The bill allocated $120 million for land acquisition and development.    Among the initial purchases made by the National Park Service was for Alcatraz, Fort Mason, and the Marin Headlands.  Through the next 30 years, additional acquisitions were made to further expand the limits of the park.  Land and historic sites were purchased from the US Army, private landowners, and corporations and were later incorporated into the GGNRA.  The acquisitions were as diverse as the park is expansive.  It ranges from natural terrain to man-made establishments, from restaurants to decommissioned bases and fortifications, from a lighthouse to a prison.

The latest acquisition made by the National Park Service is Mori Point, a small parcel of land in the pacific coast.  The present day land area of the park is measured at 74,820 acres and encompasses 59 miles of bay and ocean shoreline.  The entirety of the park is home to 1,273 species of plants and animals as well as several military fortifications that span centuries of California history.  Due to its ecological diversity, UNESCO has designated the GGNRA and 12 other protected areas nearby as the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve in 1988.            

Golden Gate National Recreation Area Information

Marin County

• Fort Baker                          
• Point Bonita Lighthouse     
• Marin Headlands              
• Phleger Estate
• Stinson Beach
• Headlands Center for the Arts
• Muir Woods National Monument
• Olena Valley 

San Francisco

• Alacatraz Island              
• China Beach              
• The Cliff House Restaurant
• Crissy Field                          
• Fort Funston                       
• Fort Mason
• Lands End                            
• Mile Rock               
• Fort Point National Historic Site
• Baker Beach                        
• Ocean Beach           
• Presidio of San Francisco
• Sutro Heights            
• Sutro Baths

San Mateo County

• Milagra Ridge              
• Sweeney Ridge           
• Mori Point

California Parks