A short, flat stroll from a cramped roadside pullout out to weathered concrete gun pits from the 1890s, staring straight down at the Golden Gate Bridge's north tower. The old artillery is long gone; what remains is a top-down look at the span that photographers prize. Expect thin parking, stiff wind, no railings at the edge, and a bridge that sometimes vanishes into the marine layer.
Pull into the little lot on your right. It's a small lot and it fills fast, so if there's no space when you arrive, don't circle and fret — there's plenty more to see up the road ahead. When you've got a spot, step out and follow the level path a short way out to the old concrete. It's an easy walk, no climbing, but keep the little ones close and stay back from the edges. There's no fence between you and a long drop here, so let the view come to you rather than leaning out to meet it.
And what a view it is. You're standing on Battery Spencer, an Endicott-era gun emplacement the Army laid down out here back in the eighteen-nineties. The exact construction and naming dates are a little slippery in the records, so I won't pin them to the year, but the idea was solid rock, big guns, and a commanding line on the Gate. The records describe large-caliber guns set into these concrete pits, watching the water. They were never fired at any enemy. During the Second World War the guns were removed, and what's left is the emplacement itself, weathered and quiet.
Look out and you'll see why this is often called one of the most photographed spots on the whole bridge. You're perched several hundred feet up, and the north tower rises right below you. From here the deck, the cables, the tower, and the San Francisco skyline all stack into a single frame — the bridge seen from above rather than across. On a clear morning it's staggering.
Now, a fair warning. This is the Headlands, and the Headlands make their own weather. That marine layer can pour through the Gate and swallow the towers whole, especially on summer mornings, and the wind out on this point can genuinely howl. So if it's socked in when you arrive, know that it often burns off by afternoon. Take your photos, hold your hat, and when you're ready, we'll roll on up Conzelman Road.
Photo: Radomianin · CC BY-SA 4.0
