Stories

Veteran Jack Carter Fisher at Lands End in San Francisco.
Veteran's journey: How Jack found recovery through science in the GGNRA

Veteran Jack Carter Fisher has found connection and healing in GGNRA parks, thanks to the W.A.R.I.O.R. Program through the San Francisco VA Health Care System, the National Park Service, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Eloy Martinez, third from right, at an event on Alcatraz.
Indigenous Peoples

These are the stories of the people who were the original stewards of the lands that are now the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Find videos and stories highlighting that history and its connections to today.

Ranger Jace is holding up a a branch with redwood needles and pointing to it in their uniform.
Meet the Park Ranger: Turning to the trees with Ranger Jace 

Jace Ritchey never dreamed of becoming a park ranger, but today you'll find Ranger Jace greeting visitors and starring in social media posts from Muir Woods National Monument.

An American dog tick on someone's hand.
Tick guide: How to identify, remove ticks

Expert tips for how to identify, remove ticks while exploring the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Portrait of birder Daniela Sánchez with binoculars on a birding trip.
How to find birds 'slowly' in national parks

Many people flock to birding because they love birds' beautiful plumage, their intricate songs, or their entertaining antics. For Daniela Sánchez, it was serendipity.

Pillow basalt by Point Bonita Lighthouse
How to find the hidden 'elephant' at Point Bonita Lighthouse

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.

Sharaya Souza sits in Black Point historic gardens surrounded by wildlfowers.
Where community grows: Sharaya Souza and the American Indian Cultural District at Black Point

Sharaya Souza (Taos Pueblo, Ute and Kiowa) has no first memory of interacting with the land. Not because she wasn’t interacting with it, but because for her, it’s innate.

A sunset photo of the rainbow pride flag flying in the parks.
Here's where you can hike through history with Pride in the GGNRA

Time travel is a walk in the park in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). For Pride Month and beyond, let’s make our way through some of the queer history in the parks.

Art Projects from De Colores Arts "Presidio Tunnel Tops Park Art Series"
5 Questions with...De Colores Arts

We connected with De Colores Arts to learn more about the 7-week-long "Presidio Tunnel Tops Park Art Series" hosted at the Crissy Field Center Art Lab.

Mugshot of Alcatraz inmate and gardener Albert Smith
Incarcerated Gardeners: Albert Smith

Albert Smith, found guilty of four counts of robbery, was sentenced to serve 10 to 24 years in prison. He was sent to Alcatraz in 1945 after an attempted escape, and began work duties as a gardener the following year.

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