Angel Island State Park

The hike to the top of Mt. Livermore is definitely worth it for a fantastic 360 degree view of the bay.

It’s funny how we go and take long hikes to get out of the city, then find a spot to have a picnic where we can look back at the amazing views of the city we were longing to get out of. Angel Island is really beautiful, though, on its own. There’s a big “adventure” feeling about it since you have to take a ferry to get there. The trail that travels the circumference of the island is just beautiful. On a clear day the bay is just glorious, and there is no better place to see it than Angel Island. When it’s cold out, well…. Angel Island gets a big bad brunt of the weather.

Alcatraz is more well-known, but Angel Island is the real jewel of San Francisco Bay. We took a guided hike to the top of Mount Livermore, and our docent was amazingly knowledgeable. Angel Island was called the “Ellis Island of the West,” where Asian immigrants landed and were often kept in quarantine. The poetry left by detainees on the walls of the immigration station is just heartbreaking.