The lighthouse will be closed until further notice due to a small landslide partially blocking the trail. This closure has been extended to allow staff additional time to remove the slide.
Sloat Blvd. parking lot at Ocean Beach closed starting March 17, 2025
The parking lot will be closed through mid-April as part of a city-managed project. For more information, please see the project page (link below). More
The western fence lizard is one of the most common reptiles in the park.
Will Elder/NPS
Golden Gate is home to several species of lizards, turtles, and snakes. Reptiles are most commonly found in the forest or coastal scrub, although several species are found in riparian habitats or near ponds, where many of the amphibians also are found.
Reptile species found in the park include:
San Francisco garter snake(Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia)
Western fence lizard(Sceloporus occidentalis)
Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus)
San Francisco Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea coerulea)
California Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata)
Pacific Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus amabilis)
Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer)
Santa Cruz Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus atratus)
Coast Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans terrestris)
Northwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata marmorata)
San Francisco garter snakes
NPS
San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia)
Endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area, this snake's bright teal underside, red and black stripes, and red head have made it famous for its striking coloration. Unfortunately, the snake's flashy appearance has made it very popular in the pet trade, contributing to its status as one of the most endangered species in North America. In addition, the snake’s preferred habitats—coastal and bayside wetlands adjacent to upland grasslands—have been hit hard by agricultural, residential, commercial, and even recreational development.
The San Mateo parklands of Golden Gate National Recreation Area provide a critical protected habitat for this species. In addition, park biologists have been conducting visual surveys to track the snake's abundance in the park since 2013. Read more about this majestic serpent on the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy website.
Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)
Western fence lizards are the most common reptile in California. They primarily diurnal (active during the day), seeking out basking and perching sites. They feed on terrestrial invertebrates. Males defend territories in the spring, and young hatch between July and September. On occasion, hibernating individuals aggregate in groups.
Western fence lizards have spiny scales on their backs and limbs, and are gray, tan, or brown. Males have distinct belly and throat patches with blue or green scales, earning them the nicknam “blue belly”. A study in 1998 by Robert Lane found that a protein in the western fence lizard’s blood kills the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, and as a result, ticks that feed on the lizard’s blood are rid of the disease.
This reptile is most commonly found in annual and serpentine grassland areas, forests, streams, coastal scrub areas, and even developed areas.
A western pond turtle just before release during the species' was reintroduction to Mountain Lake in the Presidio in 2015.
George Carpenter/NPS
Introduced red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) pose threat to Western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata)
California's only native freshwater turtle species is being usurped by peoples' abandoned pets.
Every year people bring to WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital a dozen or more red-eared sliders, the most commonly kept pet turtle in the world. These little reptiles were introduced to California, although they occur naturally in other parts of the United States. They are transferred from WildCare to Marin Humane, whose wonderful adoption program aims to find them new homes.
Why do they come to WildCare? Because people find them injured in the wild! Generations of people, deciding they no longer want their red-eared slider as a pet, thinking the best place for him or her is in a pool or pond out in nature.
But these non-native turtles don’t belong in the ponds and waterways of the Bay Area. In fact, they take over the nesting and basking spots, and eat the foods needed by the native Western pond turtle, California’s only fresh-water turtle species.The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists the Western pond turtle as a species of special concern. Habitat loss and competition from red-eared sliders, non-native abandoned pet turtles, are two of the major factors contributing to their decline.
WildCare, Marin Humane and NPS want to remind everyone that wild animals don’t make good pets, and pets should never be dumped in the wild.
Where prime habitat for Western pond turtles has been usurped by Red-eared Sliders, efforts on the part of ecologists to increase pond turtle populations are hampered by the presence of these released pets. People also dump unwanted pet cats and pet rabbits into state and national parks, with tragic results for both abandoned pets and for wildlife.
Never dump (abandon) a pet into the wild.Marin Humane can help you try to rehome your pet. Abandoning an unwanted pet in the wild too often results in its death from starvation or predation, and domestic animals that do survive can become become problematic for native species, disrupting valuable habitat and other resources.
Before getting a pet, consider carefully what type of pet is the best choice for your family, including the animal’s temperament, lifespan and specialized veterinary care needs.
If you commit to opening your home to a domestic pet like a turtle, consider adoption. So many domestic animals in humane shelters and with rescue groups desperately need homes.
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area,Point Reyes National Seashore,Presidio of San Francisco
Thanks to park biologists and partners, visitors can again spot western pond turtles in popular parts of Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Presidio of San Francisco where they had vanished. But the turtles still need help growing their numbers. Cue an unlikely conservation hero: Canis lupus familiaris, the domestic dog! This May and June, specially trained dogs are helping biologists find and protect vulnerable turtle nests in the parks.
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area,Muir Woods National Monument
In 2017, scientists released a group of western pond turtles—California’s only native freshwater turtle—at Muir Beach Lagoon as part of a broader reintroduction effort. Since then, biologists have been carefully monitoring the cohort and their movements. But recent chance sightings took them by surprise.
Locations:Golden Gate National Recreation Area,Muir Woods National Monument,Point Reyes National Seashore
Offices:San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network
This summer, the San Francisco Bay Area Network’s coho and steelhead monitoring team started a two-year project to inventory aquatic species in streams across Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area using environmental DNA. Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is genetic material shed by organisms in the water column. By collecting particulate samples from the water, we hope to learn if species of interest are utilizing certain streams.
It’s tough for a park to conserve wildlife habitat and support sensitive species when no one is quite sure what creatures live there. Nor is it easy to learn what lives where when so many species' superpowers include avoiding human observation. Early on, such challenges weighed on biologists working at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which became part of Golden Gate in 2011. But now, answers are on the horizon. In August 2023, we launched the San Mateo Wildlife Inventory project.
In August 2023, Golden Gate launched the San Mateo Wildlife Inventory project to document Rancho Corral de Tierra’s wildlife—with help from wildlife cameras and community members. Find highlights here!
