On Oct. 27, 1972, a collection of former military, private, and public lands spanning three Bay Area counties was united and officially designated as public parklands for all. Those lands are the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), and we’re celebrating the milestone 50th anniversary year of their founding!

2019 marks 50 years since the Occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes, a key milestone in the history of the island, our country, and the broader Native American civil rights movement.

In the rough waters beneath the iconic Point Bonita Lighthouse sits a 180-million-year-old rock that geologists from all over the world travel to marvel at.

Community volunteers are helping to restore Mori Point and improve habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog and the endangered San Francisco garter snake.

Immigrant Yarn Project featured knitted and crocheted yarn contributions made by over 600 contributors from across the country representing generations of immigrants from every corner of the world — and including contributions from homeless communities, seniors, students, LGBTQ, Native Americans, and even a Former Secretary of State

Resident families introduced roses to Alcatraz during the military era, between 1850 and 1934. Surprisingly, roses thrived under these conditions and soon filled Alcatraz’s first gardens.

British artist Andy Goldsworthy brings his ethereal interactions of human creation and nature to the San Francisco with Spire. The piece towers 90 feet high in the Presidio, both a part of its surrounding elements and an entity of its own.

Learn about the stories of Alcatraz Island's incarcerated gardeners.