Fort Funston
Fort Funston is a former harbor defense installation located on the West Side of San Francisco in the southwestern part of the city. The site is in the hands of Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Our list goes on with Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, 8.9 mi away.
A park & preserve inside San Francisco
You can stay in San Francisco
Fort Funston is inside San Francisco, which has 528 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from San Jose
San Jose is about 48 miles southeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Nov
April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November are the mild months, with highs of 62–70°. When to go ↓
An airport 10 miles away
San Francisco (SFO) has airline service, about 10 miles from Fort Funston.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
The year’s weather
Here is how the weather at Fort Funston changes month by month.
Fort Funston
Fort Funston is a former harbor defense installation located on the West Side of San Francisco in the southwestern part of the city. Formerly known as the Lake Merced Military Reservation, the fort is now a protected area within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and is used widely as an off-leash dog park. It was named in honor of Frederick N. Funston (1865–1917), a Major General in the United States Army with strong connections to San Francisco, and included several artillery batteries. The fort is located on Skyline Boulevard at John Muir Drive, west of Lake Merced.
- Type
- Park & preserve
- Run by
- Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
- Wikipedia readers
- 6.9K a year
A base for Fort Funston
To stay close, try San Francisco (528) and South San Francisco (36).
- 1Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
- 2Presidio of San Francisco
- 3Chase Center
- 4Lombard Street
- 5Oracle Park
- 6USS Hornet
- 7Cow Palace
- 8Oyster Point Marina/Park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Fort Funston | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | in town | — | 528 426 hotels · 24 motels · 37 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 27 hostels · 6 campgrounds · 3 RV parks | 826,079 | $1,395K | D |
| South San Francisco | 8 mi southeast | 10 min | 36 32 hotels · 2 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 64,941 | $1,189K | C |
| Oakland | 16 mi east | 25 min | 89 56 hotels · 22 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 440,838 | $930K | D− |
| San Bruno | 7 mi southeast | 10 min | 16 14 hotels · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 42,305 | $1,208K | C |
| Daly City | 2 mi southeast | 5 min | 10 5 hotels · 3 motels · 1 hostel · 1 RV park | 101,261 | $1,115K | C |
| Pacifica | 8 mi south | 10 min | 13 9 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 campground | 36,890 | $1,250K | B− |
| Berkeley | 15 mi northeast | 25 min | 30 24 hotels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel | 121,911 | $1,414K | D− |
| Burlingame | 12 mi southeast | 15 min | 17 17 hotels | 31,929 | $2,000K | C |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also within reach
These well-known sights sit within 12 miles.
Big draw19 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw26 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw48 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw58 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw612 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
75 mi TheatreCow Palace
88 mi Park & preserveOyster Point Marina/ParkPhoto credits
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Cow Palace: Dante Alighieri , CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oyster Point Marina/Park: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
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Before visiting Fort Funston
Is Fort Funston in San Francisco?
Yes. It’s inside San Francisco, CA.
When is the best time to visit Fort Funston?
April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November, with highs of 62–70°.
How far is Fort Funston from San Jose and Stockton?
About 48 miles southeast of San Jose and about 68 miles east of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Fort Funston?
San Francisco (SFO), about 10 miles away.
Where should I stay near Fort Funston?
San Francisco (in town, 528 places to stay), South San Francisco (8 mi, 36 places to stay) and Oakland (16 mi, 89 places to stay).
What locals in San Francisco say
Tips will appear here once someone posts in San Francisco’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.