Golden Gate National Recreation Area

The world's best idea — our best partner

Headlands Institute and the National Park Service share an abiding concern about diminished understanding of the environment and an increasingly tepid commitment to its preservation.

Beginning in the 1960s, under the directorship of George Hartzorg, environmental education became an important component of the national parks’ interpretive activities, aimed particularly at urban populations. Today, due to increasing operational costs leading to cutbacks in interpretation and education funding, the National Park Service is unable to fulfill this educational mission on its own. Headlands Institute is committed to helping the National Park Service fulfill its educational mission.

Headlands Institute is a Park Partner of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the national park in which the campus resides. This partnership enables both organizations to:

• expand their educational and interpretive mission.
• provide educational programming to help children better understand the Marin Headlands' rich natural and cultural history.
• enhance children's experience of the park.

About the GGNRA

Abundant wildlife and wildflowers, miles of trails, tidepools at the beach, unique rock formations, plankton-rich Rodeo Lagoon, and amazing views make the Marin Headlands the ultimate science classroom. 

The Marin Headlands also has a rich cultural history, from Miwok Indians to the military, including the 150-year-old Point Bonita Lighthouse and the NIKE Missile site. Learn more about:

• Our campus is located in historic Fort Cronkhite. Groups are housed in refurbished military barracks which soldiers called home. The mess hall has been converted into Headlands Institute's dining hall.
• Read an overview of the history of the Marin Headlands.

Natural History

Abundant wildlife and wildflowers, miles of trails, tidepools at the beach, unique rock formations, plankton-rich Rodeo Lagoon, and amazing views make the Marin Headlands the ultimate science classroom. 

Read our description of the natural communities of the Marin Headlands for an introduction to the area ecosystems. 

Our mandala of the seasons gives an overview of the seasons in the Marin Headlands, examining weather, animals, plants, and water.
 

Cultural History

The Marin Headlands also has a rich cultural history, from Miwok Indians to the military, including the 150-year-old Point Bonita Lighthouse and the NIKE Missile site.