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Home Get Involved Wonders & Wanders Angel Island State Park |
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Angel Island State
Park
Overview Basics
Getting There
Angel Island owes its existence to sediments deposited by glacial runoff from the Sierras. The sandy deposits formed sedimentary sandstone; Angel Island is a large chunk of this sandstone that was uplifted by geologic forces from the bay floor. As the glaciers of the last ice age started to melt 14,000 to 16,000 years ago, the rising ocean slowly covered the coastal plain that is now the continental shelf. About 8,000 years ago the ocean started flooding through the Golden Gate, filling the bay and surrounding the rocky mound that is now known as Angel Island. For several thousand years before the arrival of European explorers, the Coastal Miwok people maintained fishing and hunting camps on Angel Island. The Miwok caught salmon, striped bass and other fish that migrate through Raccoon Strait, and hunted seals, sea lions, ducks and other game. They traveled between the island and the mainland in boats made from the tule reeds that were common in the marshlands of the bay. The history of Angel Island changed dramatically with the arrival of European explorers at San Francisco Bay in 1769. In August 1775, Spanish naval captain Juan Manuel de Ayala brought his sailing ship, the San Carlos, into the bay and anchored in what is now Ayala Cove at Angel Island. Ayala named the island Santa Maria de los Angels (Angel Island) in honor of the "Blessed Virgin as Queen of the Angels." The Spanish mission in San Francisco opened a year later, and during the next two decades the Miwok population was driven out of the region or drawn to the mission, where they were decimated by European diseases and forced labor. Russian ships stopped at Angel Island around 1808, establishing storehouses for sea otter hunting expeditions. In 1814, the crew of the HMS Raccoon, a British warship, repaired their storm-damaged vessel on the beach at Ayala Cove, thus inspiring the naming of the Raccoon Strait between Angel Island and Tiburon. In 1839 the Mexican governor of California granted the island to Antonio Mario Osio, who established a cattle ranch on it. Angel Island (and the rest of California) became the territory of the United States in 1848, and the Army established camps and placed cannons on the island during the Civil War. These camps were later used as a staging area for soldiers fighting Apache, Sioux, Modoc, and other Native American tribes in the west. A quarantine station was built on the island in 1899 to isolate troops who contracted contagious diseases in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, and the island was formally named Fort McDowell in 1900. The island also served as a major point of embarkation for troops serving in World Wars I and II. The Immigration Station that opened on the island in 1910 processed approximately 175,000 Chinese and 60,000 Japanese immigrants during thirty years of operation. Many of these immigrants endured lengthy and humiliating detentions at the Immigration Station as a result of restrictive federal immigration laws. In 1917 the Immigration Station was also briefly used as a prison for "enemy aliens," most of whom were German citizens arrested in West Coast harbors when the US declared war on Germany. During World War II the Immigration Station also served as a temporary detention center for hundreds of Japanese, German, and Italian prisoners of war. After World War II the federal government declared the island surplus property, which attracted the attention of developers. Subsequent plans to develop Angel Island ranged from covering the island in houses to a "Coney Island" style amusement park. The battle to protect Angel Island spanned three decades, but we'll discuss this history at the summit of Mount Caroline Livermore, named in honor of the woman who led the citizens' movement to make Angel Island a state park.
From the ferry terminal, walk along the beach toward the visitor's center. Behind the visitor's center you'll find the Sunset Trail; go left on this trail as it goes uphill toward the center of the island. You'll follow the Sunset Trail for the next mile and a half until you reach the summit. Cross over the wide Perimeter Road and continue to follow the Sunset Trail as it starts to switchback up the hillside. After about half a mile you'll encounter your first panoramic view of Tiburon, Belvedere and the Golden Gate Bridge. As you walk on the Sunset Trail, you'll notice lots of eucalyptus, cypress and Monterey pine that were planted by the military. The state parks department is in the process of removing the eucalyptus, which reproduces quickly and has a tendency to take over wherever it's planted. Prior to the trees being planted, this area consisted largely of open grasslands and coastal scrub bushes. Many exotic flowering plants are on the lower reaches of the island, including buttercups, paintbrush and lupine. You'll see them flowering if you visit during springtime, particularly right after the winter rains. In the summer the island's color palette is reduced, particularly in the upper reaches, but still diverse.
