Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island lies about two kilometres off the San Francisco waterfront, near the Golden Gate. It is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service.

In the mid-nineteenth century the US Army built the first lighthouse on the West Coast here, along with a fort to guard the bay. The island later became a military prison. In 1934 it was turned into a maximum security federal penitentiary, holding prisoners such as Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. Cold water and strong currents made escape very difficult. The prison closed on 21 March 1963 because of high costs.

From 1969 to 1971, Native American activists occupied the island, a protest that drew national attention to Native rights; their painted messages are still visible. The island opened to the public in 1973.

The main attraction is the cellhouse, explored with an award-winning audio tour narrated by former inmates and guards. Visitors can see the cells, the dining hall and the exercise yard, plus the ruins of the warden's house, the lighthouse and gardens restored by volunteers. The island is also an important nesting site for seabirds.

Alcatraz City Cruises is the only authorised ferry, leaving from Pier 33. Tickets often sell out weeks ahead in summer, so book early. Day and night tours are offered, and the island involves steep walks.

Size, lighthouse and yearly visitor numbers

Alcatraz covers about 22 acres and sits roughly 1.25 miles from the city shore. Its lighthouse is the oldest still working on the US West Coast. Between 1.4 and 1.7 million people visit each year, which is why summer dates sell out early.

The prison held its first 137 federal prisoners in 1934. Over 29 years, 36 men took part in 14 escape attempts. Outside the cellhouse, the Agave Trail on the south shore gives nesting space to black-crowned night herons, and the western cliffs hold western gulls, cormorants and pigeon guillemots. Parts of the trail close in the nesting season.

Wear layers and good shoes. Fog and wind off the bay make the island colder than the city, and the path from the dock to the cellhouse climbs the equivalent of a 13-storey building.