"People come here thinking it's a city backyard park," said Roberta Walker, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy retail manager for the Lands End Lookout Visitor Center. Walking along the coast at Lands End makes you feel like you've found your own secret path. Still, the trails here are well maintained and easy to follow.

A pair of nesting peregrine falcons on Alcatraz Island successfully hatched four chicks in April. “The efforts to monitor nesting peregrines on Alcatraz are very exciting,” Teresa Ely, senior program manager at the Parks Conservancy’s Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. “Their local population has rebounded, and it’s amazing to see these birds thrive in habitats that act as sanctuaries amongst urban landscapes.”

For those who live in and visit the area, these trails, and hundreds of miles more, are a defining characteristic of Marin. They are built on layered stories of the past, surfacing experiences of nature, athleticism and community. “The trails in Marin connect you to those who have walked before,” says Mia Monroe, National Parks ranger and Marin community liaison.

March 21 marks the 60th anniversary of Alcatraz’s closure as a penitentiary, but it’s always been much more than that brief history. Alcatraz Island is a place to learn about social justice, prison reform, birds, and even flowers! The island is full of history. Come and see for yourself. 

The 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.