Storms Cause Closure To Portions Of Golden Gate Recreation Area

MARIN COUNTY (CBS SF) -- Some areas in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area will close temporarily due heavy winter storms, National Park Service officials said Friday.

Tennessee Valley Beach and the North Beach Access Trail at Fort Funston have already closed due to increased pressures on the dam behind Tennessee Valley and highly unstable cliffs at Fort Funston North, according to park officials.

The North Beach Access Trail was one of the two access points. Park rangers said large waves this week eroded the pathway.

"The path is normally a nice, smooth ramp, sort of, down to the beach. Now it's just a completely drop off," said Diane Malone of Daly City.

Signs and orange barricades couldn't stop people from trying to go down to the beach. One man walking with a cane had no choice but to turn around.

Park rangers said the sand cliffs are unstable and can collapse at any time.

"It's pretty dangerous. If people choose to ignore them, that's pretty dangerous," said hiker Crystalann Bolam.

The waves near Fort Funston were pretty calm Friday afternoon, but park rangers say that wasn't the case earlier this week. Some swells as big as 15 feet high pounded at the shoreline.

Many park users noticed signs of erosion up and down the beach.

"You can see a lot of debris on the beach that certainly where the tide has come right into where the cliff starts," said Malone.

The beach will close intermittently during the winter season, but the Tennessee Valley Trail will remain open other than beach access. The Fort Funston trail is expected to remain closed this winter.

Additionally, park officials said the Hawk and Haypress campgrounds in the Marin Headlands Walk-In Campgrounds will be closed from Jan. 15 to March 31 as a proactive measure, as falling trees and limbs are a safety concern during high winds.

Park officials said that the safety of park visitors and staff is their highest priority, and visitors are advised to exercise caution when visiting the park.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the parks website at www.nps.gov.goga for any park alerts.

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