Description
Find serenity and adventure just a quick jaunt from San Francisco with a night of camping at Angel Island State Park. Begin your Angel Island camping adventure by catching a ferry ride across the San Francisco Bay from Tiburon or Pier 41.
Once on the island, be prepared to walk up to two miles to your site, so pack wisely! Choose from 16 campsites divided into four distinct camping areas (East Bay, Ridge, Sunrise, and Kayak Camp), each with pit toilets and water nearby. From the Ridge sites, enjoy picturesque views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, but expect a bit of wind.
Sites in the East Bay section are more protected. If you’re traveling with a larger group, the Sunrise sites may be a good fit, as the sites can be reserved individually or combined for groups up to 24 people. Kayak Camp is also group friendly, accommodating groups up to 20, but don’t forget to secure your boat from high tide waters!
Angel Island camping typically doesn’t offer much in the way of privacy, but with only 16 sites on the island, it’s likely that you won’t be battling crowds.
Activities
Offered near the campground.
Biking
There is over 8 miles of traffic free riding to be had on Angel Island. Biking is our recommended mode of transportation around...Read more
Boating
Why not boat into camp? Ayala Cove has “the largest public docks and moorings on the bay.” It’s a great way to explore the isla...Read more
Fishing
Angel Island has some pretty decent pier fishing. The pier is located in Ayala Cove towards the north end of the island. There ...Read more
Hiking
If you like to summit, check out the trail to the top of Mt. Livermore. You won’t regret the climb as you’ll be rewarded with 3...Read more
Paddling
There is a lot of great kayaking to be had in the Bay, however, rip currents can be very strong. A paddle out to Angel Island r...Read more
Swimming
Angel Island also features some excellent swimming. Quarry Beach is one the best kept secrets of the island, and it’s only a 25...Read more
Wildlife watching
So chances are, when you think of deer, you don’t think, “amazing swimmers”. But they, along with racoons(!), have made the tri...Read more
Terrain
Natural features you'll find at Angel Island Campground.
19 Reviews
I stayed at East Bay Site #3, which was amazing. The Tiburon ferry made it really easy to get to the island. The pit toilet for Sites 1-3 is sort of gross. It is worth walking to the toilet at sites 7-9 to use the facilities. The view was awe inspiring.
Due to limited ferry service, Angel Island has closed it campgrounds through the remainder of 2020.
Very quiet. Felt like I had the island to myself. Just be aware of the raccoons! There’s lots of them....
Hey FYI campfires are not allowed on Angel Island
I bikepacked out to East Bay Environmental Site #3 on a Sunday evening back in April. The Island and campgrounds were very quiet, with it being a Sunday in the early spring season. It felt like we had the whole island to ourselves!
Pro tip: Hike up to the top of Mt. Livermore for sunset for the view and memory of a lifetime
Whoa what a pleasant camping surprise! I had been meaning to check out Angel Island for a while but kept putting it off because how good could the camping really be this close to the city, right? Wrong! It was spectacular. The views of the city and the bridges were mesmerizing and although the busy city was within eyesight the actual surroundings on Angel Island felt like we had escaped to the mountains far away.
You'll need to catch the ferry, and be aware that during the winter months there isn't regular ferry service during the week. Call the ferry to piggy back with groups already going.
Sites 4 and 5 have the best views. Site 4 is completely unobstructed but also very exposed. Site 5 has tree cover. There's also water at the sites.
Be ready to carry everything in, and the first half-mile from the ferry drop off is straight uphill! And the campsites on the other side of the island are windy as heck. But oh, what a view!
Managed to get a Sunday reservation on one the Ridge sites. We were surprised to have the whole ridge to ourselves, since the other sites had been booked as well! Our site fit three tents just fine though, with room to spare. It was a nice walk to the beach right below the ridge, though the "trail" was hard to find; we just followed the concrete gutter and eventually found stairs to the beach itself. Lots of poison oak! We had the beach to ourselves (picked up a good amount of trash), then enjoyed nighttime views of the city and explored the batteries (fun/scary in the dark). The next morning we took the first ferry and went straight to work haha
I just got back from camping for two nights at Angel Island with my friends and it was amazing! I was lucky enough to book campsite #4, which offers the best views of the San Francisco skyline. Be warned that there is no shade at campsite #4 so be prepared to lather on the sunscreen. Other campsites offer shade like #5 and #6. Temperatures can change dramatically and can get pretty cold at night so bring lots of layers. It takes about 20 minutes to hike in with paved and unpaved roads, some uphill trails and stairs. We enjoyed hiking Sunset Trail as part of it was shaded and we saw a friendly deer along our way. The hike to Mt. Livermore was gorgeous and well worth the climb!
- Park
- Angel Island State Park
- State
- California
- Country
- United States
- Phone Number
- (415) 435-5390
- Directions
- View on Google Maps
- Official Website
- View Website
- Coordinates
- 37.861° N, 122.431° W
- Unknown price
- Tent Only - Hike In: 10 Sites (Up to 8 people per site)
- Unknown price
- Tent Only - Group: 1 Site (Up to 20 people per site)
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