Doug McConnell, Marin television host and environmentalist, dies

Doug McConnell, a television journalist and producer who showcased outdoor destinations in Marin County and elsewhere in California, died Tuesday at age 80.

The Corte Madera resident was the host of the travel show “Bay Area Backroads” on KRON and “OpenRoad with Doug McConnell and Friends” on NBC Bay Area.

Roger Fielding, Marin County’s chief deputy coroner, said Mr. McConnell died of natural causes in San Geronimo.

The OpenRoad staff announced Wednesday that Mr. McConnell struggled from health problems after a stroke in 2023.

His coworkers at “OpenRoad” described him as a “human golden retriever” in their tribute on social media.

“He made friends wherever he went,” the staff said. “He was the best road trip companion you could have, the biggest optimist we ever met, a human GPS with a steel trap memory, friendly to a fault, knowledgeable about most any subject, and filled the world with enthusiastic positivity.”

Mr. McConnell dedicated much of his television career to introducing viewers to the Bay Area’s landscapes and small towns. He focused on the region’s beauty in “Bay Area Backroads” for 23 years. “OpenRoad” will begin its 12th season on Saturday.

In addition to television, Mr. McConnell promoted land conservation around San Francisco Bay and served in the nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper. Marin Humane honored him as a humanitarian of the year, and the San Francisco Bay Trail Project recognized him as a volunteer of the year.

Mr. McConnell recalled his earliest memory of visiting San Francisco Bay in a 2017 video for a fundraiser that benefited the land conservancy nonprofit Save the Bay. He reminisced about smelling the sea air and viewing the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge.

“It was hard not to fall in love with it,” he said.

Mr. McConnell suffered a series of strokes later in his life. In 2013, he told the Independent Journal about the onset of a small stroke while walking on Christmas Tree Hill in Corte Madera.

“I started walking with the doggies, and then the worst thing happened — the worst thing,” Mr. McConnell joked in his recollection. “I dropped my latte. This was unbelievable.”

Nearly a decade later, he suffered another stroke. An online fundraiser generated more than $150,000 to help pay for his expenses while he recovered from surgery.

Mr. McConnell, who lived in Corte Madera for 40 years, is survived by his wife, Kathy Taft, and sons Nicholas and Patrick.

Memorial services were not announced as of Thursday.