Fort Baker

Why go

Fort Baker is defined by the form, materials, and setting of Fort Baker. Another layer comes from the sightlines that connect Fort Baker with its surroundings. Plan Fort Baker by remembering to confirm public access to Fort Baker and local conditions. After Fort Baker, choose a geographic companion near Fort Baker; this keeps Fort Baker geographically coherent and avoids forcing Fort Baker into an unrelated crossing.

What to look for

• Look closely at the form, materials, and setting of Fort Baker.
• Notice the sightlines that connect Fort Baker with its surroundings.

The full story

Fort Baker is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Fort, which borders the City of Sausalito in Marin County and is connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, served as an Army post until the mid-1990s, when the headquarters of the 91st Division moved to Parks Reserve Forces Training Area. It is located opposite Fort Point at the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. In 1890 plans were drawn up for modern "Endicott Type" coastal artillery batteries to be built from Point Cavallo to Point Bonita. Four batteries were completed by 1901: Batteries Spencer, Kirby, Duncan, and Orlando Wagner. Fort Baker is named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a former U.S. Senator from Oregon. Active in California politics in the 1850s, Baker lost his life while leading a regiment of Union troops, the California Regiment, during the Battle of Ball's Bluff in the Civil War. He and his wife are buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio.

Useful to know

• For Fort Baker, confirm public access to Fort Baker and local conditions.
• Pair Fort Baker with a geographic companion near Fort Baker when the route and opening conditions align.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.