We're big fans of the Presidio and Crissy Field here at Curbed SF. Welcome to In The Presidio, a weekly series covering what's going on at what may be the country's most far-ranging and complex examples of adaptive re-use.
Just add native plants— the almost-completed Golden Gate Bridge Overlook. [Photo Credit: Ben Fash, Parks Conservancy]
San Franciscans can be jaded, but almost any glimpse of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge will give us pause. Tourists love to walk across the bridge, but take them to Crissy Field to get a jaw-dropping, sweeping view from below, even if the bridge is moving in and out of a fog bank. Now there's a new viewpoint— as part of the ongoing celebrations of the bridge's 75th anniversary, a new Golden Gate Overlook is open, and according to a friend at the Presidio Trust, the vista has made men weep. Located southwest of the bridge, the new overlook is a component of Trails Forever, a long-range effort to open up the Presidio and Golden Gate National Recreation Area with pedestrian and bike trails.
The Trails Forever program is a 10-year collaboration of the Parks Conservancy, which supports the GGNRA, the Presidio Trust, and the National Parks Service. With a tremendous amount of volunteer labor, they've built over 125 miles of trails and eight overlooks (click on their interactive map here, at right.) Another overlook is expected to open later this month in the Presidio, looking out over the ocean, and presumably it will all connect to the new Point Lobos Visitor Center. The Golden Gate Overlook was completed as part of the Presidio Trails, Bikeways, and Overlooks Initiative, funded by a lead gift from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund with significant support from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, and directed by the Presidio Trust and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Kudos— and thanks— to all.
How To get There: For the lazy (or challenged) amongst us, here "trail" doesn't mean "remote" or worse, "hike." Reachable by public transportation, the overlook is a few minutes walk from the #28 MUNI Golden Gate Bridge Tunnel/Merchant Road stop, plus there's parking nearby at Merchant and Story Roads.
[Correction Appended: An earlier version of this post said the overlook was opening next week, It opened this week.]
· Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary [Parks Conservancy]
· Trails Forever [Parks Conservancy]
· Golden Gate National Recreation Area [National Parks Service]
· The Presidio [Presidio Trust]
· Out At Lands End, A New Visitor Center [Curbed SF]
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