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San Francisco’s nickname is The City by the Bay, so when I traveled to San Francisco last December with my two teenaged sons, we decided it would be fun to see the city from the bay. So, we decided to take a kayak tour!
A Different View – Photo by Samantha Davis-Friedman
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San Francisco Bay Kayak Tour
Thanks to San Francisco Kayak & Adventures, families can easily access San Francisco’s nature by exploring the city’s waterways in 2-person traditional closed deck – or “sit in” – kayaks. Unlike “sit on” kayaks that families might be familiar with from warm-weather beach vacations, these allow paddlers to sit inside a cockpit with a waterproof spray skirt that keeps most of the water out – and because we were paddling in cold weather (and therefore cold water), this was an extremely important distinction.
Thanks to several layers of clothing – and a kayak skirt – the cold weather was no problem – Photo by Samantha Davis-Friedman
Where to Eat
We were advised to eat before we paddled, so of course, we went to Fred’s Place, a Sausalito institution since 1966 and home to the famous “Millionaire’s bacon,” sweet and spicy extra-thick applewood-smoked bacon baked with brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and chili flakes – and a word to the wise: don’t let the price tag deter you from this “must try” side. The egg dishes are all great, so you really can’t go wrong, but a plate of “Fat Fred” deep-fried French toast or thin Swedish pancakes “for the table” is never a bad idea.
Millionaire’s bacon makes you feel rich
With full stomachs and several layers of warm clothing (because: December), we were ready for our private 3-hour kayak tour of Sausalito’s Richardson Bay led by San Francisco Kayak & Adventures’ Lead Guide Chris Young. As we quickly discovered, this was not only a fun and active way to start our day in San Francisco (and burn off that Millionaire’s bacon), but we also learned the history and lore of the area – including a few salty tales of gold rushers, rock stars, and beat poets – as well as lessons about wind, ocean currents, and native sea life, so it was definitely a full-service family activity.
Before we started paddling, Chris gave us instructions (basically Kayaking 101) – Photo by Samantha Davis-Friedman
As we paddled, Chris talked about the areas surrounding the bay. The first thing we learned is that the name Sausalito is a derivative of the Spanish word sauzalito, meaning small willow grove. Chris explained that early Spanish mariners saw willow trees on the shoreline and knew that willows were signs of freshwater, so the trees let them know that they could refill their water barrels here.
What to Know: Angel Island
One particularly interesting – and historic – spot Chris pointed out is Angel Island, which he described as “the Ellis Island of the west coast” because it was an important immigration center during the pre-WWII period. Also on Angel Island is Camp Reynolds, a Civil War Union troop station. I don’t know about you, but when I think of California, I don’t usually think of the Civil War, but after the start of the gold rush in 1849, a lot of the gold coming out of this area was going through San Francisco, so in the 1850s, Union troops were stationed on Angel Island and in the Presidio area of the city to protect all that gold. Even my older son – a self-proclaimed Civil War buff – didn’t know that fun fact!
Angel Island the West Coast’s Ellis Island
Today, the island is managed by the park system as Angel Island State Park and offers spectacular 360-degree views of the San Francisco skyline and bay. Chris offered a great local tip that Angel Island is one of the best places to see fireworks on the 4th of July because you can see five shows from one vantage point at the top.
Another unusual thing Chris showed us is what they call the “anchor-outs.”
“We’ve had people living on boats anchored offshore since the gold rush,” Chris explained. “When people from all over the world started coming to San Francisco to explore the gold opportunities, a lot of them lived on boats so they could easily make their way up to the gold mines.”
Nowadays, most people live on these boats to avoid the high cost of living in the bay area’s waterfront communities. The accessibility of solar or wind-generated power has made this a much easier way of life than in previous years when they had no source of power. And you can’t beat the view.
Richardson Bay: Floating Homes
There are other bay residents that also choose to live in floating homes, but unlike anchor outs, Sausalito’s established floating homes – the largest such community on the planet – are tied to a dock and connected to city utilities, including Internet and cable (which my teens were relieved to learn). Plus, they have official postal addresses to receive mail.
