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All the United States California Vallejo Alden Park

Alden Park

The perfect spot for a picnic, right next to a giant ballistic missile.

Vallejo, California

Added By
Damian Durrant
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View of Alden Park from the bandstand, showing polaris missile.   Library of Congress/Public Domain
View of Alden Park from the bandstand, showing polaris missile.   Library of Congress/Public Domain
Alden Park.   Map Data © 2017 Google 
Polaris A1 Missile.   damiandurrant27 / Atlas Obscura User
Alden Park.   © 2018 Google Maps
  MadeByKemo / Atlas Obscura User
View of Alden Park from the bandstand, showing polaris missile.   Library of Congress/Public Domain
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About

On the former Mare Island Naval Base in Vallejo is a lush and old fashioned-looking circular park, centered around a quaint, 19th-century bandstand—that, and a 28-foot intercontinental ballistic missile launched from a Cold War-era nuclear-powered submarine.

Taking a closer look, Alden Park is surprisingly unique in more than one way. It is at once—and rather incongruously—a slightly mournful celebration of forgotten firepower and a lovely place to have a picnic (if somewhat disheveled since the US Navy moved out of the large base in the 1990s).

The strangest attraction, the Polaris missile, used to be deployed and maintained from Mare Island. It was in service with U.S. and U.K. submarines from 1960 to 1975, and had a range of 1,000 nautical miles with a 600-kiloton nuclear warhead.

And aside from the now slightly rusting shell of the giant missile, the park displays an assortment of naval weaponry from the last 200 years. Dotted around the edge of the park are the body of a U.S. nuclear-tipped anti-submarine missile, Civil War-era torpedoes and cannons, and a German World War II submarine. There are also a few monuments to military units and who were based at Mare Island during the wars.

Stranger still, all this vintage weaponry is backdropped by a verdant variety of plants and trees from all over the world. They were planted in the 1860s, thanks to Navy commander James Alden, who the park was named after. The green-thumbed commander began encouraging his captains to bring back trees from their excursions overseas. Thanks to this project, there are now elm, apple, bay, olive, apricot, locust, fig, and eucalyptus trees all growing on the curious California island. 

Related Tags

War Memorial War History Parks Missiles Trees Weapons Naval History Plants Military

Know Before You Go

Alden park is located between Railroad and Walnut Avenue and 8th Street on Mare Island. Entrance is free.

Community Contributors

Added By

damiandurrant27

Edited By

rechnermusik, Meg, Michael Inscoe, MadeByKemo

  • rechnermusik
  • Meg
  • Michael Inscoe
  • MadeByKemo

Published

January 5, 2018

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Alden Park
8th St and Railway Avenue
Vallejo, California
United States
38.097939, -122.271778
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Nearby Places

St. Peter's Chapel

Vallejo, California

miles away

Mare Island

Vallejo, California

miles away

The Alibi Clock

Vallejo, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vallejo

Vallejo

California

Places 6

Nearby Places

St. Peter's Chapel

Vallejo, California

miles away

Mare Island

Vallejo, California

miles away

The Alibi Clock

Vallejo, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vallejo

Vallejo

California

Places 6

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