safety & comfort
- Accessibility
- Dangerous Surf
- Share the Road, Stay on Trails
- Pet Etiquette
- Plan a Comfortable Visit
- Natural Hazards
Visitor centers and their associated amenities—parking, restrooms, drinking water—are wheelchair accessible, as are many buildings and some trails. Other areas are partially accessible. For more information about Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) park accessibility, click here or call the GGNRA Park Headquarters and Information Center at Fort Mason, (415) 561-4700.
Swimming is not recommended along most of the parks’ ocean coastline. Pacific currents are dangerous and the water is very cold. Even at beaches and in secluded coves, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for incoming tides and rogue waves. Drownings occur every year.
Hikers, bicyclists, strollers, wheelchairs, cars, horses, wildlife, and others share many of the parks’ roads and trails. Make way for fellow travelers and observe restrictions on trail use. Trails help you explore the parks while minimizing erosion and disturbance of sensitive plants and wildlife. Efforts to maintain and improve trails are ongoing throughout the parks; you can help this effort by observing trail signs and regulations.
Take care not to trample young plants. Watch for signs indicating areas that have been newly planted with native flora by NPS and Conservancy volunteers and staff. Click here or call 415-4R-PARKS if you would like to join them!
Please leave the parks’ treasures undisturbed: even though wildflowers, bird nests, tidepool creatures, and other small things are tempting to collect, enjoy these wonders in their natural habitat.
On-leash dogs are welcome in many (but not all) park sites. Service dogs (dogs who assist people with special accessibility needs) are welcome throughout the parks. Click here for the latest advisories regarding pets in the Golden Gate National Parks.
Though the parks are open to people of all ages and physical capacities, you are the best judge of your own limits. While many of the parks’ sites are in or are close to urban areas, others are more remote; if a mishap occurs, rescue and assistance can be a long time in arriving. Carry bottled water, be attentive to the terrain, and let others know where you’re going and when you expect to return.
Dress in layers. The coastal climate may bathe you in blazing sun one minute and in bone-chilling wind and fog the next. Summer in and around San Francisco can be colder than spring or fall months.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the natural hazard advisories posted throughout the parks.
Poison oak can often be found growing near trails. Also, ticks may hitch a ride on clothing or exposed skin surfaces while you explore in or near tall-grass areas, so do a post-hike check on both yourself and your dog.
Even though the city is never far away, the parks are home to numbers of wild animals, from the small—skunks and raccoons—to the large—coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions (even a bear or two). While it’s exciting to see these creatures, keep your distance: Don’t approach them, don’t feed them, and don’t try to touch them. Click here for more information about wildlife in the Golden Gate National Parks.
Beware of the crumbly, unstable cliffs along the parks’ coastline. Annually, visitors (and their pets) come to grief due to carelessness.
Fishing is allowed without special permit at several sites. However, some San Francisco Bay fish contain contaminants that are health hazards. If you fish in the bay, avoid eating your catch more than a few times a month, and broil the fish to remove fats, which is where contaminants tend to be stored in the living fish.
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