Real Places - Real People

Angel Island

"If you would escape from the puzzling present for a while into an understandable yesterday place of romance and ghostly beauty, [Angel Island] is for you."                                                                                                                      - Margot Patterson Doss

 

Directions: Angel Island is accessible only by private boat or public ferry. Ferry service is available daily from San Francisco or Tiburon. From Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 43 1/2), the Blue and Gold Ferry provides regular service. For ferry schedules, call 415-773-1188.

Grade: The trail around Angel Island is moderate with small elevation gains. The trail to 781-foot high Mt. Caroline Livermore is quite strenuous.

Distance: Five miles on the Perimeter Trail.

Time: All day.

Special Conditions: Restrooms are available along the trail. A snack bar is at Ayala Cove. Biking is popular on the Perimeter Trail. No dogs. Stay on trails, and avoid poison oak.   

 

Names of features on Angel Island begin to give you a sense of its history: Ayala Cove; West, East and North Garrison; Camp Reynolds and Fort McDowell; China Cove; Quarry Point; Batteries Wallace, Ledyard, and Drew; Alcatraz Gardens; and Mt. Caroline Livermore describe real places named after real people who left their mark on the island.

Named for Lt. Juan Manuel de Ayala, who brought his sailing ship, the San Carlos, to San Francisco Bay in 1775, this area once served as a quarantine station (Hospital Cove) where immigrants believed to be carrying infectious diseases could be isolated. Lt. Ayala also named the island Isla de Los Angeles (Island of the Angels).

Take a few minutes to explore the Visitors Center in the old hospital building near the picnic area to review the displays and to get oriented to the history, topography and biology of the island. Pick up a map, and purchase one of the small guidebooks. An excellent video will introduce you to the island's history.

From the Visitors Center, go uphill to Perimeter Road and turn right.

The first significant development is West Garrison, or Camp Reynolds. Established in 1863 as a Union depot for recruits from the East Coast being assigned in the West, the camp was fortified to head off a possible Confederate invasion of San Francisco Bay. The Angel Island Association has restored a building called “Officers Quarters II” and the adjacent bake house. Nearby is a small church that served the Fort and provided space for a day school.

Moving on, you will soon arrive at a series of batteries: Wallace, Ledyard, and Drew. These were built during the Spanish-American War, became operational in 1904, and were decommissioned in 1909, never having fired a shot in anger.

            Perles Beach is worth a side trip. On a clear day, it's the ultimate view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. On the southeast side of the island is an abandoned Nike missile site, the last military encampment on the island. When the Army left, the entire island, except for one tiny tip used by the Coast Guard, was given to the state of California for park purposes.

            The East Garrison (Fort McDowell) was a troop embarkation point during World War II. The North Garrison served as an Asian immigration station in the early 1900s and was also used to detain Japanese and a few German war prisoners during World War II.

            You can hike, jog or bike around Angel Island in a few hours, but you need years to really get to know it.

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