Directions to Fort Baker from San Francisco
- Get on the Golden Bridge (101) North
- Take Alexander Road exit and merge onto Sausalito Lateral Road
- Turn left on Bunker Road then right to stay on Bunker
- Turn right on Murray Circle and bend around to the left to find the Fort Baker parking lot, just in front of the Bay Area Discovery Museum
- Map of the Fort Baker Area
Fort Baker to the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge Visitor Information
Start in the main parking lot, facing Horseshoe Cove. Follow the road to the right, past the US Coast Guard Station.
Fort Baker's human history begins with the Coast Miwok native peoples who used the cove for shelter and for hunting game and fish.
Because of its strategic location at the entrance to the Golden Gate -- which is the only ocean access to San Francisco -- Fort Baker was a prime spot for the U.S. military in terms of situating a post.
Like other native peoples, the Miwok were displaced initially through colonization by the Spanish and then through subsequent shifts in administration and land ownership.
The first structures at Fort Baker were batteries, followed by decades of changes and additions as military technology went through various advancements. During World War II, for example, Fort Baker served as mine depot -- constructed by Harbor Defenses of San Francisco.
Fort Baker is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
As you look at the Bay, you'll see the Bay Area Discovery Museum for children to the left. The museum has adapted some of the old military structures to create an expansive play and educational area for children.
See this overview of the Bay Area Discovery Museum for more information.
Source: National Park Service
