Across the Gate

Just minutes from the busy city, across the Golden Gate, is Fort Cronkhite in the Golden Gate Recreation Area (the largest urban national park in the United States).  Formerly a US Army installation, it's been part of the GGNRA since the 1970s. It was saved from a massive development scheme that would have had the hills covered with homes and shopping centers. On a recent visit, I encountered a few deer and a coyote while hiking the beautiful trails above the ocean.  The place has everything from historic buildings to black sand beaches.  You can tour an old artillery battery, visit a Cold War Nike missile site, stop by the Marine Mammal Center or walk across a suspension bridge to one of the oldest light houses on the west coast, which was completed in 1855.  You don't even need a car to get there as it's easily accessed by bike or, on the weekends, MUNI bus service (route 76) to the Marin Headlands.