• 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 »

Preservation

Historic Preservation

"Historic preservation" is the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the exiting form, integrity and materials of a historic property. For example, a preservation project can be converting a historic army barracks into an office building or re-using a historic airplane hangar as a small aviation museum. All National Park Service preservation projects must comply with national standards and guidelines. The preservation guidelines exist to ensure that careful analysis is conducted before the professionals make any physical changes to historic structures and landscapes. Because of these preservation guidelines, you should be able to walk into that new office building or aviation museum and still feel and understand how that historic building was originally used.

To learn more about how the National Park Service is working with preservation both in the parks and in communities around the country, please visit America's Best Idea Today.

Preservation at Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Here at the park, we preserve and rehabilitate many different kinds of cultural resources, including historic buildings, artifacts, archeology, structures and landscapes. Our historic preservation professionals include historic architects, historic landscape architects, historians, architectural historians, archeologists, planners, conservators and archivists. Before we start any project, we:

  • conduct research to fully understand the historic significance of the resource
  • evaluate all alternatives to determine levels of impact
  • weigh all decisions to ensure the safety and future of the resource.

Continue down the page to learn more about the park's on-going preservation projects.

 
student conducting research

The Museum Collection & Park Archive and Records Center

Learn about the park's vast museum collection and how to conduct research at the park's archive and records center.

 
volunteers working at archeological site

Archeology at Golden Gate

Learn about archeological sites and historic artifacts at the park.

 
construction of Fort Baker porches

Historic Porch Reconstruction

Learn about the preservation project that carefully rebuilt porches back onto the historic Fort Baker army barracks.

 
interior corridor at Battery Townsley

Electricity in Battery Townsley

Learn about the volunteer preservation efforts in making this World War II battery open to the public.

 
cleaned metal ceiling panel stripped of paint layers

Stripping Metal-pressed Ceilings

Learn about the labor-intensive process of restoring historic metal-pressed ceilings.

 
aerial of Fort Baker main parade ground

Reclaiming a Military Parade Ground

Learn about the cultural landscape efforts to redefine Fort Baker's historic parade ground.

 
historic cannon under environmental tent

Protecting Battery Chamberlin

Learn about the careful efforts to preserve and protect this historic cannon.

 

Did You Know?

Horseshoe Cove at Fort Baker

During World War II, Fort Baker’s Horseshoe Cove was home to the Mine Planting Depot, where soldiers loaded dynamite into electrically-triggered mines that were then arranged in the water just outside the Golden Gate Bridge.