• View of the Golden Gate Bridge, taken from the Marin Headlands, looking across the bay back towards San Francisco, seen in the distance.

    Golden Gate

    National Recreation Area California

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Tunnel to Marin Headlands Closed

    The tunnel on Bunker Road from Alexander Avenue in Sausalito towards the Marin Headlands is closed for construction. Please follow the detour signs to Conzelman Road (just above the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge) to go up over the hill. More »

  • Muir Beach (but not nearby Muir Woods) parking lot closed June-November 2013

    Muir Beach parking lot will be closed from June-November 2013 due to construction. Restrooms or nearby parking will not be available at Muir Beach during this period. Pacific Way is closed except to residents. Check back for updates or call (415)561-3054 More »

  • CAUTION: Post Storm Damage to Coastal Trail

    The Presidio Coastal Trail segment just north of the Pacific Overlook and adjacent to Lincoln Blvd remains CLOSED indefinitely. We have posted signage to alert bicyclists and hikers and with information for safe trail alternatives. More »

Online Games

Identify rocks in the laboratory and then construct the sudduction zone.
Subduction Construction!


Your students journey into the Subduction Zone to solve the geologic mystery of how the rocks you see in the cliffs of the Golden Gate formed millions of years ago. In this virtual exploration, students will collect rock samples in the field; examine and identify their samples in the laboratory; and, use this information to piece together a subduction zone, layer-by-layer in geologic context. A great way to introduce subduction or conclude a unit by checking for understanding.


Dichotomous From Top to Bottomous


Cultivate your students' 8th Intelligence-Naturalist-with our fun dichotomous plant key. Follow the clues!


 
PlantInvasion-Pano-notebookSMALL

Nature Detectives

You can journey into the ancient redwood forest to uncover how living things make their home and survive in this very special habitat. Choose your challenge - Crustacean Frustration, When a Tree Falls in a Forest, Plant Invasion, or What Needs Fog? - or, just take a close look at the redwood forest through beautiful 360 degree panoramas. You can experience the sights and sounds of the redwood forest, while learning about habitats, adaptations, interdependence, and species competition.

Did You Know?

Fossils clams from Alcatraz Island

Megafossils (fossils that can be observed with the unaided eye) are rare in Franciscan Complex rocks, but the rocks of “The Rock,” Alcatraz, have yielded significant examples.