You are not allowed to climb up to the top of Sutro Tower. But a new “immersive” feature on the tower’s official website lets you walk around the top of the tower and enjoy the view, though it is definitely not for people who have a fear of heights.  

San Francisco’s high-altitude prongy landmark Sutro Tower has become one of the city’s unofficial symbols, but you cannot go up on it.  In fact, you can't even go near it, only authorized vehicles can go within the gates that surround the tower. So that view from the top of the 977-foot tower, which actually peaks at 1,800 feet above sea level, is not accessible to everyday San Francisans.

But now it’s kind of accessible! KGO reports that Sutro Tower has a new “immersive” tour that you can check out online, which features all kinds of technical information and details on the tower's 50-year history. But the highlight of the tour, of course, is the tour of the top walkable floor of the tower, and a series of views from the very top of the tower.

The view from the top of the tower is a full 360-degree view from the very top of the highest prong. You can move your mouse to change the view around, there’s a little compass to help you with the direction, and landmarks like Mount Diablo, Alcatraz, and Marin County’s Point Bonita Lighthouse are labeled to help you understand the perspective. It also has some fake wind sounds to make you feel like you’re really up there.

The site also lets you tour Level 6 of Sutro Tower, which is the structure’s highest walkway. This feature also has the ability to mouse around and change your view’s direction (and it also has the high-altitude wind sound effects). But when you hit the “Move Forward” button, it emulates the exact view of what it looks like to walk that level, which will arouse a fear of heights in even the most lionhearted viewers.  

The site also comes with a 13-minute documentary on the history of the tower, narrated by ABC7 Mornings anchor Amanda del Castillo. Additionally, there’s a virtual tour of the tower, which has some nice views of its interior and exterior, though that part of the site is a little buggy, and requires too many clicks to get to the good stuff.

And this would be a good time to remind people of local photographer Vincent Woo’s 3D model of Sutro Tower that launched a couple months back, and part of it is seen above.

Related: Lightning Strikes Transamerica Pyramid, Sutro Tower [SFist]

Image: Elena.laps via Wikimedia Commons