Angel Island State Park Reviews

Great views of the Bay and its bridges. Very friendly, helpful rangers. Cool history and structures.

Beautiful. Family fun spot. Bring hat umbrella & sunscreen!

We enjoy taking a mooring ball here with the boat. Clean. Friendly. Wonderful hiking. Awesome views. Interesting history. A wonderful state park worth your visit.

Great historic island on the San Francisco Bay worth visiting.

Beautiful island! We had a guided tour across the island and had the chance to learn a lot about this place. Plus: great view on SF from the top of the island

Wow, what an experience; I went there with my wife and friends and enjoyed a lot. A place filled with scenic natural beauty as well as carries a lot of historical evidences. One of the most visit places if you are in San Francisco.

An easy scenic hike just a boat ride away from San Francisco. With the ferry timing though, I'd say there are better hikes out there if you've got a car.

You can get there by Ferry from pier 41. There are several of them every day. Better to check schedule in advance. One way price is about $9.50. Ferry operated by Gold and Blue fleet. Island offers lots of things to do. You can go to the top and enjoy fascinating view of San Francisco, both Golden Gate and Bay Bridge bridges, Alcatraz and bay area surrounds. On the other hand is loop trail around the island which can take whole day. But it s worth it. Fantastic views, awesome nature, singing birds, smelling flowers and some historical points to explore as a great bonus. Good idea will be to take something for a picnic on fresh air. Good luck and have wonderful time on Angel Island.

Good hiking and beautiful views. Ferry ride from Tiburon is quick. Public moorage in sheltered cove. Spend a few hours or camp overnight ( need reservations for camping ). Great day out of the hustle of SF.

I saw dolphins and sea otter off the water. Several birds of prey. Old hospital from before ww1

Loved it! Would like to camp overnight. Nice little cafe with yummy food, Cantina with live music on the weekends, great guides and beautiful grounds.

Great place to get out of the heavily touristed areas. Even on a busy Saturday I was able to find solitude and enjoy the views

This is a great place to come and enjoy amazing views, local history, plants and wildlife. From the ferry ride over to waiting for the ferry back, this is one of my favorite places to visit as often as I can.

Fun place just visited to take the ferries and see the shore lines and golden gate. Take your bike they donde have enough to rent. And food its a little pricey. Lots of history.

Take a trip to Angel Island and learn a bit of California history. Bbqs available at beach side. Bus tour, Restaurant and more bring the family!

Every visit here is a treat. Beautiful nature, nice trails, not too challenging at all. Interesting immigration station museum. Ferry ride is short but so refreshing. We love visiting this island.

Great views of the bay. You can bike the entire island in about an hour

Beautiful place! Extremely expensive! But beautiful.

From the peak at night, the lights glittering in 360 degrees around is one of the best views of the Bay Area, but you'd better book a weekend camping reservation 6 months in advance.

Excellent for a day trip, complete with biking, picnicking, and beaching. Obviously, bring a jacket for the evening--it is still the Bay Area.

The ferry doesn't take Clipper for this location, but you can buy tickets aboard the boat. You show your ticket before disembarking.

AllTrails or Google Maps both work pretty well here.

Amazingly easy to get to from downtown SF. Very helpful state park rangers.

Great place to visit in the San Francisco bay. Plan to spend a whole day at the place. Hike to Mt. Livermore (once you get past a few strainous stairs the hike is pretty easy), then rent a bike to go around the island, pack a picnic or eat at the cafe. Trams available for tours. Cafe/bike rentals/trams closed in winter.

Good park. It is very easy to get here. There are few trails there. Bus tour is also available. There are few cafes there, not sure about quality of food.

Definitely worth visiting! Lots of history and nature. Really a gorgeous place!

Surprisingly historic (to a non-native Californian anyway) and awesome views. Nice cafe too.

Generally the trails here are nice; however, as someone who suffers from a fear of heights I did find myself wishing they were a little wider to allow passerbys to more easily share the trail. The views here are absolutely stunning and the main reason to visit in my opinion.

my very first time going Angel Island and here is few pictures I took well at the island.. hope you enjoy

The plan is to review 3 ways:) this is the first. We are blessed to own a boat and that said. The island is a short ride from our dock in Sausalito. Don t tell anyone but the park service of California fiesta great job of presenting a beautiful set of docks and mooring field to welcome you. Don t know if I m right but I think it s around 15 bucks for the day . Not sure cause I buy a poppy pass yearly to go anytime and to many other state parks. Great day hanging and watching the boats roll in. Great cantina and deli to. Next I ll check in about great hikes some short and pretty and some up to 5 miles! Great fun

A nice park, interesting history and great views of the Bay. I hope that the state will be able to restore more of the island's buildings in the future.

