Bonita Point, CA

This is not a well known major tourism destination, as it is not on the standard list of things to do & see in the San Francisco area. The Bonita Point Lighthouse is on the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge and west of the 101 Interstate. This area was for a long time, an Army Artillery Post and you can still see the concrete block houses where the guns were positioned. The Army considered the artillery to be the "coastal defense" for San Francisco, as the weapons were intended to guard the western entrance to the Bay from the Pacific Ocean. During the Cold War era (1954), this area contained a Nike Missile Complex and then years later the entire area was turned over to California and became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Fort Baker, located near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge in California, has a rich history dating back to the 19th century. Originally part of the U.S. Army’s coastal defense system, it was established in the early 1900s to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attacks. Fort Baker was one of several military posts, including Fort Point and Fort Barry, that formed a network of defenses guarding the entrance to the bay.

Construction of Fort Baker’s main structures began in 1901, including the historic barracks, officers' quarters, and artillery batteries. During World War I and World War II, the fort played a key role as a military base, with its artillery focused on defending against potential naval threats. However, no major military engagements took place there.

By the mid-20th century, with changing military strategies and the rise of air power, Fort Baker’s coastal defense role diminished, and it eventually ceased being a primary defense post. In 1972, Fort Baker became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), transitioning from military use to public access.

Fort Baker also provides you with the opportunity to get very close to the northern base of the Golden Gate Bridge, and as can be seen, they were installing "suicide nets" on the bridge to prevent "bridge jumpers". Once we had completed our picture taking at Fort Baker, we drove back up the hill and crossed through to the Bonita Point Lighthouse side via the long single lane tunnel that connects the two areas.

NOTE: Be prepared to wait at the tunnel, it is a single lane and it is "time controlled" to allow cars from one side to proceed and even though there may be no cars waiting, the time has to expire before you are allowed to proceed.

Once we were allowed to drive through the single lane tunnel (traffic is allowed to move through in time intervals), we drove to the Bonita Point Trailhead, and began our exploration.

The Point Bonita Lighthouse, located at the entrance to the Golden Gate in California, has a storied history as a critical beacon for ships navigating the treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay. Built in 1855, it was the third lighthouse on the U.S. West Coast. Initially constructed on a high cliff, the lighthouse’s location proved problematic, as fog often obscured its light from ships.

In 1877, the lighthouse was moved to a lower, more visible location on Point Bonita, where it still stands today. This new site, reached by a precarious path carved through rock, offered improved visibility to mariners. However, the terrain made access difficult, and in 1954, a suspension bridge was built to connect the lighthouse to the mainland, making it the only lighthouse in America that required crossing a bridge to reach.

In image # 3 above you can see how the fog is trying to obscure one of the barracks buildings. This type of building is where the Army Gun Crews lived while they were maintaining all of the guns. For you image "purists" out there, yes the building was a light green color and we have no idea why?

In image # 5 you can see that the final tunnel leading to the lighthouse is closed for repairs, as there was no other way to reach the lighthouse, that ended our hike.

In image # 6 you can see one of the original artillery gun emplacements. The guns have long since been removed, but they were mounted in those concrete block houses with a "pop-up carriage". This allowed the guns to popup, fire a shot, and then lower down again such that they were less likely to be hit by return fire. The concrete block houses are very strong and well built, so the Army just let them remain instead of destroying them. A volunteer veteran group (the "Fort Baker Retreat Group") helped restore them.

For you Military History enthusiasts out there, the artillery were 12 inch rifled guns utilizing Barbette Mounts and a barrel length of 436 inches. The concrete structures were two story, with powder and shells being kept below the gun level in their own rooms. The gun & carriage structure weighed approximately 120,000 pounds. These were big guns, and as just a comparison, Navy older Battleships such as the USS Arizona carried 14 inch guns - only slightly bigger than these Fort Baker guns.

Now if that last tunnel had not been locked, and we could have proceeded out to the lighthouse - this is what we would have seen. There has been a lighthouse in this location since 1855, and it was only after we researched why that final tunnel was locked that we found out that the Park Service only allows access to the lighthouse two days a week. Click here to go to the Wikipedia Page where you can find the full story about this lighthouse.

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