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Camp on Angel Island

Tiburon, California

5.0/5
based on 4 reviews

Description

Added by Brian Heifferon

It's so close to the city, but minus the glimpses of the bay, you'll feel like you're in another world. Even if your friends don't want to camp, they can easily ferry over and enjoy a bbq with you. You can hike down to the beach and enjoy views of the Golden Gate. Duration: Overnight.

Thousands of years ago, this island was a fishing and hunting ground for the Miwok Native Americans. It has also been an outpost for the U.S. Army and a cattle ranch. Now, it’s one of the closest places to escape from the hustle of San Francisco and set up camp. Camping on the island requires backpacking to the sites as they’re between 1 and 1.25 miles from the ferry dock. The island hosts 11 campsites, including an ADA site, 9 numbered sites (accommodating up to 8 people), and a kayak-accessible site (holds up to 20 people). For reservations visit Reserve America. Tables, food-lockers, running water, pit-toilets, and a bbq are located at each site. Bring charcoal or a stove. No wood fires. To get to and from Angel Island, you can either take the Blue and Gold Fleet ferry from SF or Oakland or the Angel Island Ferry.

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Features

Camping
Backpacking
Bathrooms
Family Friendly
Groups
Scenic
Wildflowers

Camp on Angel Island Reviews

I backpacked here for an overnight trip and it was so fun! You leave from the Ferry Building on a short ferry ride to the Island. We walked to our campsite- about a mile away. There were flushing toilets but beware of large spiders!! We hiked and ate our dinner up top and it was beautiful sunset views. Highly recommend!

Angel island is a great destination for a night or two of island camping. Note to get here you’ll need take the ferry from San Francisco or Tiburon. Or you could take your own boat or try to paddle over but do research if you chose those options. There are a few campsites on the island. Can’t tell which the best is but all are good for different reasons. You can plan to camp here like a backpacking trip or bring a wagon with you and haul a bunch of gear. You can also bikepack! Watch out for raccoons. One time the ranger told us to leave our tent door open when we left camp otherwise the wagons would rip your tent apart. Not sure if this true. 4th of July and new years would and are great nights to camp!

Amazing views of the city, especially at sunset. There's a really secluded beach on the southwest side of the island to relax and take a dip at during the day.

We rode our bikes to the top along the fire road to a camp with a view of the east bay. Our camp had a firepit (charcoal only, no wood fires), bear food storage locker, water faucet, & a nasty outhouse. We rode around every bike trail & hiked to the summit for sunset. No one was there on a sunday night so it was pretty peaceful. Definitely going back again! :)

The ferries to Tiburon leave at 3:30pm sharp so make sure you budget enough hiking time!

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