Hold on to your hats! A giant park ranger hat has caused quite the stir around the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)—have you spotted it? This oversized, playful hat isn't just a sight to see, it has a fascinating history tied to visionary National Park Service rangers and a local community that champions welcome and belonging in national parks.
According to NPS park ranger John Cantwell, the giant hat was originally modeled after the iconic NPS park ranger flat hat, and specifically created for former Superintendent Brian O’Neill to wear at a function in the park. It was made by theatre group Beach Blanket Babylon, known for their elaborate hats and big-spectacle musicals at Club Fugazi in San Francisco.
The hat was worn in the 1994 San Francisco Pride Parade by Naomi Torres. She and a group of park rangers at the parade were members of GALA (the Gay and Lesbian Association) at the GGNRA. The next year they became the first NPS rangers permitted to march in uniform at the Pride Parade, beginning a tradition that continued for many years. Watch our video on this special history and meet some of these trailblazing rangers.
After the parade, rangers brought the hat to Alcatraz Island and hung it on the wall to boost staff morale. As you can imagine, this enormous hat brings a smile to everyone’s face!
Ranger John Cantwell remembers a new supervisor ordering him to get rid of the hat, so he devised a plan to hide it in the depths of the Alcatraz Quartermaster Warehouse. There it remained for about 10 years until it reemerged. Ranger Cantwell paid to have it restored and repainted. Ranger Cantwell carried the hat in the San Francisco Pride Parade and once again hung it up for all his fellow rangers to see in the lunchroom on Alcatraz Island.
In 2025, the hat finally escaped Alcatraz to hang in the William Penn Mott, Jr. Visitor Center in the Presidio, so visitors could enjoy and learn about its history. Visitors posed and pondered this quote from Mott himself…
“Be visionary. Guide today's decisions by tomorrow's reality. Think creatively. Dare to try new and controversial ideas. Never give up. Hold on to your dreams until they come true." - William Penn Mott Jr.
Like many park rangers before you, we hope you'll get a chance to wear the hat proudly! Were you lucky enough to get a photo with the hat? Submit it here and you could be featured on the Parks Conservancy's social channels.