Floating art – Photo by Floating Homes Association
According to Chris, the floating homes community in Richardson Bay was created in the 1960s by non-traditionalists, so many of the people who’ve lived here over the years are writers and artists, including Shel Silverstein, the poet, and writer of “The Giving Tree” was a resident in the 1970s. Because of the community’s artistic roots, some of the homes also have very creative architectural features like one that incorporates two old train cabooses into its construction.
Some of the other vessels we saw in Richardson Bay also have pretty cool former lives, including a very rare 110-year-old Dutch barge that transported goods along European waterways before modern trucking routes were established and a 100+-year-old wooden “Steamboat Willy”-style tug boat named The Go Getter. We were also lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Freda, the oldest sailboat on the West Coast that dates back to 1885.
One of the most famous vessels in Richardson Bay is The Vallejo, which started its life as a ferryboat in Portland and later became the location for lectures about Zen Buddhism by Alan Watts, a famous British philosopher who introduced Eastern philosophy to Western audiences in the 1960s. The lectures attracted members of the San Francisco artistic community like Timothy Leary, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, and the Grateful Dead, as well as Otis Redding who wrote his famous song “Dock of the Bay” after spending time here.
The Vallejo, which started its life as a ferryboat in Portland sits in Richardson Bay as a floating home Photo by Jeff Greeenwald
Bay Model Visitor Center
As we continued paddling, we passed The Bay Model Visitor Center (which is free to visit). Chris told us that there is a two-football-field-long hydraulic scale model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta System inside that was built in the 50s – complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.
A park ranger at the Bay Model Visitor Center leads a group of visitors – Photo by Brandon Beach
“When water goes around an island or hits a shoreline, it obviously starts to do different things than just flow in and out,” Chris explained. “So, to figure out how the water actually moves and in what directions it flows, The Army Corps of Engineers were tasked with recreating the bay on a small scale and creating a pump to move water through each cycle like the tide.”
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My two science lovers seemed particularly interested in this information, so I made a mental note to visit after our tour.
Before heading back to shore, Chris took us to the edge of Richardson Bay, which flows into San Francisco Bay, for a spectacular panoramic view of the city’s skyline.
A panoramic view of the San Francisco skyline was the perfect reward at the end of our 3-hour tour – Photo by Samantha Davis-Friedman
It was a great way to get a sense of where we were – and was the perfect reward for completing the 3-hour paddle. As an added bonus, Chris recommended Bar Bocce’s amazing wood-fired pizza for lunch (and it was definitely amazing!)
Even with the slightly nippy weather, we all agreed that it was one of our favorite family outings of all time.
I was lucky enough to paddle with Chris, so I got to take a few extra breaks – Photo by Josh Friedman
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Richardson Bay tours offer relatively mild conditions, but families can also choose a more urban setting and paddle on the San Francisco Bay to McCovey Cove and the Giant’s World Series Championship AT&T Park; however, because this is a more challenging waterway with stronger currents and larger boats, it may not be a good option for inexperienced kayakers or families with young kids.
There are other unconventional ways to see the city. One is through an ETuk ride!
To get discounts on tours in the area, we recommend Get Your Guide or Viator (which offers 51% off last-minute tours!).
Getting There
There are daily non-stop flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) into San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Oakland International Airport (OAK). Flight times are just over an hour.
An excellent discount site for flights (and cars, hotels) is Expedia! This is where we start our research for the best deals!
If you’d like to be in the know for exclusive discounts to fly anywhere in the world, check out Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights). Their website shows current deals, and they send emails when they find new deals. Try out their free 7-day membership to save BIG money on flights. I’m not kidding. They have the best deals out there and we’ve tried them all, or so it seems. There’s no need to buy a membership (you’ll still have access to great deals with their free trial).
You can also drive from Los Angeles, and that takes just over 5 hours.
Staying There
You can shop for VRBOs or hotels next to the area where you want to stay with this easy interactive map. Deals on flights are also shown:
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