Walkabout: 5 Bay Area island hikes well worth the trek ...Middle East

From public art installations and panoramic views to beachside strolls and birdwatching, the islands of the San Francisco Bay offer abundant joys to explore on foot. Here’s where to go.

Bair Island

This may feel like a breezy bayfront park tucked amid the marshes of Redwood City, but it’s actually an island . Or rather, it’s three islands — Inner, Middle and Outer Bair Island — with so much wildlife, you could fill a nature bingo board or 12 with the flora and fauna you’ll spot as you stroll this 3.4-mile route on Inner Bair Island. The trail is an out-and-back, no navigation needed.

Related Articles

Inner Bair Island is part of the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge and open to the public for hiking and other recreation. Some parts of the island can be reached by kayak, but you needn’t get your feet wet for this trail. It’s hard to imagine, but in the early 1900s, these islands were used for agriculture — not particularly successfully, though. By midcentury, they were used to create salt evaporation ponds. This marshy area has been an ecological reserve since 1986.

Details: Open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily at 3 Uccelli Drive in Redwood City; fws.gov.

Yerba Buena Island

Panorama Park, which opened in May 2024, is a beautiful addition to Yerba Buena Island. Built atop a hillside with stunning Bay views, the park is home to a towering 69-foot-tall sculpture by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto called “Point of Infinity” that acts as a giant sundial. Meander down the landscaped hillside, and you’ll find a minimalist dog park with breathtaking views of Treasure Island.

A monument in Panorama Park commemorates the Port Chicago mutiny trial held on the island in 1944. Hundreds of servicemen refused to load munitions after a deadly explosion at the Port Chicago Naval facility on Suisun Bay killed more than 300 people, most of them Black, and injured nearly 400 others. Fifty of the servicemen were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to prison and hard labor — and exonerated in 2024.

Details: Open daily 6 a.m.-7 p.m. at Yerba Buena Road, San Francisco; sf.gov.

Angel Island

The only island on this list you truly can’t access except by boat, Angel Island feels more adventuresome than the others. You’ll have to rely on a ferry from San Francisco or Tiburon — or your own boat — to get to and from the island, and expeditious hiking is required, if you want to explore the island in a day. But it can be done with an early start — and the panoramic vistas from the top of this island, especially from the Mount Livermore summit, are absolutely worth it.

Start from the Angel Island ferry terminal and make your way up to Perimeter Road, then catch the Sunset Trail, which weaves its way up to the summit. Expect to climb roughly 600 feet between Ayala Cove and the top on this 4.9-mile out-and-back hike. If you want to enjoy the island without feeling as rushed, you’ll have to score a permit for one of the island’s 10 campsites from the State Parks reservation site, reservecalifornia.com.

Details: Open sunrise to sunset, Angel Island State Park; parks.ca.gov.

Alameda

Getting to Alameda’s Robert W. Crown State Park through Oakland’s Webster Tube feels like passing through a portal, the landscape transformed from urban bustle to beachy suburb. On a warm day, walking the flat 4.4-mile Shoreline Trail along the beach and adjoining sidewalk feels like all the best parts of summer in one stroll — sunshine, sea breezes and people frolicking on the beach, reading, picnicking and even kite surfing.

Details: Parking is $5. Open 5 a.m.-10 p.m. daily at Eighth Street and Otis Drive in Alameda; parks.ca.gov.

Related Articles

Mare Island

Take in the serenity of San Pablo Bay with this flat 3.6-mile loop along Mare Island, a peninsula with major maritime history — it was the first U.S. Navy base on the West Coast and one of the largest naval facilities in the world during World War II.

The trail is nicely packed gravel, suitable for wheelchairs or strollers or simply walking or running — no dogs or bicycles allowed, though. Look for birds, wildflowers and peaceful water views as you stroll. It’s a serene wilderness, despite its somewhat daunting address. The road name is a reference to ongoing environmental remediation efforts in the area, the legacy of a former naval shipyard. Just don’t go off trail. No, no, not because of that — there are ticks.

Details: Open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. at the end of Dump Road, Vallejo; alltrails.com.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Walkabout: 5 Bay Area island hikes well worth the trek )

Also on site :

• Metal Ions: The Next Frontier in Diabetes Management?
• Starmer to send failed asylum seekers abroad - a year after Rwanda scheme scrapped
• Saudi Arabia and US reach consensus on ending the war in Gaza