California Current Conservation Complex - Golden Gate National Recreation Area– visited October, 2023, during 2-weeks USA trip (rented car). In fact Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a huge complex of different state parks and other reserves including Alcatraz, Muir Woods (redwoods) located south, west and north-west of San Francisco. Probably the easiest component to visit if you are in San Francisco is the area near Golden Gate Bridge, on both sides of San Francisco Bay. Personally I focused on northern part. And additionally – if you drive north from San Francisco, crossing the bridge is free.

Just after crossing the bridge – to the right there is a parking space - H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point – Northbound – good place to leave the car and start exploring Golden Gate Bridge on foot (also good views of San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island). Also the space around is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Golden Gate Bridge as a historical landmark may also has its place on UNESCO list one day as engineering masterpiece.

Better panoramas of the bridge are from area near Spencer Battery (google coordinates 37.827697856528495, -122.48177038786507, destroyed fortifications on the other side of highway, access via Bunker Road / Baker Battery Tunnel and Conzelman Road – one way traffic only). There are several view points but the best are probably from Short Range Battery (few meters from Spencer Battery). All those places are within Golden Gate National Recreation Area but …

The California Current Ecosystem is an incredible, dramatic and ecologically important coastline and marine area stretching from Point Piedras Blancas in the South and Point Arena in the North. As the crow flies, about 435 km separate these two points. In between, is a diverse mishmash of state parks, marine reserves, conservation areas, national seashores, national recreation areas, and a national monument that spans the whole California coast. The Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and California State Parks manage most of these special lands and seawaters.

This massive collection of marine and coastal protected areas is nearly the size of Portugal's entire West Coast. Moreover, it might get even larger with the recent designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

Here are 20 locations that exemplify the California Current Ecosystem.

California Coastal National Monument ____________________________

Gateway: Point Arena-Stornetta Unit

Access: Point Arena Lighthouse

Access: Arena Cove Historic District

Gateway: Cotoni-Coast Dairies Unit

Access: Cotoni-Coast Dairies (North) Trailhead + trail map (pdf)

Gateway: Piedras Blancas Light Station

Access: Elephant Seal Vista Point

*All links are to Google Map locations

Point Arena is a wild place. Cotoni-Coast only recently had its first trails opened to the public. Piedras Blancas is known for its Elephant Seal Colony. Each 'gateway' covers significant areas spanning the nominated boundaries (North, Central, South).

Golden Gate National Recreation Area ____________________________

Access: Marin Headlands (map pdf)

If you simply photographed the Golden Gate Bridge, is that enough? I am confident that the Golden Gate National …