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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Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) spotted on Mt. Tamalpais.
Article
Come take a moment to lift up a log or peer closely at a fallen branch and you might be surprised at what you find. But what is that spongy-looking thing? And is that orange moss growing on that tree? Don’t worry, the Parks Conservancy has you covered in this...
Mary Lee at the 2018 Winter BioBlitz at Ocean Beach.
Article
This new feature will take the time to thank and highlight some of our regular volunteers who have enriched our parks and our lives.
Visitors to the Warming Hut at Crissy Field are seen in a file photo.
Article
Despite a lapse in federal appropriations (also called “government shutdown”) that began on Saturday, December 22, many park sites and visitor facilities in the Golden Gate National Parks remain open.
Park E-Ventures Article
The parks are fiercely visual, making it easy for photographers—both amateur and professional—to snap some truly awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping images. Out of thousands of photos taken this year in the Golden Gate National Parks, here are the 18 favorite photos from our staff photographers.
Parks Conservancy staff during a service day in the Marin Headlands in 2018.
Park E-Ventures Article
Pathways through the Golden Gate National Parks don’t always mean trails. For many staff members at the Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service (NPS), and the Presidio Trust, their paths to full-time employment started during internships or youth programs offered in our parks.
Park E-Ventures Article
Whether you’re an art lover or a volunteer with a penchant for planting, these (hopefully wet) winter activities will be sure to whet your appetite. Here’s the need-to-know lineup for January-March 2019.
Kid jumping against blue sky
Park E-Ventures Article
Resolve to be outdoors more this year. Even doctors are actually handing out "park prescriptions."
New trail maintenance, construction, and stewardship interns for the 2018-19 season.
Article
Please welcome our new trail maintenance, construction, and stewardship interns! They will be working hard to fight the cold and care for trails over the next 6-9 months.
Park E-Ventures Article
Whales are common recurring characters in the waters along Crissy Field, but in October 2018, one (artificial) leviathan made its landfall. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Blue Whale art exhibit on Crissy Field challenges everyday visitors to examine their plastic consumption and the health of our oceans.
Insects spotted in the Golden Gate National Parks, from left, strigamia, Jerusalem cricket, devil's coach horse.
Article
Hello fellow park lovers! Make sure to keep an eye out for a few of these interesting insects found in our Golden Gate National Parks recently.
A red-tailed hawk.
Article
As a new year approaches, full of possibilities, I think keeping an eye on the pair of red-tailed hawks at Lands End will continue to serve as a glorious symbol.
Taking a break at Mori Point.
Article
Take a walk up to Mori Point in the spring and you’ll be amazed by the display of wildflowers. Yet over the years, with higher visitation and more compaction of the soil, we’ve seen a reduction in the bloom. This winter, we’re ready to change that.