Bay Model Visitor Center - Sausalito, California

[Mark Sedenquist]

This is not very far off the beaten path -- but it one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
Here are a few photos from a recent trip to see the Bay Model. It has been available for viewing since 1957!

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers built a scale model of the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta system in 1957. The three-dimensional model is more than 1.5 acres in size and is capable of simulating the tides and currents found in the bay. It is emptied every night and gradually refills with fresh salt water. The salinity exactly matches the areas of the bay it depicts. It is updated to accurately reflect current conditions as dredging is done. There are ranger-guided tours of the model and anyone can wander around and see the exhibits. Rather than a physical model of the bay, it is a simulator of bay and river conditions, and is used to reproduce (to the proper scale) the rise and fall of tide, flow, and currents of water, mixing of salt and fresh water, and indicates trends in sediment movement.

These photos were taken by me on November 11, 2023.


That is the Golden Gate Bridge and the water is just staring to flow into the Bay.


Oakland International Airport and Bay


San Mateo Bridge heading to Stanford


Richmond Bridge heading to Sausalito and Marin County


North end of the bay looking up the Delta towards Sacramento


Some of the cool places to walk in the area


This is an Army Corps of Engineers catamaran --


Another view of the Sacramento Delta

[Southwest Dave]

Wow that's massive! I have driven right by there and had no idea of it's existence, what a cool place.

Dave

[Mark Sedenquist]

And the thing that is not obvious -- unless you read my short article -- is that the reason that the bay model is not full of water, is that they empty it every night and gradually refill it every morning -so as the bay fills it also traces the geologic history as the water gradually fills in the lower parts of the plains.

It's an amazing thing to see in person. It could easily take three hours to view all of the exhibits. I had another appointment, the day I stopped by and could only spend about 90 minutes.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

Yes I read the article and they even use salt water with the exact same salinity as in the areas of the Bay.

Dave