San Francisco Bay has 18 islands, including famous Alcatraz and wildlife refuges. Some are only accessible by private boats, while others have parks and retreats. There are also inhabited islands, such as Yerba Buena and Treasure Island, and uninhabited rock outcrops. Each island has unique characteristics worth visiting.
There are 18 islands scattered across San Francisco Bay, including uninhabited rocks, protected wildlife refuges, and developed islands with sizable populations. Some of the islands in the San Francisco Bay are quite famous, such as Alcatraz. Many are only accessible by private craft such as sailboats, and each has unique characteristics that make it worth a visit, if you can get there.
Many of the islands are set aside for parks and retreats. Angel Island is a state park accessible by ferry from several locations around the bay, and Alcatraz is a national park. Visitors to these islands are welcome all year round, although summer is the peak season for visiting. There are also several wildlife refuges, including East and West Marin Islands, Brooks Island and Bair Island. Brooks Island is part of the East Bay Regional Parks District and is home to migratory birds, wetlands and trails. Bair Island is a vast wildlife refuge in the South Bay and is an important part of the Bay Area’s ecology.
There are also several islands in the San Francisco Bay that are little more than glorified rock outcrops. These include Red Rock Island, on the western side of the Richmond Bridge, along with the East and West Sisters, Ballena Bay Island near Alameda, and Pat Rock. Red Rock Island is also the only privately owned island in San Francisco Bay, though the fact that it’s technically in three counties makes potential development a challenge.
There are also inhabited islands in the bay. One, Coast Guard Island, is reserved for military use only. The other inhabited islands are all open to the public. Yerba Buena Island sits in the middle of the San Francisco Bay Bridge and is home to a civilian population along with a small Coast Guard station. Treasure Island, an artificial island connected to Yerba Buena by a causeway, is a former naval base with civilian housing located at its northern end. Alameda, an island directly off the coast of Oakland, is accessible via a series of causeways and has a sizable collection of examples of Victorian and Queen Anne architecture.
These islands, as can be seen, are quite varied. Many Bay Area residents are only able to name a handful of the 18 islands, so get ready to wow people with your local knowledge. The various homesteads and nature preserves on the San Francisco Bay Islands also provide an interesting insight into Bay Area life, both human and animal.
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