Angel Island: Backpack and Fleet Week Air Show

Yours truly, scruffy but very much enjoying the ferry ride from Angel Island to San Francisco.

We had a busy and wonderful weekend at Angel Island. I’d been to Angel Island several times in the past, most recently a few years back for a pair of mountain biking & geocaching day visits. I’d never camped overnight on the island though so I was really looking forward to that.

Luckily, I’d managed to score campsite reservations seconds after they went on sale several months ago. Weekends are always busy on Angel Island during the summer and September and October and the best times to visit. Adding in Fleet Week creates a “perfect storm” of demand.

As soon as we arrived in the city we could feel the energy building. There’s so much to see and Allison especially was very excited. We passed by the Embarcadero Ferry Building where the market was already in full swing, before  paying a small fortune for parking close to Pier 39. We passed by the early-morning setup for Fleet Week display booths and the crowds of tourists, joggers, and workers were already out in force.

I’d paid for the round-trip ferry tickets in advance and we picked those up at the self-serve kiosk before standing in line to board the ferry at Pier 41. Eventually we loaded up and cruised over to Angel Island, passing by Alcatraz on the way. We sat inside as it was chilly and a bit foggy, and although it was fun I made a mental note that we had to do it right and sit out on the deck for the ride home. Allison was definitely stoked though – it was her first ferry ride on the Bay – and that was fun to see.

After going ashore at Ayala Cove, we made a brief stop at the visitor center before making the 2.5-mile hike and 788′ climb to the top of Mt. Livermore, the highpoint of the island. We were able to secure a bench for lunch and watched the Air Show lunch from there. It was a good show although Allison got bored with it about halfway through.

The weather was perfect and it wasn’t until we were getting scorched that we realized that we’d neglected to put on sunblock. Fortunately I’d brought some and only Carrie ended up with a funny red pattern on her face.

After the show ended several hours later in the afternoon we made the trek down to Sunset Camp #9, our home for the night. After I got the tent set up I started on our dinner, which consisted of Tuscan beef stew, pasta puttanesca, and raspberry crumble for dessert. We were all pretty tired and went to bed early, although Carrie and I took some time to appreciate the evening lights before crashing for the night.

In the morning we had our traditional blueberry oatmeal for breakfast, packed up and made the trek back to the cove. I opted to take as many trails as possible that I hadn’t been on before, taking the Fire Road to the North Ridge Trail, which I really enjoyed. It reminded me a lot of hiking in the Marin hills when I was young, with plenty of oaks, fragrant California Bay trees, and even a stretch with some manzanita.

We descended something like 120 or so steps which put us back at the cove, where we dumped our packs on the benches in the ferry boarding area. The cafe had just opened its doors so I got some coffee for Carrie and I, and she and Allison shared a fresh, warm croissant.

Soon after that the ferry docked and we were off, this time sitting on the top deck for the ride over to Tiburon in Marin, then across the Bay again to the Embarcadero Ferry Building, then finally one brief last hop back to Pier 41 where we’d started. With our coats on the ride back was very pleasant and I think you really have to sit outside to really enjoy the ferry ride experience. The ferry makes a great bookend to an Angel Island visit.

After the short trek back to Toyotie, we drove a few miles over to the 21st Amendment brewery for an outstanding lunch and of course their beer tasting menu which Carrie and I shared. After that it was about an hour to drive home, wrapping up our busy and insanely fun weekend trip.

Angel Island & Fleet Week Gallery

Angel Island hiking trail map (PDF)