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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Beach Hut Cafe
Park E-Ventures Article
Think you know the ins and outs of the Institute at the Golden Gate? Prove it with this quiz. If you’re the first to submit the correct answers, you’ll win an Institute gift pack—featuring a Parks Conservancy fleece vest, tote bag, and more!
Project WISE (Watersheds Inspiring Science Education)
Park E-Ventures Article
Have you ever wondered which morning commuter bus is the “cleanest?” Well, our Project WISE students have! On March 20 and 21, 2013, this topic—along with other student-led environmental research projects—will be presented during the WISE Science Symposium at Crissy Field Center.
Alcatraz Island
Park E-Ventures Article
Golden Gate, meet silver screen. With the Oscars coming up (Feb. 24), we’re handing out (figurative) statuettes to the most memorable movie scenes filmed in the Golden Gate National Parks. Read on and let the debate begin.
Cloud hovers over the Golden Gate Bridge
Park E-Ventures Article
The Marin Headlands are a dramatic landscape, with striated red seafloor cliffs rising from the frothy currents of the Golden Gate. With such a storybook backdrop, hasn’t someone set a poem or manuscript here? You bet.
Downy Woodpecker
Park E-Ventures Article
We often think about members of a species gathered together, such as “a gaggle of geese,” or a “pack of wolves.” But there are also examples of different species coming together, often to hunt or avoid being hunted. Read on to learn about one animal alliance.
Strawberry plant
Park E-Ventures Article
Love is in the air! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there will be many sweet treats popping up on grocery store shelves and on restaurant menus to entice you and your Valentine. Many will contain one of nature’s sweetest offerings: strawberries.
Point Bonita
Park E-Ventures Article
In the Golden Gate National Parks you can do it all—bike, windsurf, hike, ride a horse, bird watch, and even get married! Looking for the perfect place to hold an outdoor ceremony? Look to your parks—there’s a spot to match any personality!
Crissy Field Center
Park E-Ventures Article
A month into 2013, some might already be slipping on their New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully, the staff at Crissy Field Center can stay strong on the resolutions they have made. Read on to discover their goals—personal and professional—for the coming year.
Crissy Field views
Park E-Ventures Article
How can we help make the world a healthier, happier place? The Institute at the Golden Gate believes the answer is: “One piece at a time.” Institute Director Chris Spence shares how his team is pulling the pieces together—and building on strengths—to make a difference.
red-legged frog
Park E-Ventures Article
If you are a longtime resident of the Bay Area or another temperate location, you have probably heard somebody complain about the “lack of seasons.” And while you might not be able to make a snowman here, winter can still be experienced in our parks. What are the signs of...
Trail work sign
Park E-Ventures Article
Working only in wintertime, National Park Service crews and Trails Forever staff have been designing and building new sections of the Hillside Trail in Muir Woods since 2006. This year, 2013, it will be completed. Go behind the scenes as they “fly” one-ton of drain rock for the trail.
Red-tailed Hawk
Park E-Ventures Article
A year ago, Monterey pines and Monterey cypresses were removed from Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands to restore endangered mission blue butterfly habitat. How did this affect the birds during fall migration?