Wonderful transformation at Crissy Field
By Austin Explorer on 5/28/2023
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Distance: 2.67 Miles Duration: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Coppertone and I made a day trip down to San Francisco. Our first stop was to the wonderful Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. After a late lunch at a nearby restaurant we decided to hike Crissy Field since we were right there.
Crissy Field has gone through several transformations over the years. Originally a marsh area, it became a dump for refuse by the nearby Spanish and then American military installations. Filled in and leveled it became an airfield for military planes. The foggy location made for often poor visibility so the airfield was moved north and then the land became the site of a busy and noisy roadway coming off of the Golden Gate Bridge.
When the Presidio was turned over the civilian use numerous plans were considered on what to do about Crissy Field. The adopted plan has come to fruition. Parts of Highway 101 were submerged, provided two large land bridges from the rest of the Presidio to Crissy Field and the short of San Francisco Bay.
We started our hike at the Presidio Visitor Center on Lincoln Blvd. This location is on the edge of one of the land bridges that provide access to the bay. From this point several paved paths criss cross in multiple directions leading to numerous benches and chairs as well as a firepit and a very enticing childrens playgound.
The paved paths lead down to Mason Street a few hundred feet from the shorline. After crossing the street the paths in and around Crissy Field Marsh transition to crushed gravel or sandy spurs leading to the beach.
The transformation of the area is impressive and traffic noise of Highway 101 is often neglible, depending on how far you are from the portions still exposed. The Sun was going down so we were not able to continue our hike further west. We probably only covered about half of Crissy Field itself. There's more to do when we next visit the city.