The Marin Headlands, those dramatic ridges north of the Golden Gate, were formed millions of years ago when the Pacific Ocean broke through the coastal ranges. These rugged escarpments, technically the foothills of Mount Tamalpais, are named (along with the county itself) for legendary Miwok leader Chief Marin. In the 16th century, Spanish, English, and Russian ships found refuge in the lee side of the headlands, in present-day Sausalito. Governments from Spain, Mexico, and the United States used the headlands as a military companion to the Presidio in San Francisco from the Civil War through the cold war. Forts Baker, Barry, and Cronkite held hidden batteries and housed soldiers in among verdant valleys of orchards and livestock. In 1972, the U.S. Congress transferred the Marin Headlands to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).

"The publication of this book marks a time of transition for the Marin Headlands. After 100 years of military occupation, obscure and off limits to the public, the Marin Headlands, under the stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, are emerging into the light of public use. Headlands is a portrait of this place--hills, cliffs, beaches, and coves unwittingly protected against the advances of commercial development by the army. The headlands are rich in historical significance, natural beauty, and environmental phenomena, and countless incidents of irony, juxtaposition, and camouflage. This book is a portrait of the quiet turnings and sudden grandeur of a wild place. It also tracks the process of discovery by five artists who began their explorations of the headlands in the fall of 1987."--from preface