As day trips go, this one is spectacular. You arrive by water with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the entire Bay. There’s hiking, biking and barbecuing. And it all starts with one charismatic sea captain.
Captain Maggie McDonogh is the fourth-generation owner and operator of Angel Island Tiburon Ferry, which takes hikers, cyclists and picnickers from Tiburon’s cozy, historic waterfront to Angel Island’s Ayala Cove.
McDonogh has made it her mission to help locals and tourists alike discover the beauty of a picturesque island that is 33 times bigger than its famous sister, Alcatraz — with less than two percent of its crowds.
“It’s one of the best kept secrets in California,” says McDonogh. “It’s an underutilized park in every way.”
Angel Island wasn’t always open to the public, of course. For a century — from the Civil War through the Cold War — its strategic location made it a military outpost, a defender of the Golden Gate. The army built a base there, Camp Reynolds, in 1863 to help defend against Confederate sympathizers. In the late 1800s, the island housed quarantined soldiers coming back from the Spanish-American War in the Philippines.
For three decades in the early part of the 20th century, it was used as a grueling detention center for immigrants (and some American citizens) hoping to gain entry into the U.S. And during the 1950s, Nike missiles were stored in underground rooms, with elevators ready to bring them to launch position.
The island’s military period came to a close in 1962, its missiles ruled obsolete and the Army base decommissioned. The island became a California state park the following year.
Today, it’s inhabited by fewer than 40 people, all state park employees, and occasional intrepid campers lucky enough to snag a reservation. Everyone else is a day tripper, and there are far fewer of them than you might expect. Some 20,000 visitors alight on the island each year, compared with the 1.2 to 1.6 million who dock at Alcatraz. There are no crowds here, no competition for astonishing views or trail space.
With 1.2 square miles of land, Angel Island State Park is the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay and provides some amazing views (Photo courtesy of Angel Island Conservancy).
Angel Island Conservancy secretary Brittany Haning calls the island “a hidden gem in the Bay that people see every day but don’t know about.”
Now there are two apps to help you discover it all, courtesy of the conservancy, which helps support the park along with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. The Angel Island app provides an interactive map that offers insights into everything on your path, from wildflowers, wildlife and trails to beautiful places to stop and soak in a view. And the History Angel Island app approaches it from a historical perspective with information ranging from the island’s ancient history and the Native Americans who once lived here to the modern day.
“We don’t print brochures anymore, but now if you click on a building, it gives you the history,” says conservancy vice president Diane Appel.
There’s a ferry from San Francisco, but we prefer the Marin crossing, where the 15-minute trip to Angel Island starts in Tiburon with the irrepressible McDonogh, whose enthusiasm is contagious.
“I get to make people happy for a living,” she says. “Not a lot of people get to say that.”
Captain Maggie McDonogh is part of a five-generation family that has been taking visitors to Angel Island from Tiburon every day (Photo by Jennifer Waicukauski).
The McDonogh family’s marine tradition started in the early 1900s, when her great grandfather, Sammy McDonogh II, used to take vacationers fishing for $0.25 a ride. By the 1930s, Maggie’s grandfather was ferrying construction workers from tower to tower as they built the Golden Gate Bridge.
Maggie’s father, Milton McDonogh, kept the business alive by launching a daily passenger ferry to shuttle folks to Angel Island once the island opened to the public. The 400-passenger ferry he designed in 1975 — The Angel Island — is still sailing today.
Jump aboard one of the McDonogh family’s four ferry boats, and you’ll find yourself sailing with all sorts of people, from kids on field trips to explore the island’s rich history to a mother and baby here for the fresh air, not the destination. You might share the ride with a senior cycling club, the Geezers on Wheels, perhaps, or the Old Spokes. Or campers toting backpacks. Or a piano.
McDonogh had an entire band on board for one memorable crossing. They rolled a piano onto her ferry, she says, then rolled it off the boat and up a hill to help set the vibe for a music-themed camping trip.
There have been impromptu weddings and family reunions, too.
“The other day,” she says, “I had a guest who said, ‘13 years ago, you ran a boat out so our family could see me proposing to my wife.’ Just to be a part of the community’s history, it’s stunning.”
It’s never the same trip twice. The people vary — and so does the wildlife.
“You can see seagulls, cormorants, pelicans, puffins, orcas, elephant seals, sea lions, harbor seals, porpoises,” McDonogh says. “I had a bottlenose dolphin who was in love with Angel Island in 2004. Every time I left the dock, she waited for me, and we went across.”
