Nike Missile Site SF-88

I don’t know how exactly to sum it up but I’ll try: BEST HISTORIC SITE EVER.
In the bay area, we have an overabundance of amazing and beautiful things to see, and this one stands out. First, you get to learn about the ridiculous history of the nuclear missile defense system. Basically, around the country there were all these sites where there were short range missiles designed to shoot nuclear bombers out of the sky. Of course, once it came to that all the inhabitants of earth were pretty much looking at a nuclear winter, which is insane when you think about it. There were more than 250 of these sites around the country!
Second, of all those sites, this is the best preserved in the country. They have missiles in their original condition (minus the fuel and the warheads of course!), and they look great. Moreover, if you come at the time for the tours, you can actually see the lift mechanism in action. That is, the actual elevator that lifted the missile out of the ground and readied it for launch is functional and they demo it for you. Amazing.
All in all, this is a tremendous historical site in a beautiful location. Just make sure that you check the times of the tours because it is worth making sure you get to see it in action.

I don’t remember much from my childhood but I vividly remember visiting the Nike Missile base. Your young boys will love it. Very interesting and cool. Highly recommend.

Great visit on April 4,2015. The first Saturday of every moth has former base personnel as visitor guides. Not sure what the tours are like on other days, but the guides on our visit were amazing. Their insight, passion, and first hand knowledge really brings you closer to what went on at the site. They were incredibly friendly, good with answering questions from the kids and adults alike.
To think, we were standing on a former nuclear missile site and the only one in the country to be restored. It was a little creepy and cool all at the same time. The highlight is watching the missile come up from the ground and go into launch position.
Great tour. I would recommend for families with older children (10 and up) as younger ones might get bored.
The location is amazing as well. Walking distance to the lighthouse, beach and other gun batteries. There is nothing to eat or drink, so bring a snack and something to drink. It wasn’t crowded, but there were quite a few people as it was the start of spring break. The site is pretty small, easily accessible and mostly level ground (except when you go underground to the missile storage area). You can drive right up and park on site. The day I went it was sunny and beautiful, but I think it gets pretty cold and foggy.
Oh, the best part — it’s all free!

Amazing place to visit, especially for history buffs. We came here with our family, three boys (14, 11, 10) and my husband and I. We arrived just in time for the tour to start. They start every couple hours and are free. The volunteer was informative and friendly. Full of useful information.
They start out with the history of the missile site with include sounds from original transmission and footage. You make several stops and make a full walk around the entire property. Towards the end of the tour, they take you underground into where the missiles were kept. Our two youngest boys were selected to «push» the missile into place as if there were getting ready to launch. They loved that!
They show you how the hatch opened. Once above ground they raise the missile and put it in full launch position. It was amazing! Highly recommend a visit here. Worth it.
TIP: It gets very cold there, as it is right next to the coast so bring jackets/​coats.

Pretty cool place as a whole. They do open houses every month where the old employees come and tell stories, and that is a good time to go because the self guided signage is a little lacking. For Cold War lovers this place is a must… but for those without much of a care for history this place doesn’t have much for you.

National park exhibit of last operational missile site. No nukes or conventional explosives, just missile moving through launch doors and demo how missiles would have launched. Get there early on weekends since they close and have only three tours. Demo of how fragile our last defense against USSR incoming bombers were. Small parking within exhibit’s gates. They lock up gates at closing and nothing to see after closing.

This is the best way to spend a day! Bring a packed lunch and finish the day eating at the nearby beach or at the headlands! I’ve been here a few times now, always with friends. For those under 15, unless they like military and aviation subjects, they may be quite bored with all the talk and no play. Years ago when I came here for the very first time, the visitors were allowed to ride on the elevator with a missile; those days are gone. I mentioned it and was told that honor ended a few years ago, so don’t go thinking you’ll ride the elevator and missile! It ain’t happening!
The site is very punctual in their opening, and demand all wait outside the gate till they *are* open. Some of the older park rangers need a bit of retraining in human interaction. Porta Potty outside for those who need it; I’d suggest you go before arrival or after your departure from the site.
Take your camera, and be sure you have a wide-​angle or (very short) telephoto; a 100 mm on a digital may be too wide. Lots of gadgets and views you don’t wanna miss. Keep the camera at the ready because you may miss it otherwise!

This is a wonderful hidden treasure just across the Golden Gate bridge. Highly recommended day trip for locals, and a nice addition to a trip to Marin Headlands for any out-​of-​towners.
This is the only fully restored Nike missile site in the world (at the height of the cold war, there were more than 250).
A volunteer retired army nuclear specialist named Clinton gave us a tour of the warehouse where the missiles were assembled and fueled. He seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of these munitions and nuclear weapons in general, their development, the physics of firing nuclear weapons at Soviet Bombers, and the possible scenarios that could necessitate the Nike’s use.
Then a natural park ranger named Alan took us into the bunker, loaded a missile onto the elevator, elevated it to the surface and cocked it back to a 87 degree angle from which it was designed to be fired. This was quite a spectacle and a wonderful photo opportunity.
These missiles are huge. Their warheads have been removed, so you can safely touch them and learn about the engineering behind them, and also the systems engineering behind the on-​site processes of assembling, fueling, maintaining, loading and firing them.
The entire system was designed to take newly recruited soldiers (18 — 24 years old) and empower them with as many as 10 nuclear and 2 conventional Surface-​to-​Air Nike missiles. Without vehicles of any kind, a team of 6 men could load and fire 4 5-​ton missiles in minutes, made possible through well thought-​out controls, clever counterweighting and greased racks.

A chilling reminder of the Cold War. Well worth visiting for its historical significance, it’s also situated in the beautiful Marin Headlands and near Rodeo beach, so a very nice spot for a day trip. The tour guides give an excellent overview of the technology, the people, and the processes involved in firing these defensive weapons. Hard to believe today that this era occurred.

My opinion is bias, as I am one of the docents here, but…,
I’d like to welcome you all to YOUR National Park and the Historic Nike Missile base.
Every first Saturday of the month, us veterans volunteer to give you the most informative tour that we can. This is absolutely free and fun for the whole family.

If you remember Duck and Cover, Tommy Turtle, the cold war, Sputnik, the little triangle mark on every AM radio, know what MAD stood for, you need to see this.
If you don’t know what these things are, you need to see this so you understand that part of history.
A lot has already been said so I won’t repeat.
The ranger who led our tour was fantastic. There was a docent there that day that had been stationed at several Nike sites around the world. As we are techies, we learned a lot.
Check the web site for hours of operation. They are short but worth being there on time ready to go. And take your camera!

Fantastic experience for locals and tourists. Before the fall of the USSR, the Soviet Union wanted to destroy the United States. At this site you’ll learn every detail about the threat from Soviet bombers and the countermeasures the United States implemented to protect our American cities. Around the site are volunteers that once worked at such a site. You’ll see a Hercules missile in the storage bunker and on the launch pad. You even get to ride on the missile elevator.