The federal government acquired this land in 1900, intending to build coastal defense batteries to protect the approaches to San Francisco Bay. The fort included several artillery positions, part of a ring of fortifications that guarded the bay entrance from the Golden Gate south along the Pacific coast. The batteries were designed to engage enemy warships at long range, their massive guns pointed seaward from positions carved into the sandy cliffs. The fort was named for Frederick Funston, a Major General with deep connections to San Francisco who had played a crucial role in the city's response to the 1906 earthquake.

The fort's steep sandstone cliffs above Ocean Beach provide nesting habitat for a colony of bank swallows -- small, acrobatic birds that dig burrows directly into the soft cliff face. The colony is one of the few remaining bank swallow nesting sites in the Bay Area, and their presence has added an ecological dimension to the site's management. The cliffs themselves are actively eroding, a process that creates fresh nesting surfaces for the swallows but also threatens the trails and infrastructure above. The tension between erosion and preservation is constant at Fort Funston, where the land is literally falling into the sea.

Fort Funston's second life as a recreational area has made it one of the most beloved open spaces in San Francisco. The strong, reliable winds that sweep across the headlands create ideal conditions for hang gliding, and the launch point at Fort Funston is one of the premier hang-gliding sites in Northern California. Below, Ocean Beach stretches northward for miles. The off-leash dog policy has made the fort a pilgrimage site for San Francisco's dog owners, who drive from across the city to let their animals run the sandy trails. On weekend mornings, the scene is joyful chaos: dogs of every breed charging through the dunes while hang gliders circle overhead and the Pacific crashes against the base of the cliffs.