Fort Point National Historic Site
Fort Point, known historically as the Castillo de San Joaquín (Spanish for "Saint Joachim's Castle") is a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
A national historic site inside San Francisco
Visits fell 15% in 2025
The National Park Service counted 1,010,870 visitors in 2025, down from 1,189,908 the year before. Visitors ↓
Best months: Apr and Nov
April and November are mild and quieter than average, with highs of 62–63°. When to go ↓
You can stay in San Francisco
Fort Point National Historic Site 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 51 miles southeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Established in 1970
Fort Point National Historic Site dates from 1970 and is run by National Park Service. About ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Crowds and weather, month by month
Bars: average monthly visitors, 2022–2025. Line: the typical afternoon high. Green months are mild and quieter than average.
Fort Point National Historic Site
Fort Point, known historically as the Castillo de San Joaquín (Spanish for "Saint Joachim's Castle") is a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. It is also the geographic name of the promontory upon which the fort and the southern approach of the Golden Gate Bridge were constructed.
- Type
- National Historic Site
- Established
- 1970
- Area
- 29 acres
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Listed
- National Register of Historic Places (1970)
- Wikipedia readers
- 20K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/fopo
Before you go
Where to stay near Fort Point National Historic Site
The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are San Francisco (528) and Oakland (89).
- 1Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
- 2Presidio of San Francisco
- 3Lombard Street
- 4Chase Center
- 5Oracle Park
- 6USS Hornet
- 7Coit Tower
- 8Muir Woods
Oakland
440,838 people
14 mi east of Fort Point National Historic Site · 14 mi to the park
Berkeley
121,911 people
10 mi east of Fort Point National Historic Site · 10 mi to the park
South San Francisco
64,941 people
12 mi southeast of Fort Point National Historic Site · 12 mi to the park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | 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 |
| Oakland | 14 mi east | 20 min | 89 56 hotels · 22 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 440,838 | $930K | D− |
| Berkeley | 10 mi east | 15 min | 30 24 hotels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel | 121,911 | $1,414K | D− |
| South San Francisco | 12 mi southeast | 20 min | 36 32 hotels · 2 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 64,941 | $1,189K | C |
| Sausalito | 3 mi north | 5 min | 10 5 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 7,019 | $1,895K | B− |
| San Rafael | 12 mi north | 20 min | 18 15 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs | 59,410 | $1,356K | D |
| Daly City | 8 mi south | 10 min | 10 5 hotels · 3 motels · 1 hostel · 1 RV park | 101,261 | $1,115K | C |
| Richmond | 12 mi northeast | 20 min | 14 9 hotels · 3 motels · 2 lodges & cabins | 114,861 | $668K | D |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Also near Fort Point
Other well-known places within 10 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
Big draw13 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw2in town GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw33 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw46 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw55 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw610 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
74 mi LookoutCoit Tower
88 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Coit Tower: Chris6d, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
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1,010,870 visitors in 2025
Every full year the Park Service has counted. 2020 (gold) was the pandemic year. Green is the record (2016).
Visiting Fort Point
Is Fort Point National Historic Site in San Francisco?
Yes. It’s inside San Francisco, CA. The address is Fort Point National Historic Site, San Francisco, CA 94129.
When is the best time to visit Fort Point National Historic Site?
April and November, with highs of 62–63°. August is the busiest month (about 103,349 visitors).
How many people visit Fort Point National Historic Site each year?
1,010,870 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 2,264,154, set in 2016.
How far is Fort Point National Historic Site from San Jose and Stockton?
About 51 miles southeast of San Jose and about 65 miles east of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Fort Point National Historic Site?
San Francisco (SFO), about 14 miles away.
Where should I stay near Fort Point National Historic Site?
San Francisco (in town, 528 places to stay), Oakland (14 mi, 89 places to stay) and Berkeley (10 mi, 30 places to stay).
Tips from people in San Francisco
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in San Francisco’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.