A hidden gem of the SF Bay Area is this ferry trip and hike or picnic or historic site tour — whatever you choose to do on this island. Alcatraz is fine, but this is the less traveled destination. Amazing views. Feeling of being outdoors in the landscape. And you can have a beer on the boat - but better being lunch for your hike. A little wild place in the middle of a sprawling urban area.

My daughter and I were staying in Tiburon and decided to take the ferry to Angel Island and rent mountain bikes for a few hours. As soon as we got off the ferry, we found where to rent bikes. A most helpful man set us up with great mountain bikes and explained the various trails and what to expect. We wanted to do the loop that went around the whole island. We absolutely loved the stunning views! Amazing! We survived a few steep hills and made it back in time for the ferry. We spent about 3-4 hours on the island which was perfect for us. Naturally we had to buy a t shirt at the gift shop! I’d highly recommend an outing to Angel Island.

Did my research online before going and had zero issues. Packed a lunch. Grabbed a pastry from the Ferry Building before boarding the earliest ferry to the island. Spoke to one of the park staff who gave me excellent advice on the trail/road options. I circled around before walking down to the original dock/hospital/barracks area. I was so impressed with the experience… informative, sad, moving, and relevant to our current climate. Again, the park staff shared more information and suggested a beautiful spot to eat lunch. I returned to the ferry mid-afternoon and easily boarded. I didn’t know what to fully expect during my solo day on Angel Island, but the natural parts combined with the incredible history was five stars.

The walk.around the island needs improve signage at beginning and end of trail.to ferry dock on island. I got lost near end coming back because at times when the main trail branches out there are no signs. Also I find the best way to see island is clockwise however the very beginning of trail is a steep upward climb on some stairs. And I am concern of the consequences of not making the last boat on schedule and I know there are people every year that do but the Park Service is afraid to publicize those consequences. Otherwise it's a beautiful hike combining panoramic view of SF Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge while listening to nature ... birds chirping and the waves crashing on rocks below.

We came here for a special occasion. You can catch the ferry in either San Francisco or Tiburon. We chose the latter. The ferries leave about once every 3 hours. On the website for the state park they said that the buildings don’t open til 11am so we caught the 11am ferry. Nowhere on the website did it say if they provided food on the island so we went to a restaurant in Tiburon and bought lunch to bring with us. Upon arriving on island we saw they had two restaurants (one was closed for remodeling). There is no literature when you get off the ferry of what to do or see first. We walked all the way to a building in the distance thinking it was a museum but it wasn’t. Then we decided to rent bikes. But my husband did not bring tennis shoes so they would not rent bikes to us! There had been a landslide so one could not do a 360 degree walk/hike/tram tour around the island. I didn’t want to do a long hike but we did do a nice picnic about a 30 minute walk from ferry landing. Great views of Tiburon and Mount Tampalais. As a last resort we took the tram tour. If you are hearing impaired they provide a script of what the guide is saying. I requested one because they usually are more detailed. The historical information was very interesting. The tram made three stops but only let people off at one stop. It was far too rushed and was 15 minutes shorter than described. All and all I think our visit was fair and I felt a bit disappointed as I was expecting more. Bicycling would be the best way to visit some of the buildings on the island. If you love hiking or bicycling it is a nice place to do such with great views.