Wondering when you’ll start to see healthy and sustainable food in national parks? Momentum is building, thanks to the Institute at the Golden Gate’s Food for the Parks initiative. The Institute and Golden Gate National Parks Superintendent Frank Dean are helping develop the National Park Service’s ground-breaking Healthy and Sustainable Food Program.

Working with native plants all the time you begin to develop a huge soft spot for them and it becomes easy to forget that not everyone shares the same love and appreciation for our home-grown plants. But the question remains: why?

Are you worried about your child experiencing a summer learning lapse? Enroll your child in a Crissy Field Center camp, where we explore your backyard national parks, innovate with hands-on activities, and bridge the gap between summer fun and learning!

A green lawn all year-long? Nowhere near as fascinating or entertaining as the transformation of native plants from one season to the next.

Through the magic of StoryWalks, pages from two charming children’s books will be placed on signs along trails at Lands End and Mountain Lake (Presidio) this summer. Learn about this project—and other fun programs in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library.

In the heart of 49er country, two GGRO volunteers are working to monitor the Bay Area’s population of osprey (aka “sea hawks”). Learn how these citizen scientists are harnessing the power of the people to protect these magnificent birds.

The surfer. The artist. The Boy Scout. The nature lover. The self-described “girly girl.” These aren’t stereotypical characters stenciled into a new reality TV show. They’re some of the fascinating—and fantastic—high school students who were a part of this summer’s Restoration Youth Crew (RYC).

Up to 99 percussionists, arrayed across Lands End, pound out rhythms that mix with crashing surf and the songs of birds. This is John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit, performed in a partnership of SFJAZZ and the Parks Conservancy. 

Want your middle school student to get a job this summer? Consider applying for Urban Trail Blazers, Crissy Field Center’s paid internship program for middle schoolers. Interns will explore their national park, complete various art projects, and have fun this summer—all while getting paid!

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for greeting-card shills, sappy romantics, and the cynics who hate them. Here in the Golden Gate National Parks, we have park sites for everybody on V-Day. Our expert staff chose the perfect place to spend the holiday—with your sweetie, with your buddies, with your puppy, or all by yourself.