Have a safe and Happy Halloween

exploring
Invisible in Plain Sight
Angel Island
Neil Wiley
Most people never notice, but a ferry ride,
from the suburban seaside village of Tiburon
or the great city of San Francisco, will take
you to a green mountainous island rising up
out of San Francisco Bay. It is a short ride
to a place of scenic beauty and a troubled
history.
From this island you can see 360 degrees
toward the green hills and shoreline of
Marin County, across to the San Francisco
skyline, and the East Bay. You can see
Mount Tam and Mount Diablo, five
bridges, giant freighters, sailboats and
yachts, lots of blue water, and sky. The 740-
acre island has its own mountain, forests of
eucalyptus, cypress, and pine, with historical
buildings from the civil war, the early 1900s,
and World War I and II. It is home to some
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unique animals and plants, fearless deer
with no predators, curious seals and seal
lions, and the occasional whale.
Thirteen miles of roads and trails are
available. The five miles of the paved
Perimeter Road offer an easy walk or ride
around the island. Bikes and Segways
are available for rent, or you can take a
scheduled tram tour.
Mountain Network News
If you want a bit more challenge, the
North Ridge and Sunset trails form a loop
that takes you to the summit of the 781-
foot high Mount Livermore and back down
to the Visitor Center at Ayala Cove.
To do it the hard way, you can take the
North Ridge Trail from the trail head, just
left (north) of the bathrooms up a series of
stairs, one-tenth of a mile to the Perimeter
Road, and then past the road to continue
on Northridge to Mount Livermore. This
rewards you with a more natural path, mostly
single track, and avoids the crowd. An easier
way is to take a tram around the island to the
entrance of the North Ridge Trail. (Be sure to
keep your ticket, and you can catch the tram
back down to the visitor center.)
If you prefer switchbacks rather than
stairs, take the Sunset Trail up to the top.
You can catch this trail from the Perimeter
Road south of Camp Reynolds.
If you do walk the higher trails, be sure
to take a map and a watch. You don’t want
to miss the last ferry at 3:30 p.m. (most
weekdays.)
Want to stay longer? Eleven campsites
are situated in various locations around the
island. Each serves up to eight people with
water, toilets, food locker, and barbecue.
You can reserve a campsite at www.
reserveamerica.com.
The other side of the island
If you or your family like history, you’ll
appreciate the other side of Angel Island.
Visit Camp Reynolds, developed in the late
1800s. See the Civil War-era bake house, a
Victorian officer’s home, and a large cannon.
Learn more about the military history
of the island at Fort McDowell, site of
the chapel and the guardhouse, that was
transformed from a World War I and II army
base to a visitor center. Discover two military
batteries on the southern coast, and a Nike
missile site on the island’s southeast corner.
october 2015