Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park System. It is not counted as a unit of its own.
For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post for three nations. World and local events, from military campaigns to World Fairs and earthquakes, left their mark. Come enjoy the history and the natural beauty of the Presidio. Explore centuries of architecture. Reflect in a national cemetery. Walk along an historic airfield, through forests or to beaches, and admire spectacular vistas.
About under an hour from San Francisco and 2 hours from San Jose by car.
Alerts
- CautionNPS ↗Auto-Theft Warning - Only Bring What You Need to the Park
You can prevent vehicle break-ins in parking lots and scenic overlooks. Before leaving your car for even a short period of time: 1) Remove all valuables, 2) Lock your doors. 3) Take your wallets, purses, backpacks, keys, key fobs, cell phones, and electronics with you. Read article for more details.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Presidio of San Francisco | Daily · All Day |
Visitor centers
- William Penn Mott Jr. Presidio Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The visitor center is the go to place to find out what is happening and what there is to do in the Presidio. Discover the Presidio through a large relief map, inspiring video, engaging exhibitions on history and nature, interactive tools, and knowledgeable staff that can help you uncover the…
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Presidio Birdwatching1-2 Hours
Birdwatching in the Presidio.
Opens on the Park Service site - Crissy Field Birdwatching1-2 Hours
Birdwatching in Crissy Field
Opens on the Park Service site - Archives Visit1-3 Hours
Always open by reservation, The Park Archives and Records Center is excited to host visitors, researchers, and park staff. Here the Presidio's past is bridged to its present by the images, documents, and objects preserved.
Opens on the Park Service site - Bike the Golden Gate Bridge1-4 Hours
Bike the Golden Gate Bridge!
Opens on the Park Service site - Torpedo Wharf Fishing1-4 Hours
Fishing at Torpedo Wharf near Fort Point and Crissy Field.
Opens on the Park Service site - Crissy Field Restored Wetlands1-2 Hours
Walking along the Crissy Field Promenade is a great recreational activity as well as a good wildlife and sightseeing adventure.
Opens on the Park Service site
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for California's national parks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBrown Pelican 121× · Eastern Fox Squirrel 75× · Coyote 74× · California Sea Lion 68× · Great Horned Owl 60× · American White Pelican 55× · Harbor Seal 33× · Belted Kingfisher 30×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 222 birds, 36 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Broad-winged Hawk · Common Kestrel · Cooper's Hawk · Ferruginous Hawk · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Western Screech-Owl · White-tailed Kite
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Coot · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Arctic Loon · Black-crowned Night Heron · Black-necked Grebe · Blue Goose · Blue-winged Teal · Brandt's Cormorant · Brown Pelican · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cinnamon Teal · Clark's grebe · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Teal · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Great egret · Greater Scaup · Green Heron · Harlequin Duck · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · Lesser Scaup · Long-tailed Duck · Northern Pintail · Pelagic Cormorant · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Snowy Egret · Virginia Rail · Western grebe · Yellow-billed Loon
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Black Oystercatcher · American Golden Plover · Black Turnstone · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · California Gull · California Least Tern · Common Gull · Common Snipe · Common Tern · Dunlin · Elegant Tern · European Herring Gull · Forster's Tern · Glaucous-winged Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Heermann's Gull · Iceland Gull · Killdeer · Least Sandpiper · Long-billed Curlew · Long-billed Dowitcher · Magnificent Frigatebird · Marbled Godwit · Pacific Golden Plover · Pomarine Jaeger · Red Phalarope · Red-footed Booby · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Ruddy Turnstone · Sanderling · Semipalmated Plover · Short-billed Dowitcher · Sooty shearwater · Spotted Sandpiper · Thayer's Gull · Western Gull · Western Sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's Phalarope · western snowy plover
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · California Quail · Common Pigeon · Mourning Dove · Pigeon Guillemot
WoodpeckersAcorn Woodpecker · Downy Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Nuttall's Woodpecker · Red-breasted Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsAllen's Hummingbird · American Black Swift · Anna's Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · Vaux's Swift · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Bushtit · American Crow · American Dusky Flycatcher · American Goldfinch · American Robin · Arctic Skua · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black Phoebe · Black Scoter · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-headed Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brant · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · California towhee · California yellow warbler · Canvasback · Cassin's Kingbird · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Common Guillemot · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Eurasian Whimbrel · Evening Grosbeak · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-crowned Sparrow · Grasshopper Sparrow · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Oriole · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Hutton's Vireo · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Marbled Murrelet · Marsh Wren · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Northern fulmar · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Pacific Diver · Pacific-slope flycatcher · Pine Siskin · Purple Finch · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red Knot · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-throated Diver · Red-winged Blackbird · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-sided towhee · Saltmarsh common yellowthroat · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Scrub Jay · Song Sparrow · Sora · Steller's Jay · Surf Scoter · Surfbird · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Varied Thrush · Velvet Scoter · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Winter Wren · Wrentit · chestnut backed chickadee · cliff swallow
Small mammalsAmargosa Vole · American Shrew Mole · Black Rat · Black-tailed Jack Rabbit · Botta's Pocket Gopher · Broad-footed Mole · Brush Rabbit · California Deermouse · California chipmunk · Deer Mouse · Dusky-footed Woodrat · Eastern Fox Squirrel · House Mouse · Ornate Shrew · Trowbridge's Shrew · Vagrant Shrew · Vagrant shrew · Western Gray Squirrel · Western Harvest Mouse
PredatorsAmerican Badger · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk · common raccoon
BatsBig Brown Bat · Brazilian Free-tailed Bat · Brazilian free-tailed bat · California Myotis · Hoary Bat · Red Bat · Townsend's big-eared bat · Yuma Myotis
Also on the checklistDomestic cat · Virginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Golf in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
The weather at the Presidio is typically cool and quite variable from location to location. The summer is often foggy and cool, so a light coat or sweater is appropriate year-round.
Questions people ask
Does Presidio of San Francisco charge an entrance fee?
No. Presidio of San Francisco is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Presidio of San Francisco open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Presidio of San Francisco right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Auto-Theft Warning - Only Bring What You Need to the Park.
Source: Alerts
Is there cell service at Presidio of San Francisco?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Presidio of San Francisco established?
1994. It covers about 2.4 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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