Presidio
About Presidio
The Presidio sits on San Francisco’s northwest corner, a former military post that ran under Spain, then Mexico, then the United States, until it became national park land in 1994. It now covers about 1,500 acres of forest, trails, beaches, and historic buildings, managed by the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service.
What to See & Do
The south end of the Golden Gate Bridge is here, with viewpoints at the Welcome Center and at Battery Spencer just across the bridge. Presidio Tunnel Tops is a 14-acre park built over the Highway 101 tunnels, with lawns, overlooks, and a free area for kids. Crissy Field runs along the bay with a promenade and a restored tidal marsh. The Walt Disney Family Museum sits on the Main Post.
Where to Eat & Drink
Food options cluster around the Main Post and Crissy Field, including the Presidio Bowling Center and seasonal food trucks at Tunnel Tops. Choices are limited compared with nearby neighborhoods, so many visitors pair a trip with the Marina or the Richmond.
The History
Founded as a Spanish fort in 1776, the Presidio served as an Army base for more than 200 years. It transferred to the National Park Service in 1994 and now operates as a self-sustaining national park site. Lucasfilm’s Letterman Digital Arts Center opened on the former hospital grounds in 2005.
Getting There & Around
The free PresidiGo Shuttle connects the Presidio to the downtown Transbay area and loops within the park. Muni’s 28 line runs through the Presidio toward the Golden Gate Bridge. There is parking at Tunnel Tops, Crissy Field, and the Main Post.
When to Visit
The waterfront and the area near the bridge are often foggy and windy, especially on summer mornings. Afternoons are frequently clearer. The Main Post and the forested interior are more sheltered than the shoreline.
Things to Do
All activities →
Tunnel Tops
A 14-acre park built on top of the Presidio Parkway tunnels, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay, and the Marin Headlands. The Outpost Meadow expansion adds 1.5 acres, 19 picnic tables, BBQ grills, and seating for 240. Free entry, food trucks rotate through, and trails connect down to Crissy Field.
Walt Disney Family Museum
Museum in a converted Presidio Army barracks founded by Walt Disney's daughter Diane Disney Miller, tracing his life from Kansas City through Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and the planning of Disneyland. The Disneyland scale model fills an entire room, and the multiplane camera display shows how cels were layered for depth. Thursday through Sunday 10am to 5:30pm.
Presidio Pet Cemetery
A half-acre pet cemetery in the Presidio, surrounded by a white picket fence and shaded by Monterey pines. Hundreds of graves for dogs, cats, parakeets, rabbits, hamsters, lizards, goldfish, and at least one mouse, with the oldest visible markers dating to the early 1950s and many headstones engraved in the format of military grave markers. Free, dawn to dusk, on McDowell near Crissy Field Avenue.
Battery Spencer
A 500-foot overlook directly above the Golden Gate Bridge's north tower, on the site of an 1893-1942 Army coastal battery. Bridge in the foreground, the city skyline behind it. Drive across the bridge, take Alexander Avenue, follow Conzelman Road. Small lot fills fast.
Golden Gate Bridge
Bring layers and walk the east-side path; the wind is steady and the fog can vanish or close in within minutes.