Walk another half mile and you're at the summit. Along the way you'll notice many places to sit down for lunch and take photos. When you reach the peak, admire the sweeping views of the bay and cities as well as the beauty of the island around you. You might think about how fortunate we are to have protected open spaces like Angel Island so close to our cities and towns, but realize that this is the case only because Bay Area residents took action to protect open spaces and create livable communities in the Bay Area. The movement to incorporate Angel Island into the state park system began in 1947 after the federal government declared the island surplus property. The Marin Conservation League, and in particular Caroline Livermore, spearheaded the movement to protect the island from commercialization. During the nearly twenty years it took to permanently protect the entire island, many individuals and organizations, including Citizens for Regional Recreation and Parks, the forerunner of Greenbelt Alliance, supported this effort. In 1954 the first part of the island was protected when several groups persuaded the State Park Commission to acquire 37 acres around Ayala Cove. Around this same time, Cold War tensions led the Army to reoccupy parts of the island and shave 25 feet off the summit to make way for a Nike antiaircraft missile battery. The movement to protect the island continued despite the Army's presence, however, and in 1958 additional acreage was added to the park. That same year the summit was named Mount Caroline Livermore. In 1963, the missile battery was deactivated and in December of that same year the entire island became property of the state park system. In 2002 the state used funds from a voter-approved state park bond to restore Mt. Livermore's peak to its original shape and glory. After you're done at the summit, follow the signs to the North Ridge Trail to begin your descent, which will be more gradual than your ascent via the Sunset Trail. The "down" part of the hike along the North Ridge Trail is approximately 3.5 miles to Ayala Cove. As you start to head down, you'll quickly notice groves of live oak and madrone, which are native to the west and north slopes of the island. You may also spot toyon or California holly, magnificent with bright red berries in winter. This walk is more north facing than the ascent and you'll get better views of San Pablo Bay, the Carquinez Strait and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, plus the large refinery complex at Pt. Richmond. Also in sight are East Bay cities like Oakland and Berkeley. Exotic plant species begin to reappear as you descend to just 300' of elevation. You may notice the island's large variety of raptors, including red-tail hawks and Cooper's hawks, ever on the watch for rodents. Deer and raccoons also roam the interior of the island. Directly to the south you'll see Alcatraz Island, the former Spanish outpost and U.S. Army base that for a time hosted the most secure prison in the United States. Though the prison has been closed for decades, there's still much speculation about Alcatraz's future. Various schemes to build casinos or other facilities there are floated from time to time, but the island's status as a national park largely protects it from potential abuse. The North Ridge Trail eventually takes you back to Ayala Cove and the ferries.
Bikes Kids Links The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation gives history and a modern perspective on the island's use as an immigration stopping point. Books A Teacher's Guide to Angel Island Immigration Station. Angel Island Association, P.O. Box 866, Tiburon, CA 94920. 415.435.3522 Angel Island Prisoner, 1922. Chetin, Helen. Angel Island Association; ISBN: 0966735234; 2nd edition (April 2002) Miwoks to Missiles: A History of Angel Island, by John Soennichsen (Paperback), Angel Island Association; ISBN: 0966735226; (January 10, 2001) Angel Island (Cornerstones of Freedom), by Larry Dane Brimner, Children's Press; ISBN: 0516215663; (March 2001) By using this hiking guide, you agree to our terms and conditions. |
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Angel
Island rises from a valley that was formed about 2 to 3 million years
ago when geologic forces started to push up the surrounding mountains
and hills. During several glacial periods of the last 500,000 years, vast
quantities of the earth's water were stored in ice and glaciers and the
sea level dropped hundreds of feet. At these times, our scenic bay was
actually a dry valley, and the coastal plain of California extended out
to the Farallon Islands. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, swollen
by glacial waters and sediments from the Sierras, flowed through the bay
valley out through the Golden Gate straits and across the coastal plain
to the ocean. 
The
hike begins after you disembark from the ferry at Ayala Cove. Near
the ferry terminal you'll find a small concessions stand, where you can
stock up on food and water, and the visitor's center, which has maps and
other information about Angel Island. 
After
another half mile you'll cross a fire road. At this point you'll have
a panoramic view highlighting San Francisco and the central part of the
bay. 
Recommended
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