• View of the Golden Gate Bridge, taken from the Marin Headlands, looking across the bay back towards San Francisco, seen in the distance.

    Golden Gate

    National Recreation Area California

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  • Tunnel to Marin Headlands Closed

    The tunnel on Bunker Road from Alexander Avenue in Sausalito towards the Marin Headlands is closed for construction. Please follow the detour signs to Conzelman Road (just above the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge) to go up over the hill. More »

  • Muir Beach (but not nearby Muir Woods) parking lot closed June-November 2013

    Muir Beach parking lot will be closed from June-November 2013 due to construction. Restrooms or nearby parking will not be available at Muir Beach during this period. Pacific Way is closed except to residents. Check back for updates or call (415)561-3054 More »

  • CAUTION: Post Storm Damage to Coastal Trail

    The Presidio Coastal Trail segment just north of the Pacific Overlook and adjacent to Lincoln Blvd remains CLOSED indefinitely. We have posted signage to alert bicyclists and hikers and with information for safe trail alternatives. More »

Bateria de Yerba Buena, 1797

In an effort to strengthen the defenses of San Francisco Bay, Governor Diego de Borica decided to construct a battery to protect the quiet cove immediately to the east of Point Medanos (now known as Fort Mason). Since the Punta Medanos promontory commanded not only the cove but also the passage between the mainland and Alcatraz Island, it was chosen as the ideal spot to fortify. After being constructed between April and June of 1797, De Borica fortified the battery with five, eight-pounder brass cannons sent from Castillo de San Joaquin (at the present site of Fort Point), where they were deemed too small to be of use.1

The new installation was named Bateria San Jose but soon became known as Bateria de Yerba Buena. However, this fortification soon fell into disrepair. In 1806 Governor Arrillega's inspection of the fort reported that three of its five cannons were functional, and there was substantial damage to the battery structures. In 1822, after a successful Mexican revolt against the Spanish empire, the derelict Bateria de Yerba Buena came under the auspices of the Mexican government.2

1.John Phillip Langelier and Daniel Bernard Rosen, El Presidio de San Francisco: History under Spain and Mexico, 1776-1846. California: National Park Service, 1992.

2. Public Affairs Office, Western Area, Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service. The Story of Fort Mason: Historic U.S. Army post in San Francisco. California: National Park Service, 1971.

Did You Know?

Wildflowers

A 1° F increase in average temperature seen in California over the last 100 years has led to Sierra snow melting 2 to 4 weeks earlier and flowers blooming 1 to 2 weeks earlier. Temperatures are predicted to increase another 1° to 2° F in the next 25 years.