San Francisco's Infamous Former Penitentiary Is An Island-Bound National Park Filled With History And Mystery

From The Haight to the Golden Gate – the West Coast landmark crowned the most iconic bridge in the world – San Francisco has no shortage of dazzling attractions. It's even home to the 'world's worst tourist trap,' a wildly popular destination full of shops and eateries called Fisherman's Wharf.

If you're wandering the pier at Fisherman's Wharf, you'll get a commanding view of one of the city's most unique destinations in the distance. Looming 1.5 miles offshore, Alcatraz Island is a rocky island with an even rockier history. The island has lived many lives, but is most famous for formerly serving as a federal penitentiary. From 1934 to 1963, the maximum-security fortress housed some of the world's most infamous inmates, making the headlines and history books with numerous escape attempts — some ending under mysterious circumstances.

Ironically, though hard-boiled criminals once plotted mercilessly to get off of it, the ominous island has since been transformed into a stunning national park, and a beloved Bay Area attraction that draws in around 1.4 million visitors per year. Hosting daily tours, the doors of the historic penitentiary are open for exploring, holding a world of mystery locked in its long-empty prison cells. When visiting San Francisco, a day trip to Alcatraz Island is a must. And, when you're ready to leave, you'll find that escaping is much easier these days.

Unless you're planning on a long, brisk swim across the bay, you'll need to take a ferry to reach Alcatraz Island. All ferry service to the island is operated by Alcatraz City Cruises, so you'll need to book your all-inclusive round trip ride and tour through their website. Most popular is the daytime tour, but they also have night tours available after dusk, in case you're craving an eerier atmosphere. Departing from Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing, you'll embark on a 12 to 15 minute ferry ride, which grants breathtaking panoramic views of San Francisco as you inch closer to the island.

Stepping off the ferry, prepare to be darkly enchanted by the island's atmosphere, where scenic beauty blends with a metaphorical fog — and perhaps a literal fog — of mystery. Of course, the island's star feature is the massive penitentiary, whose foreboding stone facade towers upon 22.5 acres of a rocky, cliff-ringed landscape. 

The grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or until 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, but you don't need to book a specific time for your visit. Your ticket includes access to the Alcatraz Cellhouse, and you can take as much time as you want to explore both the prison and the island, allowing around three hours for the optimal experience. Though you won't find any tour guides to lead you through the prison's labyrinth of halls and cells, you can rent a pair of headphones that are included with your ticket purchase, and follow along on the audio tour.

Embarking on a tour of Alcatraz, you'll discover a world brimming with history and mystery. Before it became a federal prison, the bay-bound island – nicknamed "The Rock" — was used as a military base during the Mexican-American War. It was also the site of California's first light house, erected in 1854. And, during the latter half of the 19th century, it was used to imprison military offenders and Native Americans.

Of course, Alcatraz's most well-known era is its time as a maximum-security penitentiary. On the audio tour of the prison, you'll hear stories about its most infamous prisoners, including Al "Scarface" Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly. You'll also learn about the 36 prisoners who attempted to escape the island over the years, all of which were unsuccessful, and three of which mysteriously vanished forever. Before making your own escape from the Alcatraz Cellhouse, take your time to explore the former dining hall, library, and the never-ending rows of jail cells — some of which you can step inside for creepy photo ops. On your way out, pop into the gift shop for a souvenir to commemorate your jail time.

Beyond the grim history of the prison walls, the grounds surrounding Alcatraz are brimming with beauty. Take some time to stop and smell the roses in the historic gardens, whose seeds were first planted by families living on the island during Alcatraz's military era. While taking in the scents, admire the breathtaking vistas of the bay and San Francisco in the distance before catching the ferry back to the city. For another island-bound adventure in the area, check out Alameda, San Francisco Bay's largest natural island that boasts a historic state park with serene views.