One of the greatest urban national parks in America, Golden Gate National Recreation Area lies just across the Golden Gate Bridge, yet is a world away from the city’s traffic, buildings, and commercial activities. Golden Gate National Recreation Areaħ miles from downtown San Francisco (20 minutes north) In fact, the massive collection of the Research Center is one of the largest museum collections managed by the National Park Service.Īmong thousands of other things, it contains 3,000 charts and maps 6,000 archaeological artifacts 150,000 drawings of marine architecture and naval engineering 35,000 published titles, and half a million photographs. Established in 1939, it’s become the number one resource of maritime history in San Francisco and the entire Pacific Coast. There’s also the exceptional Maritime Museum, located in the historic Aquatic Park Bathhouse Building.Īnd that’s not all: the park has its own Maritime Research Center, too. Housed in an early-1900s waterfront warehouse, it contains tons of fascinating information. In addition to that amazing fleet, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park has its own visitor center. Thayer, the 1890 steam ferry boat Eureka and the 1907 steam tug Hercules. The collection includes the 1886 square-rig sailing ship Balclutha, the 1895 lumber schooner C.A. This multi-attraction park preserves a wealth of cultural resources, offering visitors the chance to experience Pacific Coast maritime history first-hand.Īrguably its main highlight is the fleet of historic ships docked at Hyde Street Pier. Located near Fisherman’s Wharf, one of San Francisco’s top tourist attractions, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park lets you immerse yourself into the world of 19 th-century Pacific seafaring. You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to explore iconic parks like Yosemite, Sequoia and Redwood. While you could visit the nearest national park to San Francisco, Pinnacles National Park, on a day trip, the rest of them require-and deserve-at least two days. These parks require some more planning and time, since they’re at least a couple of hours outside the city. The second part highlights all six national parks around San Francisco, dotted across northern California. All of those are within an hour’s drive from the city center and you can easily visit them during a trip to San Francisco. I’ve split up this overview of the best national parks near San Francisco into two parts.įirst, we’ll look at the five greatest National Park Service sites in the Bay Area. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.6 Northern California National Parks Close to San Francisco.San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.5 San Francisco Bay Area National Parks.11 Best National Parks Near San Francisco, California.In this post, you’ll find the very best Northern California national parks near San Francisco. You’ll also find some impressive forests and beautiful coastline just a quick drive from downtown San Francisco, as well as the former home of one of the earliest-and most influential-nature conservation advocates in America.Ī bit further afield, although still only a few hours from San Francisco, are majestic national parks like Yosemite and Sequoia, among several others. This includes such famous landmarks as Alcatraz and even the Golden Gate Bridge. In fact, some of San Francisco’s greatest attractions are actually within a national park. You don’t even have to drive that far to visit a National Park Service site. One of America’s most iconic cities, once the favorite hangout of beatniks and now a technology hub, San Francisco is the perfect place to start a national parks road trip in central or northern California. You can read more about our Terms of Use / Disclosure here. This San Francisco national parks post contains affiliate links.
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