For those who want to see a map of the area, then click here.
Battery Mendell: This is one of the more complex structures, with 3 levels. Covered with much graffiti. Away from the structure, to the side, is a decaying tower fenced in with barbed wire. Past this tower, and through a thicket of trees and bushes, are the remains of several houses built below ground level, possibly for the purpose of evading detection by invading forces. These "hidden" buildings were delightfully covered with profuse anarchist graffiti.
Battery 129: This defensive installation was the only unfinished one, out all batteries and structures. Its name comes from its project designation, "construction #129". Almost finished towards 1943, the structure was never completed once the american military decided that invasion was unlikely. Nevertheless, these ruins look very similar to what was found at many of the other sites. This area also happened to be very accessible, so there were plenty of tourists.
Battery Alexander: This structure was built in 1902 and was used nearly until the end of WW2, when it was declared obsolete. Now it remains mostly sealed, with an overgrowth of plants and the occasional picnic bench. On the day I visited, there was no one around.
Hill 88: By far the most remote and desolate of all the sites, the ruins that sit atop Hill 88 are haunting. The site consists of several small buildings clustered together amid a few gun placements. Plenty of graffiti, as well.
Battery Kirby: Another of the more interesting sites, Battery Kirby is actually right under the noses of the tourists who visit the reanimated Battery Spencer. A short, downhill hike is required, but the results are worth it: the construction is isolated amid a sea of trees and is covered with very interesting graffiti. A visit to this place is heavily recommended.
Wolf Ridge: The long hill leading from Hill 88 to the coast is Wolf Ridge, containing many secrets for the visitor to find. Numerous remains of underground, secret shelters and rooms are abundant, and so are various spying and defensive structures that were put in place to thwart a potential invasion.
Battery Wallace: While there were plenty of people seated at the picnic benches at Battery Wallace, the place still had its own independent charm, replete with original graffiti and a guitarist who liked the accoustics of one of the big gun enclaves.
Batteries Spencer and Townsley: Neither the Spencer nor Townsley batteries is as exciting as some of the others, but both are still included here, perhaps even by way of contrast. Battery Spencer has been given a new coat of paint, making the place "cleaner" for the hordes of tourists and picnic goers who come to this site. Battery Townsley is relatively isolated, but has very little features that are memorable.
Battery Yates: Sitting along Horseshoe Bay, right next to the Golden Gate bridge, Battery Yates is another installation that has been given a new paint-job. Regardless, on the day I visited there was nobody around.
