Wear comfortable walking shoes with grip-type soles. Avoid wearing sandals, leather-soled shoes, high heels and open-toe shoes. Note that there is no parking available at Alcatraz Landing.
Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing is fully accessible. Many areas on Alcatraz Island are also accessible with the use of the S.E.A.T. Tram. Visitors with limited mobility and unable to make the climb up Alcatraz Island's steep roads can take advantage of the S.E.A.T.
How should I dress for Alcatraz Island when visiting? You should bring a light jacket or sweater when visiting Alcatraz Island as the weather can be unpredictable. Winter months can be wet so we suggest that you bring a raincoat or wet gear.
Eating, drinking and smoking is only permitted on the dock.
Beyond the dock only bottled water in non-glass bottles is allowed to be consumed.
The Behind the Scenes Alcatraz tour lasts about 4.5 hours. It is quite a bit more strenuous than the other tours as you will be climbing steep stairs and walking around on uneven pavement. Keep this in mind as you select which one is right for you.
Temperatures on Alcatraz Island seldom rise above 75°F (24°C) or fall below 38°F (3°C). It almost never snows on the Island, but winters can be wet and cold. Afternoon winds are common during every season.
Still, swimming from Alcatraz is no joke. Some of the key challenges include: Rough and choppy water. Cold water temperatures which can be 10 degrees or lower than in other parts of the East Bay.
Collecting of any sort is prohibited. Plant and animal life are protected by law - do not feed birds on Alcatraz. No food service is available on Alcatraz, however there is a picnic area located at the dock. Food, drinks (including candy and gum) are only allowed on the dock.
Are there bathrooms on Alcatraz? There are bathrooms on most of the ferries on the way over and back. There are also restrooms in two locations on the island. One is right near the ferry terminal.
(Alcatraz opened as a national recreation area in 1973, a decade after it transferred its last inmate.) Fewer than 600 people can stay overnight each year. Only nonprofits are allowed the privilege, and spots are given out via lottery. Typically Alcatraz hosts young scout troops.
Is it better to visit Alcatraz in the morning or afternoon? Early morning is best if you prefer to go when the island is less crowded. Midday is best if you prefer a warmer day and sunny skies. I took the photo below on the Agave Trail about 1pm in early December.
Alcatraz Island has a story so intriguing that it draws in over 1.5 million visitors each year. But are the Alcatraz day and night tours worth your valuable time and money? In short, the answer is yes.
Two Federal Bureau of Prisons officers—William A. Miller and Harold Stites—were killed (Miller by one of the inmates who attempted escape, Joseph Cretzer, and Stites by friendly fire) along with three of the perpetrators. Fourteen other officers and one uninvolved convict were also injured.
Eventually, they killed the three remaining men, Cretzer, Hubbard and Coy, the ringleader. Two prison guards were killed in the battle, with 14 more wounded. Two of the prisoners who gave up after the lock to the yard door was broken, Shockley and Thompson, were executed in a gas chamber for their role in the attempt.
WiFi is not available at this GGNRA park site. Cellular reception is very limited on Alcatraz Island.
The bay is actually only as deep as a swimming pool.
Heck, between Hayward and San Mateo to San Jose it averages 12 to 36 inches. So much for that bridge! With that said though, the water surrounding Alcatraz is on the deeper end of the scale, but still, it's just an average depth of 43 feet.
The prison hospital room. After all, this is ultimately where the slowly deteriorating Capone spent much of his time on Alcatraz Island. Cell 133 on B-Block. When Al Capone wasn't being hospitalized he was held in this cell, which you are able to see during your Alcatraz tour.
The secret control room is located in Alcatraz's secret tunnels beneath the lighthouse. It is accessed by using the Warden's three keys on a large, metal door. Inside the room are large consoles of old computers and a map of the continental United States.
Alcatraz is open to public tours. However, the Alcatraz docks are exclusively available to one ferry line, Alcatraz Cruises. So, the only way the public can visit this famous jail in San Francisco is to buy a tour and take one of the official Alcatraz ferries.
After visiting Alcatraz Island, be sure to plan a visit to other historic, cultural and culinary attractions in the Bay Area. Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing is conveniently located to walk to many iconic San Francisco sights, such as Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, the historic San Francisco Ferry Building and so much more.
Unfortunately, the odds would be stacked against you for that last option. Only one group has managed to successfully break out of Alcatraz in its 30-year history. Out of 36 men who attempted to escape, 23 were caught, six were shot and killed, and the others drowned.
The waters between North Beach and Alcatraz are not shark infested, as urban legends would have you believe. Most sharks can't live in the bay's fresh water, as their fatty livers aren't functionally flotational without salination.
5 Torture. Punishment at Alcatraz was extreme. At the dungeon, prisoners were chained up standing in total darkness, often with no food and regular beatings. These punishments often lasted for as long as 14 days and by 1942, the dungeon was found to be unnecessarily cruel and closed.
What is this? The biography of Al Capone continues in January of 1939, when he was transferred out of Alcatraz. He was moved to another facility and then paroled at the end of the year.