Alcatraz During a Night

A lighthouse shines into the fog above the remains of the warden's house during a night tour on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Most of the more than 1 million tourists who visit the famous former prison never experience Alcatraz at night or see its

A lighthouse shines into the fog above the remains of the warden's house during a night tour on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.
A lighthouse shines into the fog above the remains of the warden's house during a night tour on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Most of the more than 1 million tourists who visit the famous former prison never experience Alcatraz at night or see its spooky hospital.

The difference from the daytime tour is apparent from the start. The ferry from San Francisco motors slowly around the west side of the isle, passing decrepit buildings surrounded by Alcatraz new residents: black Brandt’s cormorants, Western gulls and the other birds that have made their home there since U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy shuttered the prison in 1963.

Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US built fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public, and the 18 month occupation by Indians of All Tribes which saved the tribes. Rich in history, there is also a natural side to the Rock - gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views beyond compare.
 We took the last ferry 6:45pm out. I would advise do not take the last ferry out. Definitely the 6:10pm would have been better. Being the last group of people on the island was good but I felt it was a little rushed at the end. In the dark we...