Press Room

From post to prison to protest site to park, the island of Alcatraz has worn many hats.

Every autumn, the sky above the Marin Headlands just north of San Francisco becomes a raptor superhighway. Stand on Hawk Hill during the southward migration’s peak—from September 10 to October 10—and you can expect to see from dozens to hundreds of birds of prey in an hour.

Search “San Francisco” in the Getty Images stock-photo library and more than 350 pages of photos will pop up, including of beautiful shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and other SF landmarks.

Discussing the three semifinalists submitting final proposals to create a cultural venue to replace the Presidio's former commissary building, today's Sports Basement store.

NPS doesn't track the race or ethnicity of its more than 275 million annual visitors. But there is an effort to better understand who is visiting public lands.

Muir Beach restoration project, alongside the National Park Service, will benefit endangered species, residents, and visitors alike.

San Francisco is not Chicago, fabled for structural masterpieces. But it is studded with good, urban buildings, a heartening number of them from the past 15 years. Here are 10 worth seeking out.

Three proposals for cultural institutions are competing to be chosen as worthy of the spectacular, but currently underutilized, site, which is now home to a sporting goods store.

The Bay Area has 275 significant parks with 7,500 miles of trails, 25 waterfalls, a dozen mountain peaks with stellar lookouts, 10 redwood forests, 45 lakes with public access, 20 fishing piers, 100 miles of ocean frontage with dozens of secluded beaches, the bay and its open waters. Here are the top 10 parks and recreation destinations.

Alcatraz Island is famous mainly for one thing: its prison. But it’s also a good place to lay eggs.

Fifty years ago, the notorious Alcatraz prison shut its gate behind guard Jim Albright as he escorted the last inmate off the island on March 21, 1963.

This 80,000-acre urban park is one of the nation's largest and the most beautiful. Spanning 70 miles, it's rich in history, plant life and wildlife. It's also a major feat of rehabilitation and restoration.