Angel Island State Park
A cool experience with 6 to 10 mile hikes
Trek into the wilderness and sleep in the backcountry
Ideal for first-timers
Trip · 3-day backpacking trip
For · Friends and first-time backpackers
Vibe · Moderate and fun
Distance · 10.4 miles with 1,270 feet of elevation gain
Permits · Yep, reserve a Ridge campsite
Drive · 20 minute ferry ride from SF
Ideal dates · April to October
Pets · Not allowed on the island
Spanish explorer Lt. Juan Manuel de Ayala named Isla de Los Angeles (Angel Island) in 1775. It has since been a military base, immigration station, and now a state park. Angel Island is the largest natural island in the bay so you'll have sweeping views of the SF skyline. Reserve a campsite early and catch a ferry from SF to camp in one of the most unique places in the Bay Area.
Directions To SF Ferry Terminal
Main image credit: Steven Coffey
Each campsite comes with a:
Angel Island has a total of 16 campsites, and hike-in Ridge campsites have some of the best views. Ridge campsite 4 and 5 are the ones to reserve, but they're fairly exposed to the sun and wind. Ridge sites 5 and 6 are more sheltered from the elements. Camping on Angel Island involves a one or two mile trek from the ferry drop-off area, which makes this a perfect trip for campers who want to try out backpacking. It's about a 40-minute walk from the ferry to Ridge campsites.
Check-in: After 2 PM · Check-out: 12 PM
Nightly Rate: $30
From 1910 - 1940, Angel Island was an immigration station, processing nearly a million immigrants and detaining Chinese immigrants for weeks
2,000 years ago, the Coast Miwok tribe camped on Angel Island and used it as a hunting and fishing site
For a century, the U.S. Army designated Angel Island as a military base. It was decommissioned and turned over to State Parks in 1963.
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.