You too can board the ferry, taste the sea breeze and take it all in — and 15 minutes later be dockside in Ayala Cove.
FILE: Drew Factor and his son Sebastian,5, from Sacramento, walk along the shore of Ayala Cove at Angel Island State Park in Calif. while on a field trip with Mission Ave. Elementary on Friday, May 29, 2009. (Laura A. Oda/staff)
The island typically sees two types of visitors — history buffs who ramble among the ruins and exhibits and hikers eager to enjoy the trails, viewpoints and picnic spots as they explore the 1.2-square-mile landscape. The conservancy’s apps split it up nicely, depending on your interests. The captain and the park’s rangers are happy to provide itinerary suggestions as well.
Fill your water bottle, grab a map (or download the app) and make a plan. If you’re here to hang out and barbecue, the warmth of Ayala Cove is the perfect place. Spanish ships once anchored here in the shelter of the cove. Today, you’ll find sailboats anchored there, not galleons. There are rolling lawns, picnic tables and a beach that’s popular with families. (Quarry Beach, on the other side of the island, is also popular.)
If you have a bike — McDonogh recommends bringing an E-bike; her staff will help you load it on the ferry — hit the paved Perimeter Trail for a 6-mile journey up and around the scenic island. There are some steep parts, within a total elevation gain of 528 feet, but there are also plenty of places to take a break, explore the scenery and learn some history.
For the park’s richest history tour, a 1-mile walk takes you to Immigration Station, where an incredible museum will teach you about the 300,000 people once detained here.
Angel Island State Park Interpreter Casey Dexter-Lee stands at the former Administration Building where immigrants were interrogated, medically examined, and separated by gender and nationality after disembarking at Angel Island in Tiburon, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Immigrants from over 80 countries were detained at the historic Angel Island Immigration Station, the building on the hill, between 1910 and 1940. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Walk a mile in the other direction, and you’ll reach Camp Reynolds, a must-see.
“Camp Reynolds is a great deal more than just Civil War history,” says conservancy director Frances Bellows. “Its history spanned from the 1860s through 1940s.”
In addition to hosting overnight Civil War field trips for fourth and fifth grade classes, rangers periodically hold living history events that are open to the public.
“We do one that’s a timeline with soldiers and families dressed from the Civil War to Spanish American War, World War I and II. (They) share the history of what life was like at Angel Island at the period,” Bellows says. “It’s geared to every age.”
And if you’re looking for outdoorsy exercise, the entire island awaits. For an adventurous climb, try the Mount Livermore trail — named for conservationist Caroline Sealy Livermore. It’s a steep climb, a 5-mile loop that takes you up almost 800 feet, but the reward is a stunning view of the entire Bay and picnic spots for a memorable lunch.
ANGEL ISLAND, CA – JULY 17: Not many picnic tables offer philosophic advice, but this one on the south side of Angel Island in San Francisco Bay does, Friday, July 17, 2020. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The North Ridge Trail and the Sunset Trails provide self-guided nature walks for folks looking for a challenging hike. If you’re doing one of the longer hikes, arrive early and plan your time, so you’re back on the dock before the last ferry leaves.
Related Articles
Navy subs, nuclear secrets and beer: The riveting history of Bay Area’s Mare Island
California company recalling several ready-to-eat food products after listeria outbreak
As Trump calls for reopening Alcatraz, its most famous escape is still a mystery
Exploring the Farallon Islands’ wildlife haven
Enough! San Jose woman wants bird to stop tapping at her door
Diehards looking to maximize their Angel Island experience may want to check out the camping options. The island offers nine reservation-only backpacking camps, three with views of San Francisco sunsets over the Bay.
However your visit comes to an end, Captain Maggie will be waiting to take you home — and the next generation is waiting to take the tiller. McDonogh’s 23-year-old daughter, Becky, is carrying on the family tradition as a deckhand and soon-to-be captain.
“I’m honored,” McDonogh says.
Details: The Angel Island Tiburon Ferry ($6-$18 round trip) begins its runs at 10 a.m. and returns as late as 5:20 p.m. in the summer months; angelislandferry.com. The San Francisco Ferry Terminal sends boats ($16-$31 round trip) to Angel Island beginning at 9:25 a.m. and returns as late as 5 p.m.; goldengate.org. Learn more about Angel Island at angelisland.org.
TIBURON, CA – JULY 17: Angel Island sits on the horizon across from the San Francisco Yacht Club boat docks in Tiburon, Calif., Friday, July 17, 2020. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)