Angel Island State Park

Angel Island is a California state park located in the San Francisco bay, beyond the Alcatraz island. It is reachable via regular ferry from San Francisco's pier 41, Tiburon, or Oakland/Alameda. From pier 41, it's a fast 25 minute ride, giving you a passing view of Alcatraz and soon the much larger Angel Island. People also kayak there too!

On the island, you can bike (bring your own or rent them), hike 13 miles of road/trails, have a picnic or even camp at one of its 9 campgrounds, or you can take it easy with a tram tour. The 5 mile perimeter road has many points of interests, some giving you fantastic view of the bay bridge and the Golden Gate bridge at the same time! If you hiked to the top of the island Mt Livermore at 788 ft, it's 4.5 miles round trip. Organized tours on the segway are also provided. Dogs are not allowed on the island, however.

The island used to be an army post during the civil war, later it was the used as a recruitment and replacement depot and discharge point for troops returning from WWI, and WWII and a processing facility for POW's. A Nike missile battery was established during the cold war. In the early 1900's it housed immigration station and processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants coming to the USA, it got the name Ellis Island of the west coast, a quarantine station was here too, the building is now the visitor center in Ayala Cove, where a small museum now shows the history and inhabitants of the island.

History, great views(!!) and lots of outdoor activities makes this a great place to spend a day or more if you are in the bay area.