A NatureBridge program is an overnight outdoor experience that complements your student’s typical academic school program and deepens their connection to nature and the world around them. At NatureBridge students will:
The Marin Headlands is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. NatureBridge has two different campus locations in the Marin Headlands. Only a five-minute drive apart, your school may be assigned to either of our campuses.
Our food is made in house and served in one of our dining halls on campus. The dining halls are located on campus next to our dorms and are shared among the schools on site. Most hot food items are served by our staff, while the other items such as the fruit or salad bar are self-served, buffet style. All food is prepared in large quantities or buffet style and is not individually plated.
Please read our Dietary Restrictions (Spanish) document to see what we can and cannot accommodate.
Our amazing kitchen staff works hard to provide nutritional, student- and chaperone-friendly meals to keep our participants fully charged throughout their program. You are welcome to view our weekly menu. Food is prepared to be served mainly buffet style, so we cannot make individual ingredient changes to accommodate individual participants. Many components of our meals, especially in our lunches, are served individually so participants can select which items they would like and pass on those they would not. Our meals have vegetarian and vegan options and we have regular gluten-free options that we offer as needed. If you are concerned about dietary restrictions, please see our Dietary Restrictions (Spanish) document.
We ask that you do not send your individual student with additional food other than lunch for their arrival day. We cannot store any food in the dorms and any food sent will be collected to be stored in another location. Students do not have individual access to this location and would require an adult to leave the group and attend to this need with them.
If your student requires supplemental food for a dietary restriction or medical need, you are welcome to send them with additional food. It will be stored in one of our kitchenettes, not our dining hall or industrial kitchen, and will need to be accessed with an adult. If you think this may be the case, please review our Dietary Restrictions (Spanish) document.
Beach campus amenities:
Beach campus does not provide:
Bluff campus amenities:
Bluff campus does not provide:
All schools will be staying in dorms with bunk beds. Your school may be in fewer spaces with larger rooms that hold more people or in multiple smaller rooms. Reach out to your Group Coordinator for additional information on your exact assignments.
All dorms have a bathroom in the building. We do not guarantee private rooms to any participants. Our dorms are typically split into male and female assigned rooms and/or buildings. We can work to provide gender neutral accommodations as needed.
We maintain a minimum ratio of one adult for every 20 students in the dorms. Students must be supervised at all times, so chaperones will be staying in the dorms with students.
We recommend students bring either a sleeping bag and pillow (with a pillow case) or sheets and blankets. The beds have twin sized mattresses and have a mattress cover. Some participants prefer to bring a sheet to place under their sleeping bag as well.
Your student must be able to carry all of their bedding on their own. While the dorms are heated, we recommend bringing warm bedding.
All schools should expect to share their dorm buildings with another school. There are times when a school may have a space to themselves, but that is uncommon and should not be expected.
Yes, all dorms have a bathroom in the building including the showers. There are no separate buildings for showers.
We work with schools and students to determine what situations may be best for them given our accommodations. If your need is shared with our teams in advance, we work to give options to ensure the students are comfortable. This may include staying in a gendered dorm with friends, staying in a different dorm or room that is designated as gender neutral, or using a gender neutral bathroom.
If our teams are not notified of the preference for gender neutral accommodations at least 30 days before the program, we may not be able to accommodate them.
Please see our Safety and Risk Management Practices (Spanish) for more information on how NatureBridge manages risk while your student is on site.
Student supervision is your school chaperones’ main responsibility. Students should be supervised by an adult at all times and not one on one with anyone, student or adult. During our field day, students will be in a small group with one NatureBridge educator and at least one school chaperone.
Outside of the field day, including overnight and activity time, students are supervised by your school adults.
Please give the medications with detailed instructions regarding the appropriate times and dosages to be taken to your teacher or designated school staff member. Adults with your school will be responsible for holding and distributing all medications regardless of whether they are over-the-counter or prescription. The one exception is that NatureBridge asks that any life-saving medication (i.e. inhalers, epi-pens, insulin, etc.) be carried by the student to ensure they are not separated from it. If you have specific concerns, you are welcome to reach out to your Group Coordinator.
NatureBridge strives to provide an inclusive experience for all students of varying abilities. Our educators work to create a program that meets the needs of their entire group. If a student has mobility limitations that will restrict their ability to participate in the program, this should be discussed with a member of our Operations team and your school’s group coordinator prior to the start of your program.
We work with the school’s Group Coordinator—and if needed, the family directly—to see what specific accommodations may be needed. This could include some adjusted activities, having the student participate in certain parts of the day and opt out of others, utilizing a beach wheelchair, and/or a car being used to support transporting between locations. Please reach out to your Group Coordinator to start a conversation around supporting your student.
It is NatureBridge's policy that parent/guardian chaperones cannot be in the same trail group as their student. This is because we believe in a student-centered experience that resembles their classroom environment as closely as possible. Through decades of running environmental science education programs, we have found that the best way to support students is to have them in a group separate from their parent/guardian and that all students are supported in the group as needed. We appreciate your understanding!
If there is a medical or behavioral reason a student needs an aid, there may be exceptions to this policy. If your student has a reason to request an exception, please ensure that your school’s Group Coordinator communicates this with a member of our Operations Team before the start of your program.
Our day encompasses many learning opportunities, exploration, meals, and engaging activities. Click here to see sample activities and a general daily schedule below:
6:45 a.m.- Wake up (no earlier)
7 a.m. or 8 a.m.- Breakfast
9 a.m.- Morning Meeting
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.- Learning Groups explore the Marin Headlands
4 p.m.- Activity time
5 p.m. or 6 p.m.- Dinner time
7:10 p.m.- Evening Meeting
7:30 p.m.- Evening Program
8:30 p.m.- Get ready for bed
9:15 p.m.- Lights out
Students will have a field day from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. During that day, students will hike, stop for snack and water breaks, have lunch on the trail, explore a nature moment, and do a number of lessons in different parts of the parks. While hiking is our main mode of transportation to explore our park, unless a school selects a challenge hike as their preferred component, we will not be straight hiking for the majority of the day.
Our typical program can have a variety of levels of activity and will be tailored to the students as the educators get to know them on the first day and use the information provided by the school staff during our planning phase. All participants should be prepared to be on uneven and unpaved terrain. If a group is doing a challenge hike, there may be a day where participants hike longer distances (5-7 miles) with elevation gain (~900 feet), but only if the NatureBridge educator decides that the group can safely engage in the challenge hike. Otherwise our hikes average around 1.5-4 miles with some elevational gain depending on the route. Please see the questions above to see more information about the hiking days.
There is access to a limited number of flush toilets on campus as well as multiple National Park Service-operated bathrooms, which may be either pit toilets or flush toilets. Most of our hiking routes and teaching spaces have easy bathroom access.
See a full packing list (Spanish)
The bandana serves as a “crumb-catcher” or placemat for our field lunches. Students can also bring a dish towel or other small cloth that could be used as a placemat for their food.
Yes, all participants need to bring their own towel and toiletries.
Visit weather.gov or wunderground.com to see what current weather conditions are like in the Sausalito area.
Please note that the Marin Headlands is a microclimate and does not always reflect the weather conditions in Sausalito. It can often be cold, damp, and foggy, then turn into a beautiful warm sunny day in a short span of time. Bringing layers for all types of weather will ensure your student’s comfort during their program.