Angel Island
Amazing Bay Views
Julia and I took the long journey from Oakland to Angel Island for a day of hiking and exploring this beautiful state park. The island is located scenically and precariously in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay headlands, with the vast Pacific Ocean sprawling out beyond.
Angel Island offers expansive 360° views of the San Francisco skyline, the Marin County Headlands, Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Richmond, Tiburon, Sausalito, and Mount Tamalpais. The entire island is included within Angel Island State Park administration. The isle, now a California Historical Landmark, has been used for a variety of purposes, including military forts, a U.S. Public Health Service Quarantine Station, and a U.S. Bureau of Immigration inspection and detention facility. The Angel Island Immigration Station on the northeast corner of the island, where officials detained, inspected, and examined approximately one million immigrants, has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is well worth a visit to this beautiful island.
But if you visit this magnificent place, make sure you take the North Ridge Trail to the peak of Mt. Livermore. This hike is the most gorgeous of the island's trails, and Mt. Livermore offers the most spectacular views.