The area contains remains of part of the U.S. Army’s Fort Ord, including what is left of the parking lot for Stilwell Hall, once an elegant Soldier’s Club. The Army base closed in 1994, and the surrounding land was later given to the state through the Federal Lands to Parks Program, which allowed surplus federal lands to be transferred to state and local governments for public parks. Fort Ord Dunes State Park opened in 2009 and provides nearly 1,000 acres of land and 4 miles of beach. The dunes, once used for rifle ranges, are now part of a critical habitat that is becoming scarcer throughout California, and Fort Ord’s dunes and beaches are home to many endangered species.
