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San Francisco11 min

Crissy Field

Crissy Field Army airfield was the first air coast defense station on the Pacific Coast, named for Major Dana Crissy, who was killed in 1919 during the first transcontinental reliability test. It served as a military runway for decades. In 2001 the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy removed the asphalt, restored a tidal marsh and planted 100,000 native plants.

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San Francisco · 11 min listen · 6 sources

Quick answer

Crissy Field Army airfield was the first air coast defense station on the Pacific Coast, named for Major Dana Crissy, who was killed in 1919 during the first transcontinental reliability test. It served as a military runway for decades. In 2001 the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy removed the asphalt, restored a tidal marsh and planted 100,000 native plants.

1Major Dana H. Crissy and his observer died on 8 October 1919 crashing a de Havilland DH-4B while landing at Salt Lake City
2The flight was part of a 61-airplane transcontinental reliability and endurance test run by the Air Service
3The Army closed Crissy Field to airplanes in 1974 at the end of the Vietnam war; helicopter operations continued for several years

Full transcript

1

The Airfield

In 1919 the United States Army Air Service staged a test: 61 aircraft, one coast-to-coast race, a single question. Could airplanes cross the country fast enough, and reliably enough, to matter in war? Major Dana H. Crissy, commanding the field at Mather in Sacramento, believed they could—and climbed into a de Havilland DH-4B to prove it. On the 8th of October, attempting a landing outside Salt Lake City, he and his observer were killed. The airfield built two years later on the Presidio's waterfront was named for him. The Army flew from this strip through two world wars, until 1974, when the field closed to fixed-wing aircraft. By the 1990s, the runway was cracked asphalt over contaminated soil—a dead strip, the NPS noted, between the Presidio and the bay. Stand on the lawn and picture that: a mile of grey concrete where grass now runs.

2

The Bay Before the Runway

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3

The Construction

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4

The 1919 Race, Remembered

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5

The Flat Expanse

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6

Doughboy Stadium

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7

The Wind

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8

The 2015 Death

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9

Bag Searches

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10

The Glamor and the Grind

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11

The Restored Tidal Marsh

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12

The Legacy

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Deep-dive audio

  1. 1The Airfield0:54Free preview
  2. 2The Bay Before the Runway0:56Unlock to listen
  3. 3The Construction0:57Unlock to listen
  4. 4The 1919 Race, Remembered0:57Unlock to listen
  5. 5The Flat Expanse0:59Unlock to listen
  6. 6Doughboy Stadium0:59Unlock to listen
  7. 7The Wind0:56Unlock to listen
  8. 8The 2015 Death0:58Unlock to listen
  9. 9Bag Searches0:58Unlock to listen
  10. 10The Glamor and the Grind1:00Unlock to listen
  11. 11The Restored Tidal Marsh1:00Unlock to listen
  12. 12The Legacy0:55Unlock to listen

On the ground

Checked against official sources on the dates shown. Nothing here is a price or an opening hour — those go stale.

Which way in

  • East Beach lot, just west of the Marina gate

    The beachfront lots at this end are free; the lot across Mason Street is paid. The 30 Stockton stops at Mason and Yacht Road.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • The west end, by the Warming Hut

    Come in here if Torpedo Wharf is what you want. The large lot there has accessible spaces close to the wharf.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • Either end of the promenade

    Accessible parking and restrooms at both East Beach and West Bluff, and the flat promenade can be joined from either.

    checked 2026-09-07

When to come

When not to

  • Coming without a layer, however sunny it looks

    A sunny day on this shore turns windy, foggy and cold very fast.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • Sunglasses left in the car

    The wind blows sand along the beach.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • Lingering on Torpedo Wharf in wind

    The wharf is fully exposed. The Warming Hut, steps away, is the shelter.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • Counting on a West Bluff picnic table

    They are first come, first served and go early at weekends.