Always fun to ride the ferry, romp around the island, and see the most beautiful views in the bay.

A very chill ~5 mile loop to the top and back, with absolutely gorgeous views of SF Bay (at least on a sunny, clear day). Beautiful trees, too.

A tranquil secluded escape from the business of the city, everyone should spend a day at Angel Island! Be sure to bundle up on the West side because it can get chilly. For warmer weather and more sun, visit the East side of Angel Island!

Loved this place. The history here is amazing. Great hiking trails, but the Tram was awesome!!!!

I only went to this island because it was the only way for me to go to Alcatraz but I am so glad I did. The tram tour was very informative and the island itself is really cool.

Soo beautiful. Can't believe this is just a 15 min ferry ride away from the city. Tons of hiking paths and amazing views.

Great place for hiking, clean, easy and safe trekking trail suitable for kids too; Many flowers, butterflies & birdies along the trail, panoramic view of San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, cold & windy weather in the summer; there is also bike rental on the island, you can do cycling around the island.

You will never forget biking around this island. We packed a picnic and rented the ebikes. Found a shady tree with a view of SF. Had time to go around the 5mile road 2 times in 2 hours.

This is a very cute little island that gives you a gorgeous view of San Francisco. Just watch that you can only get here either from SF or from Tiburon. We were trying to get there from Sasaulito but ended up booking to Tiburon. There's a nice trail that loops around the island. We decided to walk and it took us to an elevation point to see the golden gate bridge and SF. Also a trail that goes to a peak but takes about 2 hrs and we didn't have time as we needed to catch the ferry back.

Very good place for hiking and biking, very good place ,very calm quiet atmosphere, we can take with us, bike in the ferry for going at this beautiful place. Or we can get rented bike,very good walkway or for biking, administrative building and guard house, which we have to reach, campsite is very good. Park very good . historical landmark, Angel island beautiful national park ,lovely memorable place for one day trip

Great hikes. My wife thought the hills were more than she expected, but the hike was fine. Beautiful views, history, and like a mini vacation.

It's a beautiful place to take your family to go camping to have a barbecue to go hiking or bike riding

The island is a lot bigger than I expected. 2 hours was not nearly enough to circumnavigate the entire island. 4-6 hours would have been more appropriate

Highly recommended seeing this island. Only way to get there is by boat. You can camp and hike even take the tours they have there. The beaches and old building are beautiful.

Beautiful place for a weekend hike. Its really windy out there so dont forget to wear something warm

Beautiful escape with great picnic areas and interesting guided tours. I recommend this to anyone

Shame on me, 20years in the bay and never visited such beautiful place. Now it is fixed, the hike bottom to top is Awesome and the view is simply stunning

beautiful park, bring sunscreen and plenty of water though, it gets really hot here, offers awesome views of the bay and sfo

awesome views, worth giving a shot. You can bring your food along or have picnics here too.

If you live in the city and like nature, this is definitely a must-see when you're looking for a weekend outing. It's super accessible by ferry. There's something for everyone here: you can hike up the island, walk around it on (mostly) flat road, take a shuttle tour, visit the historic immigration center, stop by the old military sites, BBQ at the park, or just chill on the beach. There's also a restaurant. I'm surprised by the number of people living in SF who haven't even heard of this place. Definitely give it a go. Really amazing views all around.

Beautiful island lots of interesting and historical landmarks to look at. Had a great time there.

The key is get the first ferry at 10:00 am. Covid restrictions are handled very well during boarding. The cafe and tram are open and at least during the weekday there are no crowds.

Must try. Go there for camping with great view of San Francisco.

It is an island in the bay of San Francisco, with a spectacular panoramic view, the national parks have the worst bathrooms, very dirty, they are disgusting, considering the price you pay to go, they have a lot to improve. It is a quiet place, they have food offer, bike rides. It has several abandoned places and a lot of history, I consider it worth going to, but they should try harder to keep it better, the audio guide they offer is very good.

So nice, many hidden spots off the beaten path to check out. Alwas something new to find, and changes with the season.

