Frequently Asked Questions 

The Presidio is in the northwest corner of San Francisco. It’s located at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The free Presidio GO Shuttle Downtown Route offers round-trip service daily between downtown San Francisco, Van Ness Avenue/Union Street, and the Presidio. The Presidio GO Shuttle South Hills Route  offers free “around the park” service to many destinations within the Presidio. Shuttles are wheelchair accessible and equipped with bike racks.

The Presidio is accessible by public transit from the North Bay, East Bay, and South Bay.

You can also take advantage of Bay Wheels Bike Share using the Lyft app, rent a bike at Sports Basement, or reach the park via taxi or rideshare.

If you must drive, paid parking is available.

Presidio Visitor Center is the “front door” to the Presidio. It’s open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also visit the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center.

To get to know the Presidio, view the Visitor Map of the entire park. You can also visit the Presidio Maps page to find trail routes, shuttle maps, Presidio Tunnel Tops maps, and more.

The Presidio is open 24 hours a day year-round.

There is no entrance fee to the Presidio — it’s free and open to all.

Presidio Visitor Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s right next to Presidio Tunnel Tops.

The Presidio offers tons of traditional national park experiences like hiking, history, and nature – and is also filled with surprises. There are dozens of places to explore, trails to walk, and events and picnic sites to enjoy. There are even businesses like restaurants, museums, and recreational spots to visit. It’s a great place to have an adventure or simply relax and enjoy the views.

Dogs are welcome in most areas of the Presidio, but please observe leash rules. Learn more in the Dogs in the Presidio page. Note also that there are coyotes present in the Presidio, so please stay aware.

The San Francisco climate is usually mild, but dress in layers to be prepared for chilly conditions, especially as the famous fog rolls in.

Presidio Tunnel Tops  is right next to Presidio Visitor Center and is also easy to access from Crissy Field.

We do not currently offer guided tours of the Presidio, but have lots of self-guided adventures. We do support youth and community groups with aspects of their visit, including to the Outpost playground and Field Station. You can learn more about what we offer on our Tours and Group Visits page.

The National Park Service offers periodic talks and walks. Visit the events calendar to see what’s coming up.

Please visit the Access and Inclusion page for details.

There are more than a dozen restaurants in the park, as well as Presidio Pop Up food trucks and carts. Visit the Eat page to find one that’s right for you.

Yes, there are several picnic areas in the park, including one at Presidio Tunnel Tops that is reservable in advance.

Yes, there are two historic boutique hotels in the Presidio: the 26-room Inn at the Presidio and the 42-room Lodge at the Presidio.

The Presidio offers a group campground at Rob Hill. You can reserve your spot in advance on recreation.gov.

There is no RV parking in the Presidio.

The Presidio is one of America’s most visited national park sites, located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Spanning 1,491 acres next to the Golden Gate Bridge, its rare natural habits, inspiring views, and world-class trails are a global attraction yet a bus ride away for millions of people. The Presidio is among the most biologically diverse parks in America. Given its layered history as a home to native peoples and a military post under three flags, the Presidio is much like a small town, with historic buildings reinvented as museums, restaurants, hotels, gyms, homes, and offices. And it’s being discovered – the Presidio hosts more visits than Yosemite or the Grand Canyon.

The park is managed by the Presidio Trust, an innovative federal agency that stewards and shares the history, beauty, and wonder of the Presidio for everyone to enjoy forever, working in partnership with the National Park Service and with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. This collaboration is known as the Partnership for the Presidio.

The park’s beautiful buildings, dating from the Army era, have taken on new life as homes, workplaces, hospitality venues, and other visitor destinations. Funds earned from leasing are used to care for the Presidio. When you eat in a restaurant, stay in a hotel, buy from a Presidio business, or even pay a parking fee, you’re supporting the upkeep and restoration of the park. Thank you!

Because of its past as a U.S. Army post, the Presidio is like a small town. There are approximately 225 organizations here. About 3,000 people live in the Presidio in many different neighborhoods. Learn about living and working in the Presidio.

There are more than 737 buildings in the Presidio, 433 of which are historic. The Presidio is home to one of the finest collections of military architecture in the United States, representing two centuries of use under three flags. Nine prevalent architectural styles can be found in the Presidio.

The Presidio features miles of trails and bikeways, as well as many scenic overlooks. The park also offers open space to play through Presidio Slow Streets.

Volunteering is a popular way to enjoy and give back to this national park site. Park volunteers help restore native habitats, repair trails, and welcome visitors.

Yes! Intimate chapels, elegant reception sites, and conference facilities are a beautiful backdrop for weddings, celebrations, meetings, and retreats. There are also many beautiful outdoor venues to rent for a special event. Visit Plan an Event to learn more.

Yes, you can support the park by donating to or becoming a member of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

The park shelters 13 distinctive plant communities supporting 300 native plant species. Sixteen species are rare or endangered, including five that are protected by the Endangered Species Act – such as the San Francisco lessingia, the Raven’s manzanita, and the Presidio clarkia (wildflowers found in only two locations worldwide.) Learn more in the Nature and Sustainability section.

The Presidio features a 306-acre historic forest planted by the U.S. Army beginning in the 1880s. There are about 75,000 trees in the park today. Five species make up 90 percent of the Presidio forest: Monterey cypress, Monterey pine, blue gum eucalyptus, blackwood acacia, and coast redwood. A reforestation effort is keeping our trees healthy for the next generation.

More than 300 bird species are seen here, including year-round residents like Anna’s Hummingbirds, Red-shouldered Hawks, Great Egrets, and Great Horned Owls to migratory species like Violet-green Swallows and Red-throated Loons. El Polín Spring,  Crissy Marsh, and Quartermaster Reach Marsh are great places for birdwatching, so don’t forget your binoculars. Learn more in the Nature and Sustainability section.

The Presidio is home to mammals, reptiles, aquatic species, and invertebrates. These include the native Pacific chorus frog, the Western pond turtle, the San Francisco alligator lizard, the three-spined stickleback fish, 30 kinds of butterflies, and 60 species of bees. Learn more in the Nature and Sustainability section.

Yes, coyotes returned to the Presidio in 2002 and are now seen here regularly. Community awareness is key to successful human and wildlife co-existence. Visit the Coyotes in the Presidio page to learn more.