Fort Point

49-Mile Drive San Francisco

• Hours: Visitor Center open Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1
• Cost: Free
• Location: At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, see below
• How Long: Half an hour, longer for photographers, who may want to stay all day to photograph the bridge
• Best Time to Visit: Any time. For photographs, the light on the Golden Gate Bridge is best in the morning

Built between 1853 and 1861 by the U.S. Army Engineers as part of the San Francisco Bay defense system, Fort Point was designed at the height of the Gold Rush. It was built in a style the Army calls the "Third System," the only fortification of its kind constructed west of the Mississippi River.

For all the importance placed on it, Fort Point never saw battle. It was used intermittently after the Civil War and was deemed important enough that Golden Gate Bridge designers worked around it. Finally, it became a National Historic Site in 1970.

All of that is interesting, but even this history-loving travel writer has to admit that the fort itself is upstaged by the Golden Bridge, towering above it. Other than walking across the bridge, this is as close as you can get and the photographic possibilities from here are endless.

Film buffs may recognize that a pivotal scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was filmed here. It's part of our Vertigo Tour of San Francisco

Getting to Fort Point

Fort Point National Historic Site
End of Marine Drive
San Francisco, CA
415-556-1693
Fort Point Website

San Francisco Muni 28 and 29 bus routes stop at the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza nearby. Follow the trail signs northeast of plaza area to Fort Point at base of bluffs.