Lincoln Park in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Navigating the Golden Gate
Bonfires, Buoys & Foghorns
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 14, 2022
1. Navigating the Golden Gate Marker
Deep channels make San Francisco’s protected harbor accessible to immense ships. On the other hand, swift currents, high winds, rocks and fog make navigating the narrow Golden Gate treacherous. Early mariners looked for on-shore bonfires, painted rocks and natural landmarks to find their way. Today, navigators rely on buoys, beacons, foghorns, charts, sonar and satellite global positioning systems.
Navigation aids have distinctive characteristics that make them easily identifiable. Each lighthouse flashed a unique pattern, and each foghorn has a distinctive sound. By “reading” lighthouse or foghorn signals, sailors and ship pilots can determine their location and navigate under poor visibility. Nonetheless, numerous ships have been lost at the Golden Gate and now belong to shipwreck lore.
Images:
Aircraft carrier, Enterprise, leaving the Golden Gate. Traffic in, out and around the bay is coordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service. The Coast Guard also maintains the bay’s buoys, lights and fog horns.
This whitewashed patch of cliff once served as a navigation aid to ships entering the Golden Gate. Pilots knew they were safely within the shipping land if the “Painted Rock” at Lands End was aligned with Mile Rock lighthouse. This maker is still visible along the trail a short walk to the east.
Alcatraz has the oldest still-operating beacon on the West Coast. The light has shone since 1854, when Gold Rush fortune seekers were flooding through the Golden Gate. It was moved to a taller lighthouse in 1909 and automated in 1963.
Troopship entering the Golden Gate.
this page online
Nautical charts provide information you’ll never see on a road map, including water depths, the locations of potential hazards and the identifying frequencies – or signatures – of foghorns. This chart has been overlaid with symbols representing the carious navigation aids in operation around the entrance to San Francisco harbor.
Image:
Late 1820s. Man sitting on the Point Bonita Fog Cannon. This was the first fog signal on the Pacific Coast.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.
Location. 37° 47.006′ N, 122° 30.676′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Lincoln Park. It can be reached from Lands End Loop Trail near Seal Rock Drive. The resin marker is mounted to a metal stand on the Lands End Loop Trail (also known as the Coastal Trail), to the right of the Eastern Coastal Trail Overlook
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 14, 2022
2. Navigating the Golden Gate Marker
Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Golden Gate (a few steps from this marker); Port of San Francisco (within shouting distance of this marker); Lands End (within shouting distance of this marker); Death of a Sailor (within shouting distance of this marker); This Memorial to Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan (within shouting distance of this marker); The Honored Dead (within shouting distance of this marker); FDR's Salute (within shouting distance of this marker); The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (within shouting distance of this marker).
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 14, 2022
3. Navigating the Golden Gate Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Navigating the Golden Gate - Bonfires, buoys, and foghorns (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Sutro’s Steam Train (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District: Ships of the Golden Gate.
"The Golden Gate Strait is the only entrance to San Francisco Bay and is one of the best places in the world to watch ships."(Submitted on November 23, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 14, 2022
4. View of Point Bonita Lighthouse from the Marker
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 14, 2022
5. View of Marin Headlands from the Marker
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, 11
6. View of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 294 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 23, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of the whitewashed patch of cliff east of the marker. Photo of the Alcatraz lighthouse. • Can you help?
