Gold Rush Era Fort under the Golden Gate

The Candlelight Tour of Fort Point is a popular guided program that allows visitors to experience the fort in a new light. This evening tour will maze through the shadows of the historic structure by candlelight and visitors will see the glimmering lights of the Golden Gate Bridge towering up above them. Upon arrival, a park ranger will check-in guests and provide visitors with a lantern. A ranger will lead this 90-minute excursion and interpret the history and the life that once existed within the old brick walls of Fort Point. The Candlelight Tour explores all four level of the fort including the roof (approximately 76 steps). Visitors will be invited to engage in dialogue as they learn about the fascinating and sometimes complex history of the fort, its role in San Francisco history, and its cultural relevance today. Recommended age for this tour is 12 years and up.

At the height of the Gold Rush in 1853, Army engineers established Fort Point at the mouth of the Golden Gate to protect the San Francisco Bay from foreign attack. The massive brick and mortar building was built in the "Third System" architectural style, an impressive design featuring three tiers of arched brick casemates for 126 cannons and seven-foot thick walls. Revered for its strength and beauty, Fort Point was called the "Pride of the Pacific" and was the only fort of its kind west of the Mississippi.

 Reservations open two weeks in advance for Saturday night tours on the Recreation.gov site.