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Gorgeous island with a tumultuous history. Enjoy the views or dig deeper for a better understanding of what some call “Ellis island west”.
Angel Island is by far one of the most spectacular hikes in the Bay Area. You’ll get a full 360 of the bay and all bridges. Pack a picnic, the hike around the island is a good 5 miles.
The first time I ever visited was by sailboat and it felt like we were in the Mediterranean. This little respite from the thick, notorious, Bay Area fog.
The views, oh the views!!
This is a full day trip and you’ll enjoy preparing for it as such. There’s a little cafe on the island but you’re much better off packing a picnic. Make sure to take some wet wipes, as the few bathrooms scattered across the island are rustic.
If you go during the week, it’s quite possible to have much of the island to yourself.
Good place for a casual hike, with beautiful views of San Francisco and the bay. The ferry from Tiburon costs $18 per person and takes 20 minutes to arrive at the island. The ferry back to Tiburon leaves 20 minutes after the hour, every hour, until 5:20pm (on weekends.)
The whole loop around the island is around six miles and mostly paved. A lot of it is uncovered, so plan accordingly during the hot season. Bikes are allowed on the trail. As a result, you'll see a lot of inexperienced bikers around you when hiking. If you prefer to bike yourself, e-bikes are available for rentals for $16 per hour or $64 for the whole day (as of Sep/2023).
Facilities include public restrooms (near the pier only) and a place to buy sandwiches and beverages. There are many places to picnic and campground spaces for overnight camping. For those who prefer not to walk, motorized tours of the island are available.
Overall, this a great place to spend a few hours and burn some calories. If coming back to Tiburon, you can recover some of those calories by enjoying one of the many restaurants and coffee shops in the area.
Really nice biking and hiking experience. It’s not as touristic as some of the other islands (Sausalito) but I do believe it is way better!
We recommend doing the bike across the island and then doing the hike. We rented the bikes once we arrived, but I do believe it is cheaper to do it outside the island and rent them for the day instead.
A must do in San Francisco! You really can’t beat that view 😉
TLDR: nice hiking and scenic views with a cool history and museum about immigration history on the island
The ferry to the island was quick from SF, less than 30 minutes. The views were very scenic even on a cloudy day. We enjoyed the immigration museum (free) and the detention center ($5) on our home around the island. From the port to the immigration museum is about a 35 minute walk (some uphill involved including long flights of stairs) but the roundabout way without stairs takes another 15-20 minutes longer.
Very beautiful island with a lot of history, hiking trails and amazing views of San Francisco city and Bay . You need to take short ferry rides to get there.best time to visit there is on the sunny day. Pack your snacks and water before get on trails.
