Fort Miley Military Reservation, Military fortification at Point Lobos, San Francisco, United States.
Fort Miley Military Reservation is a former military site on the Point Lobos headland, at the northwestern edge of San Francisco, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The grounds include the remains of old coastal gun batteries and a warehouse that once stored military equipment.
In 1891 the federal government condemned 54 acres of the former Golden Gate Cemetery at Point Lobos for $75,000, creating the Point Lobos Military Reservation. The Spanish-American War of 1898 prompted the first two buildings, and by 1902 Battery Chester's two 12-inch guns were in place, joined by a third in 1903. Renamed Fort Miley in 1900 for Lieutenant Colonel John D. Miley, it kept Battery Chester in service until 1943.
The fort is named after Lieutenant Colonel John D. Miley, who died in Manila in 1899; the reservation took his name in 1900. The horseshoe-shaped parade ground was laid out open to the north, facing the Golden Gate, and the barracks and quarters stood between the two main batteries. The ordnance storehouse that survived the 1934 demolition now serves as a National Park Service maintenance building.
The site is accessible via El Camino Del Mar and 48th Avenue and is easy to explore on foot. Those without a car can take the Route 38 bus, which stops nearby.
A ropes course run by the Pacific Leadership Institute operates on the grounds, set among the old military structures. Most visitors do not expect to find an outdoor adventure activity in the middle of a former coastal defense site.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,083 contributors worldwide.