The Marin Headlands, a hilly peninsula north of San Francisco, are valued for sweeping bay views, dramatic weather, rich wildlife, and layered human history. Their ridges funnel major raptor migrations each year, while protected lands and nearby waters support deer, bobcats, coyotes, seals, whales, and many other species. The peninsula’s rocks preserve evidence of oceanic sediments accreted onto North America, and its past stretches from thousands of years of Coastal Miwok use through ranching and Portuguese dairy farming to heavy military fortification guarding San Francisco Bay. A planned city called Marincello failed in 1970, helping preserve the Headlands as open parkland within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

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