Drawbridge

Drawbridge sits at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, resting on the Union Pacific Railroad line about six miles south of downtown Fremont in Alameda County. Perched at an elevation of just seven feet, the site occupies a low, marshy position next to Station Island and is now folded into the city of Fremont.

Originally established as a hunting village, Drawbridge once supported enough activity to warrant its own railroad station. By 1979 it had been fully abandoned, earning its ghost town status. Since then, the site has been slowly subsiding into the surrounding marshlands, and it is now protected as part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Visitors should expect a stark, wetland setting with an abandoned railroad station among the remnants. Because the ground continues to sink and the refuge status restricts casual access, getting onto the site is not straightforward. Wildlife viewing and photography are the realistic draws here, with the marsh environment defining the experience far more than any standing structures.