Park Stories

Most people don't think about the status of soils on a regular basis, nor do they think of the soils beneath our feet as a collection of living organisms. But they are.

Standing at Fort Point, surrounded by these totems, was a reminder of our weekly community volunteer programs where we are hoping to create a space to honor native people, and all the migrant cultures that represent the Bay Area.

Welcome to our new Hit the Trail feature! We’ll go in-depth on one of our park sites and get you ready to explore.  First up: The western edge of the Presidio.

Shelagh Fritz, Program Manager for Alcatraz Historic Gardens, has worked to install an innovative rainwater catchment system on the Rock. We sat down with Shelagh to learn more.

Winter is here...oops, we mean summer. Summer is here. Just because it’ll (probably) be gloomy out until September, it doesn’t mean activities and happenings in your parks are hibernating. See what’s in store for June through August with this fun roundup.

So you’re running Bay to Breakers and you still don’t have a costume idea? How about paying homage to the parklands you love in and around the city? Here are some easy costume ideas that will signal to everybody that right after this run, you’re ready for a hike.

It’s a larvae-eat-larvae world out there. But somewhere along the line, nature evolved a way of balancing things out: a symbiotic relationship with native formicine ants.

Flanking San Francisco’s westernmost edge, Ocean Beach’s thunderous surf seems inviting on those rare hot days in San Francisco. But the hidden forces beneath those waves should give you pause before cooling off with an afternoon swim.

Learn more about the process of new trail construction, and become inspired to join us out on the trail.

What can we learn when we’re given the opportunity to observe ancient practices and traditions? Read about one intern’s experience volunteering alongside the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, and the many things he was able to take away from the exciting opportunity.

This season, we’d like to take the time to thank and highlight some of our regular volunteers who have enriched our parks and our lives. For this spring, we’d like you to meet Paul Barrows, who has been volunteering regularly at Lands End for the last year and a half!

Caring doesn’t happen everywhere; some jobs are a means to an end, or summer flings. They must have meaningfulness to create a sense of care in the worker.