Crissy Field Marsh Overlook and Native Dunes: The Ecological Miracle

Why is it significant?

Step onto the wooden observation deck of the Crissy Field tidal marsh overlook and listen to the gentle splashing of the tides and the calls of feeding shorebirds.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step onto the wooden observation deck of the Crissy Field tidal marsh overlook and listen to the gentle splashing of the tides and the calls of feeding shorebirds. In the mid-twentieth century, this entire area was a degraded industrial wasteland—covered in forty acres of cracked asphalt, derelict army warehouses, and toxic military fuel dumps. In the late 1990s, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy launched one of the most ambitious and celebrated urban ecological restoration projects in American history.

Driven by thousands of grassroots volunteers and generous community donors, crews removed eighty-seven thousand tons of hazardous materials and asphalt, excavated a twenty-acre tidal lagoon, and reconnected the historic wetland to the saltwater tides of the bay. In 2001, the restored marsh opened to the public, and nature responded with breathtaking speed. Over one hundred species of birds returned within months, alongside native fish, crabs, and rare native plants like the endangered San Francisco lessingia.

Look down into the brackish channels to spot great blue herons stalking small fish, snowy egrets standing motionless in the reeds, and brown pelicans diving into the waves. The restored barrier dunes bordering the marsh are planted with native beach strawberry, sea thrift, and yellow bush lupine, anchoring the shifting sands just as they did thousands of years ago. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment.

Notice the Crissy Field Center on the south bank, which provides hands-on environmental science and leadership education to thousands of urban youth every year.

Walk west along the gravel promenade past the historic military aviation hangars.