In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Parks Conservancy's founding, the Bay Area Reporter chatted with Parks Conservancy CEO Chris Lehnertz.

The two-year, $20 million China Beach project is the marquee improvement planned as part of the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s founding.

Nearly a decade in the making, the $7 million National Park Service project on Hawk Hill is restoring the former World War II gun batteries and Cold War radar pads and converting them into lookouts and paths for bicyclists, hikers and raptor researchers alike.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary, visited Alcatraz Island to highlight the progress made over the past five decades by Indigenous peoples.

It’s not technically a national park, but Golden Gate National Recreation Area is doing such cool accessibility work – and has so many beautiful and interesting things to see – that it’s worth mentioning to put on your vacation bucket list. 

With advanced notice, beach wheelchairs are available on-site at...