Kayak Put-In Info for: Angel Island, Marin County
Overview: Angel Island is a State Park that is only accessible by boat. There is a $3 charge per person to land on Angel Island (payable at a kiosk at Ayala Cove). You need to have a permit to land at other beaches. There is a boat-in campsite on the island. To use the "kayak camp" you will land at N37 51.767 W122 26.470. From here there is a steep, hard to find "trail" that takes you to the kayak camp at N37 51.746 W122 26.429. This is not a super easy place to kayak camp. The trail is short, but pretty steep, so you can't carry your kayak to the camp. Also, the rules state that you can't leave your boat on the beach. What to do? Also, the campsite is a group site - you need a minimum of 9 people to reserve it. We were there recently, and noted that the site was reserved. Nevertheless, no one showed up.
Parking: N/A for cars. If you arrive by kayak, canoe, or row boat, you can "park" in Ayala cove. The fee is $3.00 per person. If you arrive in a sail boat or powerboat, the fee is $10.00 per boat.
Facilities: There are clean bathrooms at Ayala cove. There are also bicycle, and Segue rentals. Sometimes, there is a place to buy food in Ayala cove.
Amenities: There are nice hiking trails all over the island. There are good views from many locations, and you can see all around the San Francisco Bay - provided that it isn't fogged in!
Directions: You can't drive there, so is only accessible by boat. If you don't want to kayak to Angel Island, you can take a ferry from Tiburon.
Cautions: To get to Angel Island, you will need to cross some open water that can be heavily used by other boat traffic (sometimes large ships) and the currents can get pretty strong. In Raccoon Straight, the currents can sometimes become faster than you can paddle your kayak!
External Links:
Paddling from Sausalito to Angel Island and Back
Angel Island Map
Angel Island at OpenRoad.tv