The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service, which surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It extends over 75,000 acres (304 km²) of land and water and is two-and-a-half times the size of San Francisco. It is one of the largest urban national parks in the world and one of the most visited national parks in the U.S., with over 20 million visitors a year. The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... National Recreation Area is a designation for a protected area in the United States usually centered on large reservoirs and emphasizing water-based recreation for a large number of people. ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States Federal Government agency that deals with all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation properties with various designations. ... San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate The San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary in which water draining approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ... This article is about the city in California. ...

The park contains such famous tourist attractions as Alcatraz and the Presidio of San Francisco, as well as extensive nature preserves, 28 miles (45 km) of coastline, and many islands. Other parks, monuments, and attractions administered as a part of the area include: Alcatraz Island is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California. ... The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in the City and County of San Francisco. ...

• Battery Chamberlin - the last remaining coastal defense "disappering gun" on the U.S. West Coast.
• China Beach
• The Cliff House
• Crissy Field
• Fort Baker
• Fort Cronkhite
• Fort Funston
• Fort Point National Historic Site
• Gerbode Valley
• Hawk Hill
• The Marin Headlands
• Milagra Ridge
• Muir Beach
• Muir Woods National Monument
• Nike missile site SF-88
• Ocean Beach
• Olema Valley
• Phelger Estate
• Point Bonita Lighthouse
• San Francisco National Cemetery
• Stinson Beach
• Sutro Heights
• Sutro Baths
• Sweeney Ridge

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is not synonymous with Golden Gate Park, which is an urban park located entirely within San Francisco and managed by the city. The ABC TV drama China Beach aired for three years (4 TV seasons) from 1988 to 1991. ... A park in San Francisco, Crissy Field was originally a rich salt marsh, and a gathering ground for the native people. ... Fort Point is a location at the south entrance to San Francisco Bay. ... View to the northwest, towards the Marin headlands The Golden Gate Bridge in morning fog, viewed from the north, just below and east of the headlands. ... Trees in Muir Woods Trail in Muir Woods Muir Woods National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in Northern California, on the west coast of the United States. ... Launch of a Nike Zeus missile Project Nike was a US Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. ... SF-88 is a former Nike Missile launch site at Fort Barry, in the Marin Headlands to the north of San Francisco, California, U.S. Opened in 1954, the site was intended to protect the population and military installations of the San Francisco Bay Area during the Cold War, specifically... Ocean Beach is a beach on the west coast of San Francisco, California at the Pacific Ocean, adjacent to Golden Gate Park in the citys Sunset District. ... August 2004 Photo of the ruins of the Sutro Baths, San Francisco California In 1896, the Sutro Baths was opened to the public as the worlds largest indoor swimming pool establishment. ... The domed Conservatory of Flowers is one of the worlds largest. ...

External link

• NPS Official Site for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (http://www.nps.gov/goga/)