Park Stories

Highlighting the people, engaging programs and beautiful places that make the Golden Gate national parks special. Can't get enough? Sign up for our monthly E-ventures newsletter, and become a member today to receive our gorgeous Gateways Magazine. More about our publications here

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Our trails need your TLC.
Article
The recent onslaught of rain has wreaked havoc on trail drainage throughout the Bay Area, and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy partners at the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) and One Tam are always open to more helping hands during these stormy months!
Polypodium californicum, or California polypody.
Article
If you take a walk along the Coastal Bluffs in the Presidio and stop just south of the Langdon Court parking lot, across from the battered bunkers and under the pine trees, you’ll find a plant that often goes unnoticed.
San Mateo Park Stewardship intern Samuel Peña.
Article
Hello! My name is Samuel Peña and I am super thrilled to be joining the Park Stewardship San Mateo team.
Hypogymnia schizidiata lichen.
Article
This winter we welcome the rainy season, as it typically allows for a rich diversity of various fungi and lichen species to emerge. Take this opportunity to check out the different varieties of species thriving in our San Mateo park sites! You might just take a lichen to what you...
Black and white photo of people posing on Fieldbrook Stump, one of the largest trees in the world.
Park E-Ventures Article
We can’t go back in time and stop giant redwoods from being cut down. But we can take material from old stumps, grow it in a special medium, and plant a grove of coast redwood saplings with super DNA, right here in the Presidio of San Francisco.
Marquis Engle is the program director at Up on Top, an after-school and summer program in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.
Park E-Ventures Article
The story of how a partnership with the Up on Top after-school and summer program has inspired ‘love and beauty’ in its enigmatic program director, Marquis Engle.
Park E-Ventures Article
From hermaphroditic slugs to big cats on the prowl, discover the wild mating rituals of animals in the Golden Gate National Parks. This Valentine’s Day, delight your date with these bizarre factoids.
Visitors enjoy a picnic at the Marin Headlands.
Article
Visitors are encouraged to do their part to help preserve our unique parklands, by leaving no trace and taking public transportation when possible.
New fencing at the Presidio Bluffs helps protect visitors and sensitive habitats.
Article
Last month, the stewardship crew worked in the Presidio Bluffs along some of the many scenic viewpoints of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. The windy days didn’t stop our great turnout of volunteers!
A fruit bat in Mauritius.
Article
With all the stigma surrounding them, it’s important to understand all sides to the story. Bats play a major role in the balance of an ecosystem, in California and around the world.
An Anna's hummingbird.
Article
Take a minute to read a poem about a beautiful bird we see throughout our San Mateo park sites.
Volunteers at MLK Day of Service in 2018.
Article
The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy staff, interns, and volunteers look forward to participating in this day of service every year.