Park Location:
Fort Point National Historic Site is located under the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
It can be found by driving west on Lombard Street and instead of taking Richardson Avenue to the Golden Gate bridge, continue on Lombard to Lincoln Blvd. in the Presidio. Take the Long Avenue exit off Lincoln and continue to the Park.
Click on the following pictures to see a larger version.
This is the view that is seen when you first arrive at the fort.
As you can see, it is nestled directly under the bridge and in fact, the anchor for the twin cables
that support the bridge form an arch over the fort.
There is limited parking available.
The beauty and grandeur of the bridge cannot be mistaken. It is a double treat to be able to
see both the bridge and the fort in one setting.
The occasional fog that is a regular visitor to the San Francisco area at times presents a
surrealistic aura to the fort.
The small windows on the end of the building are ports through which the cannon were positioned.
The detail behind the fort is totally masked by the fog.
Upon entering the fort building this cannon is seen in the central courtyard.
Scheduled throughout the day are simulated firings of one of the cannon.
A group of four or five persons, selected from the visitors in attendance, are given assignments
as members of the gun crew.
The children seem to particularly enjoy the play acting.
This is an actual chamber where a cannon is mounted and would have been fired if an enemy
vessel had attempted to enter the Gate without permission.
I imagine that the sound would have been horrendous.
Another view of the courtyard.
The hexagonal building in the center was the lookout station.
Each of the openings on the left and back housed a cannon and crew.
The openings on the right held the quarters for the troops and officers.
This particular gun was cast in a foundry in Peru.
An interesting sidelight of the park is the chain that marks the edge of the park boundary so far as
visitors are concerned. It is made of iron and obviously has spent many years under water.
This shot is a closeup of the chain and supports.
Currently, it stands as a physical memory of a time long past. It has been converted into a park for the education and pleasure of the visitors that come every day to look over the old cannons that are still housed inside.
Park Rangers provide answers to questions and guide tours through the structure.
One of the highlights of the park is the videos of the fort and surroundings that are scheduled throughout the day. I saw one about the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was quite old, having been made years ago by the major steel contractor for the bridge, Bethlehem Steel. It showed actual footage of the raising of the two towers, the storage of the steel in Alameda prior to moving it to the bridge site. It also discussed the controversy over whether the bridge could be built or not. It is well worth spending an extra 30 minutes at the park.
This shot was taken from in front of the fort and shows the hill which is part of the anchor supporting the south end of the bridge. The sidewalk across the road from the hill is the beginning of the trail to Marina Green to the east.
At the far left of the hill is the start of a trail which goes up to the south end of the Golden
Gate Bridge. Details of this trail are not available at this time.
The Bay Trail virtual trail continues to the north with this link to the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Baker tour!