Parks

The Marin Headlands are a dramatic landscape, with striated red seafloor cliffs rising from the frothy currents of the Golden Gate. With such a storybook backdrop, hasn’t someone set a poem or manuscript here? You bet.

We often think about members of a species gathered together, such as “a gaggle of geese,” or a “pack of wolves.” But there are also examples of different species coming together, often to hunt or avoid being hunted. Read on to learn about one animal alliance.

If you are a longtime resident of the Bay Area or another temperate location, you have probably heard somebody complain about the “lack of seasons.” And while you might not be able to make a snowman here, winter can still be experienced in our parks. What are the signs of the season?

At your next holiday feast, impress friends and family with some fresh knowledge. Read on to learn the origins of popular holiday foods and discover their closest relatives, found in our parks. Please don’t forage for these items (quite a few are inedible)—but fill your plate with some food for thought!

This plant, erroneously identified as “holly,” gave Hollywood its name. And its merry berries certainly lend a festive air to the parks during the holiday season. Read on to unmask this mystery plant.

It’s the big eating season. Here in the Golden Gate National Parks you can have your cake (umm, pie) and eat it too. Manage the holiday feasting and stress with three great park trails that will have you feeling fine and ready to dine (again)!

How many times have I walked under the same trees and failed to look up, staring at my own two feet as I walk? Well today was different, someone told me that the oak trees of California are masting, and I wanted to see if it was true.

Find fantastic gifts for the park lovers on your list while helping to support park programs.

Have you ever looked up at the twilight sky to see an erratic flutter of wings? Maybe you tried to convince yourself that it was just a sparrow, but chances are what you actually saw was a little brown bat. Although bats carry a loathsome reputation, humans derive a great benefit from these tiny creatures.

Life is not all river otters and coyote pups. Some organisms in these national parks simply give us the heebie-jeebies—justifiably or not. With Halloween a few days away, here’s our list of the scariest and grossest creatures. For the squeamish, turn away. For the stout-hearted, read on—if you dare.