A secret jewel of the Bay Area, Point Bonita is still an active lighthouse maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. Discover Point Bonita's wild landscape, geology, and fascinating history.

The lighthouse is reached by a half-mile trail, with a tunnel that is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Point Bonita docents are on hand along the trail, and the setting offers breathtaking views.

During the tense years from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated a total of 280 Nike missile firing batteries in the United States, emplaced as the last line of defense against Soviet bombers. Today, site SF-88 in the Marin Headlands has been turned into a museum, and is the only restored Nike missile site in the country.

Visit SF-88 and see the tools of the Cold War up close. The site is open Wednesday through Friday, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., with guided walks beginning every hour. There is also an "open house" on the first Saturday of every month, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., with volunteer docents and Nike veterans on hand.

During the tense years from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated a total of 280 Nike missile firing batteries in the United States, emplaced as the last line of defense against Soviet bombers. Today, site SF-88 in the Marin Headlands has been turned into a museum, and is the only restored Nike missile site in the country.

Visit SF-88 and see the tools of the Cold War up close. There is an "open house" on the first Saturday of every month, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., with volunteer docents and Nike veterans on hand. The site is also open Wednesday through Friday, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m., with guided walks beginning every hour.

The only children's museum in the U.S. to be located in a national park, the Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor children's museum nestled at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The first Wednesday of the month, admission is free to the museum. Bring the family down to explore the 7.5-acre, indoor-outdoor environment that harmonizes nature and nurture.

Check out permanent exhibits such as Lookout Cove, which includes a shipwreck with clues to dig up and discover, native animal homes to build, tidal pools, and more; and the San Francisco Bay Hall, a playful simulation of the Bay Area with an "underwater" tunnel, 300-gallon sea star tank, a fishing boat, a model of Fisherman's Wharf, and a play shipping port.

Long closed to public access, Battery Townsley in the Marin Headlands has been refurbished and is now open to visitors the second Sunday of the month.

Come explore this labyrinthine fortification, and learn about San Francisco's most extensive -- and most secret -- World War II military fortification.

From 1940 to 1948, it mounted two massive battleship guns and housed more than 100 soldiers in an extensive network of underground tunnels; during the Cold War, it was used as an underground research facility.

Battery Townsley is reached via a moderately strenuous hike up the Coastal Trail, approximately one half-mile north of the Rodeo Beach parking lot.

Join Marin Headlands docent Jane Haley on an easy walk to Rodeo Lagoon to discover our springtime visitors.

Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Reservations required; call (415) 331-1540.

Join architectural historian Kristin Baron for an easy, one-mile walk through Fort Baker in the Marin Headlands.

See the historic Colonial Revival buildings that make up the fort, and learn how this 1905 army post represented a new and improved standard of living for the officers and soldiers stationed there.

It's pinniped pupping season in the Marin Headlands! Grab your binoculars and head out on this family program hosted by the Headlands Institute.

Make a moderate four-mile roundtrip hike in search of Harbor Seals at Point Bonita, then end the afternoon with a visit to The Marine Mammal Center, where pinniped patients are nursed back to health and released into the ocean.
 
Pre-registration is required.

Enjoy the autumnal beauty of the Marin Headlands on a moderate three-mile hike around Rodeo Cove.

While exploring various habitats on this guided walk, you'll rove lagoon, valley, and beach, seeking what's "uniquely Headlands."

Reservations required; call (415) 331-1540.

Spring is in bloom! Join an experienced YMCA for a strenuous and exhilarating trek up Miwok Trail to Wolf Ridge Trail, one of the most beautiful hikes in the Marin Headlands.

Registration is requested by March 17; call (415) 331-9622.

On March 13, the Marine Mammal Center hosts their annual fun run/walk and fundraiser, Run for the Seals.

Race participants can choose from two routes through the Marin Headlands: the official four-mile race (starting at 9:30 a.m.) and a two-mile scenic route overlooking the ocean, with viewing, refreshment, and education stations along the way.

Both racers and spectators can enjoy the annual Fun Day at the Marine Mammal Center, with food, drink, and tours from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Be sure to drop by the Marin Headlands Hostel's Fun Day booth, and say hi!

Race registration is $35 for adults ($40 day-of-race) and includes a one-year membership to the Marine Mammal Center. Spectators can attend the Fun Day free of charge.

Please note that, due to the race, the Bunker Road tunnel entrance to the Marin Headlands will be closed from 8:45 a.m. to noon.