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.

Alcatraz Island, home to its namesake famous prison off the San Francisco Bay, welcomed back its last inmates for the 50th anniversary of the closure of one of the most notorious penitentiaries in the world.