On a recent Sunday morning, the Battery Spencer Overlook in the Marin Headlands resembled the Tower of Babel as tourists spoke in numerous languages and posed for pictures in the heavenly morning light. Portraits snapped in front of the Golden Gate Bridge were particularly stunning because there was no fence obstructing – or safeguarding – the views.
That’s because the safety fence at Battery Spencer that discourages people from stepping too close to the cliff’s sharp drop is undergoing a full replacement, leaving the vista vulnerable to tragedy if visitors act carelessly.
Joshua Winchell, spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, told SFGATE that the National Park Service is collaborating with the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District on the project after years of natural and human-caused damage at the spot.
“The fence required a full replacement rather than just repair as it was significantly compromised with sections collapsed from corrosion and vandalism,” Winchell wrote in an email.
Battery Spencer is extremely popular while also prone to danger. Tourists have fallen from the cliff, and last year, a 17-year-old from San Rafael was found dead near the water below the overlook.
In 2022, Google Maps cited the viewpoint as the second-most searched spot in the country – the same year that a woman fell 150 feet from the cliff. Battalion Chief Jason Golden with Southern Marin Fire Department told SFGATE at the time that she was lucky to survive after stepping past the fence.
“There’s a reason why there’s some fencing up there, we just really can’t express enough to people that they really need to be very careful when they’re on those cliffs,” Golden said, as SFGATE previously reported. “The ground is unstable and they need to stay back.”
The battalion chief added that the department responds to 12 to 15 cliff rescues a year in the Marin Headlands, which encompasses parkland from the Golden Gate Bridge to Stinson Beach.
Winchell said the new fence will be similar to the original one, rising 8 feet high and measuring about 400 feet long. “The existing, separate post and cable fence will also be reconstructed, helping to better delineate and keep visitors away from the closed area near the cliffs,” he added, referencing the western portion of the barrier at the site.
A completion date for the project was not provided.
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This article originally published at Extremely popular San Francisco overlook is now more dangerous than ever.