Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Recreation Area in San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a sprawling protected zone across multiple counties, containing coastal sections, forested areas, and water environments. The landscape divides into separate regions, each with its own trails, water features, and types of plants and wildlife.

Congressmen William S. Mailliard and Phillip Burton cosponsored the legislation, and President Richard Nixon signed the act creating the GGNRA in 1972, with $120 million for land acquisition. The first purchases were Alcatraz and Fort Mason from the U.S. Army; the Nature Conservancy bought the Marin Headlands tract from Gulf Oil and transferred it to the park. In 1988 UNESCO named the GGNRA and 12 adjacent protected areas a biosphere reserve.

The park's name comes from the Golden Gate strait it borders. Fort Point, finished just before the Civil War, held 126 cannons but never fired a shot in combat. Baker Beach, at the Presidio's southwest end, is where the Burning Man festival began, and its northern end is clothing-optional. Fort Mason's former military rooms now host nonprofit organizations and cultural events.

You can enter this area through various locations depending on which section interests you most. Planning ahead for popular spots is wise, as some areas may require reservations during busy times.

The park's name comes from the Golden Gate strait it borders, not from the bridge. Its 82,116 acres make it about two-and-a-half times the size of the city and county of San Francisco, and it drew more than 15.6 million visits in 2022, second only to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the National Park system.