Overview: Angel Island State Park offers one of the best ways to see San Francisco Bay from sea level. Fortunate local boat owners have long plied its shoreline and picnicked on its grounds, but the boatless can get in on the fun via ferries that stop on the island.

There are good times galore for hikers, bikers and sightseers, but the island has abundant evidence of the bad old days, particularly the Immigration Station, where Asians who came to America seeking freedom were instead held captive, often for months on end.

Though the island gets a bit crowded at peak tourist season, there's plenty of room to stretch across its 740 acres, 13 miles of hiking trails and eight miles of paved road. No matter where you go, you'll have excellent views of the lands surrounding the San Francisco Bay, cooled by Pacific Ocean breezes.

Tips: What to bring:
Sunscreen: there's very little shade on the island.
Layers: The island can be hot one side and cool on another.
Camera
Binoculars
Basic hiking gear if you're taking on Mount Livermore.

There is no cheap way to see Angel Island: ferry fares, parking fees and bridge tolls can set you back $20 to $40 (car-pooling and public transportation can ease the sting a bit).
Travel defensively: you'll be sharing the island with tourists on Segways, bicycles and motorized trams; all of them can sneak up on you.
Check the weather forecast before you go: if the Bay is likely to be fogged in, there won't be much to see (though fog often burns off in the afternoon).
Don't miss your ride back to the mainland: make sure you know when your last ferry leaves, and give yourself plenty of time to get there.

Immigration Station

OK, so sites documenting human suffering don't exactly peg the ol' excitement meter. Even so, this recently renovated national landmark is worth seeing if only to read the poetry its mostly Chinese captives carved into the walls of their holding cells. Sad but gripping. See http://www.aiisf.org/index.php/visit for tour information.

Overnight camping

The island has 11 campsites -- one that's ADA-compliant, nine numbered sites (each requiring a walk of up to two miles) and a kayak-accessible site. When the last ferry leaves, you'll have the island pretty much to yourself (mind you it can get bitter cold and wet overnight, so come prepared). Seeing San Francisco by night from Angel Island is a singular Bay Area experience. Get all the details at http://www.angelisland.org/faq2.htm#Camping.