Alcatraz and history go hand in hand. Once home to some of America's most notorious criminals, the federal penitentiary that operated here from 1934 to 1963 brought a dark mystique to the Rock. The presence of infamous inmates like Al "Scarface" Capone, and the "Birdman" Robert Stroud helped to establish the island's notoriety.

Within Golden Gate Park's 1,017 acres you'll discover gardens, playgrounds, lakes, picnic groves, trails, and monuments, plus an array of cultural venues, events, and activities. The Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, The Music Concourse, DeYoung Museum, Bison Paddocks, California Academy of Sciences, Stow Lake, and unlimited activities are here.

Participate in park ranger-led interpretive programs such as "Small Craft on Hyde Street Pier," "Bird Watching for Children and Beginners," "Historic Waterfront Walking Tour," and a tour below decks of the Eureka ferryboat. Observe and join in on sail demonstrations aboard the Balclutha, including setting the staysail.

The park is nestled along the shore of the San Pablo Bay. The road through the park offers beautiful views of the waterfront. There are a variety of wildlife, including deer, squirrels, coyote, and numerous birds. A Chinese shrimp-fishing village thrived on this site in the 1880s. Nearly 500 people, originally from Canton, China, lived in the village.

Lagoon Park is a large community park (10 acres) located on the Marin County Civic Center campus and surrounds a man-made lagoon. It provides expansive views of the landmark Civic Center buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

McInnis Park, also known as John F. McInnis Park, is a large 450 acre regional park located at 310 Smith Ranch Road in San Rafael. Adjoining extensive bay wetlands to the east, McInnis is a multi-use sports and outdoor activity facility that provides an award-winning skate park, two softball fields, two soccer fields, a canoe launch, four tennis courts, a group picnic area, and nature trails.

Set in a beautiful sheltered cove, this 55 acre regional park is located along the shores of San Pablo Bay in San Rafael. The fishing pier is extremely popular—anglers fish for sturgeon, stripped bass, shark, perch, bat ray, halibut, and crab. Facilities include a swimming pool, snack bar, sand volleyball courts, several group picnic areas of varying size, expansive turf areas, and newly renovated tennis courts.

The City of Mill Valley offers ten great parks with in the City's limits. They include: baseball diamonds, creek walking, golf course, hiking, most dog friendly, old growth redwoods, open areas, picnic areas, waterfalls, and all with in a few minutes drive from San Francisco.

Just north of San Francisco's Golden Gate is Mount Tamalpais. It has redwood groves and oak woodlands with a spectacular view from the 2,571-foot peak.??On a clear day, visitors can see the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea, the Marin County hills, San Francisco and the bay, hills and cities of the East Bay, and Mount Diablo. On rare occasions, the Sierra Nevada's snow-covered mountains can be seen 150 miles away.

Muir Woods has a rich and varied history, from its use by the Coast Miwok people, to its early days of tourism and the Mount Tamalpais Mill Valley Scenic Railway, to an era of conservation, to modern preservation. Muir Woods National Monument contains 6 miles of trails.All of these walks afford views of thousands of old-growth coast redwoods, the tallest living things in the world.

The Coast Miwok inhabited at least one site within the area of the present-day park continuously from as early as 6,000 BC, until the early 1850s. ?The park overlooks the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay from the east-facing slopes of 1,558 foot Mount Burdell.

This park offers shore fishing (catfish, bluegill, and bass), the Terwilliger nature trail, picnic areas with barbecue facilities for groups of up to 500 people, a popular children's play structure, lawn areas, large meadows, volleyball, a disc golf course, and horseshoe courts. Swimming is prohibited.

The 315-acre Lake Chabot is stocked with trout and catfish. There are also bass, crappie, and other fish. A popular event is the annual spring fishing derby. Enjoy scenic walks on the 280-acre Fairmont Ridge or take the Lake Chabot history walk.

Visitors can explore miles of beautiful hiking, riding, and bicycling trails through grasslands, chaparral, and shady eucalyptus groves or along the shores of Lake Chabot. Its beautiful year-round public campground, a marksmanship range, and miles of hiking and riding trails make Chabot one of the District's most varied parklands.

The park includes tidelands and upland property along 8.5 miles of shoreline of the San Francisco Bay. Enjoy hiking, biking, bird watching and other day-use activities.

Known as Alameda Beach from the 1880s until the outbreak of World War II, it was an amusement center and day-trip destination for San Francisco and Bay Area residents. The beach is a great achievement of landscaping and engineering.

Originally constructed as a storage lake for drinking water, Temescal opened to the public in 1936 as one of the District's first three parks. Temescal is a convenient urban oasis, popular for swimming, fishing, sunbathing, and picnicking.

From a carousel ride and a picnic to a swim at Lake Anza and a stroll through the Botanic Garden, Tilden has variety to delight everyone. Yet there are plenty of quiet places in Tilden's 2,079 acres to shelter the wildlife and preserve natural beauty.