Parks

On Oct. 4–5, 2014, our friends at the Presidio Trust are inviting the entire community to celebrate the grand reopening of the newly rehabilitated Officers’ Club—San Francisco’s most historic building and now a new cultural destination. Preview eight highlights of this exciting visitor gateway!

Ravens are among the most fascinating birds to observe here in the Headlands. Their antics are unpredictable, and you never know what these ultra-intelligent “corvids” will be up to next.

What’s the perfect dessert after a stomach-stretching Thanksgiving dinner? An exploration of some sweet trails in and around the Golden Gate National Parks, of course! Here are five hikes that will help your whole family work off that holiday meal.

Why get up at darkness-o’clock to battle mall zombies during the holidays? At www.parksconservancy.org/store, you can shop in comfort and joy from your cozy couch. Get started with our 2013 Gift Guide—featuring a hand-picked selection of this season’s must-haves—and find something for all the park lovers on your list!

Every autumn, up to 19 species of birds of prey make their annual appearance over the Marin Headlands. With tens of thousands of raptors counted during the fall migration, it’s the largest flight of its kind in the western U.S.! Read on for hawk-watching tips from our Golden Gate Raptor Observatory program.

Hawk Hill isn’t just a spot for watching raptors. In the fall, visitors who point their binoculars at smaller birds might be treated to the aerial acrobatics of migrating swifts. Learn more about these amazing—and mysterious—insectivores.

To humans, bird vocalizations can be inspiring and soothing—or annoying, in the case of those early morning arias. But for birds, they perform critical communication functions. Read on to learn about five types of vocalizations, and what they teach us about birds’ surroundings.

Here's our hand-picked list of the best hikes for kids in the Golden Gate National Parks, at Mori Point, Lands End, and Tennessee Valley. Bring the whole gang for a family-friendly nature adventure.

Feathers are a uniquely avian adaptation—or are they? While feathers can only be seen on birds today, evidence has shown that many dinosaurs also had feathers. Read on to learn about the variety—and possible purposes—of dinosaur feathers.

Not as obvious as leaves or as ostentatious as flowers, seeds are often overlooked in our appreciation of plant life. But don’t miss out on their beauty! In this guide, one of the Parks Conservancy’s seed experts picks her favorites.