The National Park Service has
the unique job of preserving
and protecting America’s special places.
Made up of parks, seashores, historical sites,
monuments and mores, each national park
unit plays an important role.
National Recreation Areas
were established to provide
opportunities for enhanced recreation,
like boating, fishing, and biking.
Have you been to one?
Surrounding large reservoirs
or tucked among urban landscapes,
Recreation Areas may be closer than you think.
Golden Gate
National Recreation Area doesn’t
look like most national parks.
Stretched across 80,000 acres,
north and south of the Bay,
this park is one of the world’s largest.
With 37 distinct park sites.
130 miles of trails.
1,200 historic structures.
And 1 iconic bridge,
Golden Gate connects wild landscapes, and the big city.
For millennia, northern California’s first peoples, the
Ramaytush Ohlone and Coast Miwok, have stewarded these lands.
From the windswept coasts of Sonoma County
to the towering peaks of Mt. Tam
and from the bustling Presidio
to the quiet solitude of the Farallon's,
our park celebrates the connections
between these incredible natural spaces
and the communities who live within them.
A special place for not only humans
but wildlife as well, Golden Gate’s
Biosphere is home to half of North America’s
avian species,
and one third of California's native plants.
GGNRA is marked by the diverse environment
it encompasses,
and the roads, trails, and waterways
that bring it all together.
Today, and always,
we value how far parks can take us!
So far, as the Colorado River...
Spanning across
southern Utah and northern Arizona,
is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Known for Lake Powell and the Colorado River,
many have come to take part in the long
history of adventure seeking.
Whether paddling down a once untamed river
or boating among a landscape
of towering buttes and mesas,
this awe-inspiring
desert oasis is only half the story.
Take a
journey back in time
through twists and turns of each canyon.
A human history
starting with ancestral peoples
and their continued connections to their land.
Or a look into Pioneer settlements
and their perseverance in this harsh climate.
And beyond
human existence,
a story penned hundreds of millions of years ago.
Layers of compressing rock leaves clues
to the changing landscape---
of prehistoric seas, swamps, and sand dunes.
Soon followed by the creatures
whose footprints are all that’s left behind.
Recreation Areas
can give us a place to play and explore.
They can also preserve
the many stories of this vibrant desert.
Connected through a dependence on water,
Glen Canyon’s
story sees similarities all across America.
Most people think of "national parks" as the
natural parks that are mainly out West:
Grand Canyon, Yosemite,
Yellowstone.
Gateway was established about 50 years ago
to bring the park to the people.
So we're here in the backyard of New York City.
We're a mix of natural, recreation, and history,
and you can find us here
in Staten Island at Fort Wadsworth,
Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn,
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens
and also in New Jersey at the Sandy Hook unit.
And the best part about Gateway is
that you can take public transportation
to almost every site.
Gateway National Recreation Area spreads
across Brooklyn,
Queens, and Staten Island in New York City
and the Sandy Hook peninsula of New Jersey.
Never heard of us?
You may have already visited without even knowing!
If you’ve kayaked in the Jamaica Bay,
sunbathed at Jacob Riis Park,
or visited the Sandy Hook lighthouse,
you’ve been to Gateway.
Recreation areas aren't just a place for play
or to learn about history and nature.
They're also a place for solitude, for reflection.
If you can come,
you can escape from the busyness of New York City.
Made up of your neighborhood parks,
the beach down the street, or the bridge
that you cross to get to the city,
Recreation areas are closer than you think.
Each area preserving a story
of people's connection to the land.
The story continues today
as these diverse landscapes
provide a place to get outside
to enjoy, learn and explore.
Celebrating 50 years of recreation
we look to the future of protecting
and enjoying these unique areas.
We hope that you can join in
and find your park in National Recreation Area near you.