Marin Headlands
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The Marin Headlands is a hilly area at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, above the Golden Gate. The Headlands are located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
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[edit] Natural history
[edit] Climate
The steep hills sometimes create their own clouds when they push moist, warm Pacific Ocean breezes into higher, colder air, causing condensation, fog, fog drip and maybe rain. The same hills also get more precipitation that at sea level, due to the same reason for cloud formation. However, despite being wetter than sea level, the powerful, gusty Pacific winds prevent dense forests from forming. The many gaps, ridges, and valleys in the hills increase the wind speed and periodically, during power winter storms, these winds can reach hurricane force. In summer, winds can still be very gusty, when the oceanic breezes and fog cross the hills.
[edit] Wildlife
The centerpoint of the Marin Headlands skyline is the 920-foot Hawk Hill, the lookout point for the largest known flight of diurnal raptors in the Pacific states. Each autumn, from August into December, tens of thousands of hawks, kites, falcons, eagles, vultures, osprey, and harriers are funnelled by the peninsular shape of Marin County (no lift available to the hawks over water) into the headlands. Volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory count and track this fall migration using bird-banding and radiotracking techniques, all in cooperation with the National Park Service.
[edit] Cultural history
[edit] Military sites
The Marin Headlands is the site of a number of historic military settlements fortifications, including Fort Cronkhite, Fort Barry, a large number of bunkers and batteries, and the SF-88 Nike Missile silo. All military sites in the Headlands are now decommissioned and returned to civilian use. Some military facilities, such as SF-88, have been preserved as historical sites. Other historic landmarks in the Headlands include Point Bonita Lighthouse.
[edit] Recreation
[edit] Views
The Headlands afford spectacular views of San Francisco and, as such, is a very popular tourist attraction. One of the most common photographs of San Francisco is the view of the city from the Headlands with the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge just reaching out of the fog. On clear days, the site affords a panoramic view of this entire region of the bay including the Farallon Islands, Angel Island, Alcatraz, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the East Bay.
[edit] Facitlities and notable places
Other notable areas within Marin Headlands include Kirby Cove, Rodeo Lagoon, and Tennessee Valley.
Various nonprofit organizations have facilities in Marin Headlands. These include the Marine Mammal Center, the Foundation for Deep Ecology, and the Headlands Institute, all in Fort Cronkhite, the Headlands Center for the Arts at Fort Barry, and the Marin Headlands and Tennessee Valley Native Plant Nurseries.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official NPS website
- SFGate: Marin Headlands
- Bay Area Hiker: Marin Headlands
- Headlands Center for the Arts
- Headlands Institute
- Marin Mammal Center
- "Saved by Grit and Grace: Wild Legacy of the Marin Headlands" by John Hart, Bay Nature, July-September 2003.
- "Head for the hills: Marin Headlands offer an inviting getaway just a bridge away from the city" by Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle, July 26, 2001.
