Hiking around Angel Island, San Francisco

Happy Wednesday all! Our day trip today to Angel Island has been one hike I’ve been looking forward to for months. We were originally going to rent bikes and bike around the island. However, after a little bit of research and reading this article, we decided that taking the 5.5 mile trek around the island was worth it.

I cannot describe to you all how amazing Angel Island is and the pictures do not do the 360 degree views of San Francisco justice.

Here are a few tips we followed that made today awesome:

Use ParkWhiz to find parking near Pier 41. It’s actually super cool to find parking anywhere and if you download the app, you get a discount on your first booking. We parked at the Hotel Zephyr for $5 all day in SF – unheard of!
Book your ferry tickets online the night before then pick them up at the pier. It’s currently $9.75 each way which includes the park fees.
Check out Blazing Saddles if you want to rent bikes, it’s cheaper than renting them on the island and you can pick them up at Pier 41.
Pack your lunch, drinks and snacks as the cafe is only open May – October.

We sat on the third level of the ferry to take in all the views of San Fran as we sailed away. The trip their is 30 minutes and the trip back is an hour as there are additional stops in Tiburon and Sausalito.While we have done the Alcatraz tour a few times before, I feel like you get new, close up views on the ferry ride to Angel Island.You also get to see several cool buildings on Angel Island before you dock.We followed the trail backwards past the visitors center to get to the Perimeter road. I highly recommend this as it doesn’t have the steep uphill and stairs. It’s also the opposite way of most people so you get the trail to yourself for awhile.

You follow a short gravel road to the paved road.Along the way we saw deer and this raccoon.It is such a peaceful walk and no matter where you look the views are stunning.I love that you get to see all the bridges…Bay Bridge and Golden Gate.The Richmond bridge.There are plenty of benches and picnic tables all along the trail and most with views like this.I promise it really doesn’t seem like you hiked 5.5 miles when you return back to the Ferry terminal.I honestly cannot wait to go back to check out more of the island.Before heading out this morning, I whipped up these 4 SmartPoint cinnamon orange scones.Following this recipe exactly. The only change I’d make going forward is to add 1 Tbsp of butter or oil as they are a bit dry. The flavor is quite tasty with just enough sweetness from the cinnamon sugar with hints of orange.I powered up my breakfast with a zero point egg and some berries. Delicious.We grabbed Biscoff Lattes for our Ferry ride over. A must if your ever near the Biscoff Coffee on Pier 39. For our lunches, I made this Peanut & Chicken Noodle recipe. I forgot the oil, used almond butter and grilled my chicken. I did spice it up a bit with Sriracha too.1 cup = 6 Smartpoints and we ate it like a cold noodle salad. Nutty, satisfying and perfect for picnicking.For dessert, I made these 5 Smartpoint Lemon Bars using Meyer Lemon. They are tangy, buttery, moist and decadent.