Driving down the Great Highway as one follows the road along the far west of the city of San Francisco beaches abound and parking is scarce. Vistas of the ocean are everywhere, and one wonders what the rents might be on ocean facing apartments or even the cost of the homes viewing the ocean. Dream on. Dream on. The Great Highway ends in a few miles and Skyline Boulevard continues along the coast. One comes by Lake Merced on the east side of the road and on the ocean side is Fort Funston. It does not look like a Fort. There do not seem to be any military buildings. Wait, the sign says Fort Funston National Park. A small entrance and a wide open parking lot with odd blocks of concrete greet you in the parking lot.
There are people with dogs, lots of trails and now I see hang gliders all parked in a row. So what is this place now, and what has it been in the past. Who remembers 11 Nike missile bases
around the San Francisco Area! Well they were there from 1954 through 1974. Incredible – Fort Funston is one of the remnants of that cold war period. Beneath the parking lot were stored missles and who knows what to control them. A surface to air missile base to protect the city of San Francisco from bomber attacks.
Who knew that history? Well I sure didn’t. This is surely some food for thought.
Today Fort Funston is a wonderful park on the cliffs overlooking the incredible Pacific Ocean.
It is a favorite spot for hang gliders, dogs, and hikers. Expect wind, the hang gliders depend on it, and it is quite a show. I love to be on the cliffs overlooking the ocean with a vista down the coastline, it is a heavenly spot! Bring your coat and / or windbreaker and be ready for a show from the hang gliders. Bring binoculars, bring lunch, bring drinks, and enjoy another section of paradise on the cliffs of the California Coast. What a treat Fort Funston is today.
As one looks in to the far future, from a human point of view, or the immediate future, from a geological point of view, it is amazing, to me anyway, that two of the Pacific Plates collide off the shore of Fort Funston, creating the infamous San Andreas Fault. The point you stand on here was most likely over twenty miles off shore 17,000 years ago, and is eroding geologically today. I guess we better enjoy it while we can,
About The Author
Charley is an avid locator of those slightly odd and a bit different places in our world. He can be found about the web on his family blog – charley.net, and his social media guide – Charley Carlin – Social Media Guide also via Reviews on YELP, Trip Advisor, and Google Maps