The Angel Island Tiburon Ferry keeps sailing to the island on weekends through December 2026. The Angel Island Company runs the bike rentals, the tram and the Ayala Cove cafe, and its posted hours end on November 28. From late October on, the boat and the services on the island follow separate calendars. They overlap less each week, and by December only one of them is still running.
That means the island's off-season is really a series of stages. Each one supports a different kind of day.
Who Runs What on the Island
Three groups make an Angel Island day work, and each sets its own hours.
The ferry from Tiburon is run by the Angel Island Tiburon Ferry, and its published schedule is divided into date blocks that offer fewer sailings through the fall. The schedule says it is subject to change without notice, and return boats leave the island 20 minutes after each Tiburon departure on a first-come, first-served basis.
The services on the island come from the Angel Island Company. The company says that even when Angel Island State Park is open, its own services are limited to the hours it posts, and it may close early because of weather.
California State Parks runs the land itself. The park is open sunrise to sunset. According to State Parks, the concessionaire has no general winter service, and the Ayala Cove cafe is the only place on the island that sells food.
The Stages, Date by Date
This table lines up both calendars from today, October 7, through the end of the year.
| Dates (2026) | Ferry from Tiburon, public departures | Angel Island Company on the island |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 to Oct 11 | Wed to Fri: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. Sat and Sun: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. No service Mon and Tue | Thu to Sun, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Oct 12 to Oct 31 | Wed to Fri: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. Sat and Sun: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1, 2 and 3 p.m. 4 p.m. is campers only | Thu to Sun, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Nov 1 |
| November | Sat and Sun only, plus Nov 11 and Nov 27: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. 3 p.m. is campers only | Fri to Sun, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov 5 to Nov 28 |
| December | Sat and Sun only: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. 3 p.m. is campers only | No posted hours |
Two things change between the October and November blocks. The ferry's afternoon departures go away: on November and December weekends the last public boat leaves Tiburon at 1 p.m., and the last return open to all ticket holders leaves the island at 3:20 p.m. The company's hours also move from Thursday through Sunday to Friday through Sunday and close half an hour earlier.
The ferry also posted one extra boat in this first stage: a 5:20 p.m. return from the island on Friday, October 9, for Fleet Week.
The Days That Fall Between the Calendars
Once the two schedules are side by side, some days have a boat but no services, and others have the reverse.
- Wednesdays through October. The ferry runs Wednesday through Friday this month, but the company opens Thursday through Sunday. A Wednesday crossing arrives with no bike rentals, no tram and no cafe.
- Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11. The ferry runs its weekend schedule that day, but the company's November hours are Friday through Sunday.
- Fridays in November. The company is open on Fridays, but the ferry has no regular weekday service in November and December. The schedule suggests checking the ferry's website for school-group trips that the public may be able to join.
- Friday, November 27. The day after Thanksgiving is the one weekday in the final stage when both calendars line up: the ferry runs and the company's Friday hours apply.
In November, the weekend is the only time the ferry and the company are both reliably running, apart from the 27th. On a November Saturday the company closes at 3 p.m. and the last public return leaves at 3:20 p.m., so you can return a bike and still make the boat.
Rentals are posted at $16 an hour or $64 a day for a mountain bike and $26 an hour or $99 a day for an e-bike. Bikes are due back by 3 p.m. on weekdays and 3:30 p.m. on weekends. In November, the company's 3 p.m. close is the deadline that matters. The narrated open-air tram takes reservations until 48 hours ahead, so a tram ride on a fall weekend needs to be booked by Thursday. The company also posts an undated notice that the tram is using a revised route because of a small storm-related road closure. Before booking, ask the company which loop is running.
December Means Packing Your Own Lunch
After November 28 the company has no posted hours. State Parks describes its winter offering as pre-booked charter shuttle runs for groups of at least 25, requested at least three weeks ahead.
The ferry still crosses at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on December weekends. On the island, restrooms stay open all year, but food service and the camp store are seasonal. State Parks says visitors are welcome to bring their own food. In December, plan the day around whatever you carry on the 10 a.m. boat, because nothing is sold on the island.
The departure you choose sets the length of the day. Between the first public boat out at 10 a.m. and the last public return at 3:20 p.m., a December visit can cover most of a loop with a picnic stop. If you take the 1 p.m. boat, you have just over two hours on the island before the 3:20 p.m. return.
Schedule subject to change without notice.
That line comes from the ferry's own page, and it matters most in the season when only one boat a day is open to the public on the way back.
Where to Walk Without the Tram
Without the tram or rental bikes, the island's trails and roads become the main way around. State Parks lists three routes worth knowing.
- Perimeter Road. A five-mile road, mostly paved and hilly, open to hikers and cyclists. If you bring your own bike on the ferry, this is the full loop around the island.
- Fire Road. About three miles of dirt, best in dry weather. After winter rain, the paved Perimeter Road is the safer choice.
- Mount Livermore. The summit is 788 feet, about a four-mile round trip on foot. It fits within a 10 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. window.
The historic grounds along the way, including Camp Reynolds and Fort McDowell, are open daily from sunrise to sundown, though most of the historic buildings are closed to the public. Interior openings at Camp Reynolds depend on volunteers, and the Fort McDowell chapel and Guard House generally open one weekend a month from April through October. After October, plan on seeing those buildings from the outside.
The island also looks different this fall. State Parks planned a prescribed burn of up to 260 acres in September and said the park would stay open. Parts of the Ida Trail, the Sunset Trail, the fire roads and the perimeter roads could close for one to three days during and just after burning. The Marin Independent Journal reported that crews from Cal Fire and the Marin County Fire Department started the burn September 8, paused it after consulting the Bay Area Air District, and resumed it September 23. State Parks also asks visitors to check with the park about closures from landslides or fallen trees. That advice applies more as the rainy months begin.
The Immigration Station on a Short Day
The Angel Island Immigration Station still works as a destination in the off-season, but you'll need to confirm the schedule first. The State Parks historic-sites page and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation's visitor guide list museum hours as 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Other official pages list the museum as open Wednesday through Sunday. State Parks says museum hours change with the public ferry schedule. On a November or December weekend, call ahead before you plan the day around it.
Admission to the Detention Barracks is $5 for adults and $3 for youth ages 5 to 17. Children under 5 enter free, and the Angel Island Immigration Museum is free for everyone. Park staff lead in-person Barracks tours by reservation for $7 per adult and $5 per youth.
The site is also in the news this year. In May the Marin IJ reported that the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Immigration Station to its 2026 list of America's Most Endangered Historic Places, citing structural repairs and programming as funding needs.
The foundation's next program on the island falls in the current stage: Hands on History, Saturday, October 10, from noon to 3:30 p.m., with origami and a look at immigration and steamship history. That Saturday has a full ferry schedule, with public departures from Tiburon until 4 p.m. The foundation's listing for October 29 is an online Zoom event, not an island visit.
For residents who come by private boat, State Parks reported in January that 16 day-use slips and moorings at Ayala Cove had reopened. The same agency noted oil sheening at China Cove and advised against swimming or fishing there.
Over 25 years of working on the Tiburon Peninsula, Carla Giustino has seen how much of daily life here follows the water, from the ferry calendar to the cove. If you're thinking about how a Tiburon home fits the way you spend your weekends on the bay, request a complimentary Marin market consultation.