    checked 2026-09-07

Where the shot is

  • Torpedo Wharf

    The Golden Gate Bridge from below, and behind you Alcatraz, the skyline and the bay. You can also fish or crab off it without a licence; look for the posted rules.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • The footbridge over Crissy Marsh

    You stand directly above the wetland. Caspian terns, belted kingfishers and great egrets, with the bridge, Alcatraz and Angel Island behind them.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • East Beach, looking out at the water

    Kitesurfers riding the thermal winds funnelled through the Golden Gate.

    checked 2026-09-07

Eat nearby

  • Warming Hut Park Store, 983 Marine Drive

    Steps from Torpedo Wharf. Coffee and packaged snacks rather than a meal — take it to the picnic tables outside for the bridge view.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • Presidio Pop Up food trucks

    At the east end, parked on Mason Street next to the Outpost playground.

    checked 2026-09-07

Where next

  • fort-point-sf walk · 10 min

    From the West Bluff end, under the bridge's south anchorage.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • presidio-sf walk

    Tunnel Tops joins the Main Post lawn to the shoreline on a car-free path, and it sits directly across from the marsh.

    checked 2026-09-07
  • golden-gate-bridge-sf walk

    West along the promenade from East Beach is just over a mile, flat the whole way, past the marsh, the West Bluff lawn and the Warming Hut. Bring a jacket.

    checked 2026-09-07
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What travelers say

Distilled from Google, TripAdvisor, Reddit and Chinese-language posts — every claim links to its source.

Reddit

"It includes several informational displays throughout the trail (all flat and"

Tip: Use the flat nature trail with informational displays if you want an easy, interpretive walk rather than a strenuous hike.
easy walking recommendation
Reddit

"even on sparsely traveled trails runners are still not moving over or yielding to anyone"

Tip: Assume runners may not yield on Crissy Field trails, so stay alert and leave room when passing.
runner etiquette warning
Reddit

"Bring snacks, get some coffee at Lady Falcon Coffee Truck or eat and edible and lie around."

Tip: Pack snacks and plan a low-key grass-lying visit instead of expecting a full-service beach day.
local casual visit tip
TripAdvisor

"Crissy Marsh has brackish waters, making an ideal habitat for many bird species along the Pacific Flyway."

Tip: Bring binoculars and spend time near the marsh for birding along the Pacific Flyway.
birding/wetland signal
TripAdvisor

"I would not recommend it. Despite the pleasure of Crissy Field, this is stil part of a HUGE US City."

Tip: Treat Crissy Field as a daytime visit and avoid going there late at night.
nighttime safety caution
TripAdvisor

"It's not that easy to get to Crissy Field by bus."

Tip: Expect awkward bus transfers to Crissy Field, so check a route with a transfer or choose another arrival method.
transit access friction

After the guide

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Frequently asked

Who was Dana Crissy?
A major in the Army Air Service who commanded the field at Mather in Sacramento. He flew in the 1919 transcontinental reliability test, a coast-to-coast contest meant to prove the military value of aircraft, and was killed with his observer while attempting to land near Salt Lake City on the first leg. The Presidio airfield was named for him.
When did Crissy Field stop being an airfield?
Regular flight operations moved to Hamilton Field in Marin County by 1936, and the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge made approaches over the strait awkward. The Army kept the strip for light and rotary aircraft into the 1970s. The Presidio, including the field, passed to the National Park Service in 1994.
What lives in the restored marsh?
Egrets, herons, ducks and shorebirds use the lagoon, and harbor seals occasionally haul out on the sand beyond it. The marsh is tidal, connected to the bay through a channel that has to be reopened mechanically when sand seals it. Dogs are kept off the wetland edge for the same reason.
Where is the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge here?
From the eastern end of the promenade near the yacht harbor, looking west along the shoreline so the span sits to the left of the frame with the Marin hills behind it. Morning light comes from behind the camera; by late afternoon the bridge is backlit. Fog tends to clear from the eastern end first.

Sources

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