ANGEL ISLAND: History and Nature in the Middle of San Francisco Bay

Angel Island Ferry Landing and view of Visitor Center

Angel Island sits in the middle of San Francisco Bay, a short ferry ride from San Francisco, Oakland, or Tiburon in Marin County.  Or, if you have your own boat, you can sail over and tie up at the dock during the day and moor in the bay overnight.  Once a military base and immigration center (the West Coast equivalent of Ellis Island) Angel Island is now a state park, a natural haven that is home to birds, deer, and other wildlife, and a place where city folks can spend the day hiking and relaxing.  You can also rent kayaks,  bicycles, Segways, and scooters near the ferry landing.

In early July, Art and I met friends at Angel Island for the day.  They came on their boat and we took the ferry from Tiburon, along with a group of day camp children, who delighted in watching the gulls follow the boat and dive after the fish that were stirred up in its wake.  Later, we watched the kids trying to catch their own fish off the dock, but no one had any luck.

Camp Reynolds (West Garrison)

After arriving at the dock and meeting our friends, we followed the path past the picnic area and visitor center to the main road around the island.  We walked for about a third of the way around the island before returning for lunch.  We had a picnic, but you can also buy food at the small café at the ferry landing.

After lunch, we took the tram ride around the island, which takes about an hour and is an opportunity to hear some of the history of Angel Island and see the variety of the landscape on the different sides of the island.  The tram stopped for photos at an overlook where we had a spectacular view of the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Marin headlands.  We were told that if we hiked the steep trail to the top of the island on a clear day, we would get a 360 degree view of the whole San Francisco Bay area.

Angel Island Tram

We had a beautifully clear, warm, and sunny day for our visit.  But San Francisco Bay can also be quite foggy.  For ships traveling through the Golden Gate, the rocky coast around Angel Island can be a hazard. One of the stories we heard on our tram ride was about the people who operated the fog bell at the Point Knox Lighthouse on the island in the early days.  The bell was designed with a mechanism that struck it automatically.  But, one foggy day in 1906, the mechanism for the bell failed and the only person home at the time was Juliet Fish Nichols, who had become the lighthouse keeper in 1902.  The bay was full of ships bringing in supplies after the recent San Francisco earthquake and Juliet knew she had to do something to warn them to keep a safe distance from the island.  So she took a sledge hammer to hit the large bell by hand, which she continued to do for twenty hours straight until the fog lifted. Juliet later received commendation for her heroic effort.  Although the lighthouse building at Point Knox is long gone, the large bell remains as a reminder of earlier days.

View of Alcatraz and San Francisco from Angel Island

Angel Island is a great place to spend the day.  For links to ferry schedules and more information about Angel Island's history and facilities, go to the Angel Island State Park site. [Note: some services have changed since this article was written.]

For more about Juliet Nichols, her log, Angel Island, the Point Knox Lighthouse, 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and more go to https://carolinearnoldart.blogspot.com/p/extra-material-for-keeper-of-light.html .