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SF’s Ferry Service to Angel Island Might End

Without Blue and Gold Fleet, the only other ferry option would be from Tiburon
By - posted 12/21/2020 No Comment

Because of the ongoing pandemic, Blue and Gold Fleet may end its ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island due to declining sales.

SFGate recently reported that the company filed a request to discontinue its service with the California Public Utilities Commission in September.

Unfortunately, the options to get to Angel Island are limited. Last year, Blue and Gold Fleet shuttled 130,000 visitors to the island, out of the total annual 175,000 visitors to the island. Without its service, it would be significantly more difficult to get to the island.

Besides by private boat, there are currently two others providers to Angel Island. Alcatraz Cruises offers a combination tour that includes Alcatraz and Angel Island which is catered more towards tourists, and isn’t ideal for a full day of exploration on Angel Island. The only other option is the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry in Marin County.

More about Angel Island

Angel Island State Park, the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay, offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. With great hiking trails and many other recreational opportunities readily available, Angel Island is truly a hidden gem in the midst of the urban Bay Area. 

Angel Island is truly a walk through time! Beginning with the earliest inhabitants, the Coast Miwok, Angel Island was a seasonal hunting and gathering location for the local native tribes, a safe refuge and supply stop for Spanish explorers like Juan Manuel de Ayala, one of the first to map the San Francisco Bay.

From 1910 to 1940, the U.S. Immigration Station processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. During World War II, Japanese, and German POWs were detained at the Station before being sent to facilities farther inland.

The Island has been a cattle ranch and beginning with the Civil War at Camp Reynolds, the Island has nearly 100 years of military history. With the outbreaks of WWI and WWII thousands of troops both returning and embarking for conflicts around the world were processed through Angel Island. In the ’50s and ’60s, the Island saw its last military service as a home to a Nike missile base.

In 1954 the transition of Angel Island as a California State Park began. Starting with Ayala Cove on the western side of the Island, park visitors had the first opportunities to enjoy the beauty of this amazing Island. In the early 60’s the final departure of the military allowed the rest of Angel Island to become park lands and the rest is history!