Absolute must and a little insider tip for trips to SF. By far the best views of Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, SF and the hinterland. Even on weekends, the visitors spread very well over the island.

It was a nice place, but the only place with a flush toilet was the immigration Center, and the campsite bathrooms could be a LOT better.

Not so strenous hike of ~5 miles round-trip. Beautiful view of Bay bridge and Golden gate bridge from the peak.

Excellent city viewing spot, hiking area, wIth picnic areas and a history tour at the immigration station (Ellis island of the west).

10,000 years ago, "Angel Island was connected to the mainland" but it was cut off by the rise in sea levels at the last ice age.

2,000 years ago, the island was a fishing and hunting site for Coastal Miwok Indians.



In 1848, the first Chinese entered California and within a few years, thousands more came, lured by the promise of Gam Sann or "Gold Mountain."

In 1863, during the Civil War, the U.S. Army established Camp Reynolds on Angel Island to protect San Francisco Bay. The island later became a garrison for infantry companies, including infantry serving in campaigns against American Indians in the West.

In 1891, a quarantine station was opened in Ayala Cove (which at the time was known as Hospital Cove).

In 1899, a Detention Camp was established on the east side of the Island, next to the quarry, to house returning troops who had been stricken with, or exposed to, contagious diseases. The first Army unit to occupy the camp was the 31st Volunteer Infantry, which had smallpox in its ranks.

1900s, the army designated the entire island as "Fort McDowell" and developed further facilities there, including what is now called the East Garrison or Fort McDowell.

In 1905, construction of an Immigration Station began in the area known as China Cove. The facility, primarily a detention center, was designed to control the flow of Chinese into the country.

In 1907, military personnel received their initial training on the island, then forward them to their assigned posts.

In 1909, using military prisoners from the "Army Prison on Alcatraz" as labor, major building began on what had been the site of the Discharge Camp and Fort McDowell expanded into a Recruit Depot.

From 1910 to 1940, the Angel Island Immigration Station processed approximately 1 million Asian immigrants entering into the United States, leading to it sometimes being referred to as "The Ellis Island of the West."

During WWII, Japanese, and German POWs were held on the island, which was also used as a jumping off point for American soldiers returning from the Pacific.

In 1947, the army decommissioned the military base.

In 1954, a Nike missile station was installed on the island for defense. The missile magazines were constructed above Point Blunt on the island's southeast corner, and the top of Mount Ida (now Mount Caroline Livermore) was flattened and the associated radar and tracking station (IFC) was installed there.

In 1955, the State Park Commission authorized California State Parks to purchase 37 acres around Ayala Cove, marking the birth of Angel Island State Park. Four years later, additional acreage was purchased.

In 1962, the last federal Department of Defense personnel withdrew turning over the entire island as a state park in December of the same year.

In 1962, the missiles were removed when the military finally left the island and turned it back over to the public sector. The missile launch pad still exists, but the station atop Mount Caroline Livermore was completely removed and the mountaintop was later restored to its original contours.

In 1964, the Chinese American community successfully lobbied the State of California to designate the immigration station as a State Landmark.

In 1963, most of the island was turned over to California State Parks Department. Angel Island Immigration Station is a federally designated National Historic Landmark.

On February 16, 2009, Angel Island was renovated by the California State Parks and re-opened.

My visit:
During my experience to the island, I remembered that the trip over was "cold" because it was during the spring time. The island offers a lot of hiking trails but not much else to see other than markers to tell what the island was all about.

Interesting trip, nice views. But prepare to really strong and cold winds

A very historic place. The west Garrison (Camp Reynolds) is civil war era history. Don't miss the firing of the cannon - much cool! The old immigration station is very poignant in light of recent news of families getting split up at the southern US border. The west Garrison is like a ghost town of big hulking buildings with empty windows and vacant rooms from the WWII era.

One of my favorite places to visit in Northern California! Been coming here since I was a kid and still enjoy it 20 years later. Wonderful place to escape into nature and go on a hike or two.

Wow! What a beautiful, underrated gem of San Francisco. Beautiful views and rich history with it's own microclimate and ecosystem. Seriously if you.get the chance you should check this place out.

Amazing 360 views of both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. great for hiking and biking!

Amazing and often overlooked. This island is a real cool spot.

Excellent outing and trekking well kept. You get 360 degree view of the bay

very good place to walk and explore it's a lot of fun