Angel Island, a former Immigration Station based in the San Francisco Bay, offers historical adventures, as well as physical adventures. From trails circulating the whole island, to abandon buildings that make for an exhilarating wander, Angel Island has it all. If you have not been, I highly suggest you take the time to take a tour, but don’t forget to explore it for a while on your own!

This island is where people’s fates have been determined for better or for worse. The Coast Miwok lived there hunting and gathering, as a tribe. Explorers have journeyed there and restocked with supplies on their excavations. From 1910-1940 it was an Immigration Station, where mainly Chinese immigrants came. The lodging for the immigrants are still there and tours are in action quite frequently. When I visited, the tour guide took us to a room where pictures and mementos of the immigrants staying there were on display. They suffered through a lot of pain and loss. As War II broke out, the Japanese and Germans were temporarily stationed there prior to the safer and more inland facilities. From 1950’s to 60’s it was transformed into the Nike missile base. Years of this island were consumed by monumental events that have shaped our world as a whole. Now you have a chance to explore that. The reminisce from all that has occurred remain,  leaving room for you to become acquainted with history personally. When there, you may see tribal marks,  experience the missile base,tour  the house’s in which Chinese immigrants stayed and learn why immigrants wanted to come the Unites States rather than their home countries.

Aside from the value it has historically, the physical beauty is like no other. A breath-taking view of San Francisco lays out at the horizon. At your leisure, you may bring a bike or just some hiking shoes to explore some of the trails it has to offer, (which I might add, is a lengthy amount). If hiking isn’t your thing, there are a few quaint restaurants near the docking area where the ferry drops you off. Maybe, you prefer water activities rather than land activities. There are tons of activities in that genre as well, including: scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, numerous beaches, windsurfing, and surfing! If you stay until the last fairy arrives, the sunset on the west side of the island is a view you should not miss. Personally, biking, and exploring everything the island has to offer is the most exhilarating way to go.

If you have a whole day to be there, take a tour of the immigrant station and the facilities in which the Germans and Japanese were located through guided tours. Bring a bike and go for an expedition around the island and take the outer trail so you can see the beaches, and the abandoned buildings (these leave a lot of room for exploration and curiosity). Bring a picnic lunch and settle on a beach towards the southwest side of the island. After this, as you climb up to the higher end of the island, don’t get discouraged if it gets a little rough because the view at the end is priceless. Depending on the season, the sun will set over the bay water leaving an image you will not forget, towards the end of your trek. The ferry will pick you up and give you a relaxing boat ride across the bay reflecting the colors of the sunset.

This hidden gem of California is one you should not miss out on. Whether you are enticed by nature, adventure or history, this is the place for you.