Alcatraz Tours Abruptly Shut Down

Alcatraz Island shut down to visitors on Monday, April 20, after the National Park Service closed ferry access for dock repairs through Friday, April 24. (nps.gov) The Park Service posted the closure on April 17 and said access to the island was “temporarily closed for dock repair.” It said all scheduled tours were refunded and told visitors to call Alcatraz City Cruises to reschedule. (nps.gov) SFGATE reported the island is scheduled to reopen Saturday, April 25, and quoted park spokesperson Joshua Winchell saying the work was “planned” and “pre-scheduled.” Winchell said crews were repairing and inspecting the dock pilings where more than 1 million people disembark each year. (sfgate.com) ABC7 reported the closure halted all public access to the former prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay and pushed the official ferry operator to steer customers toward alternative bay cruises for the week. (abc7news.com) That dock is the island’s only practical gateway for visitors. Alcatraz City Cruises says it is the National Park Service concessioner for round-trip transportation and island tours, so when the landing closes, the tours stop with it. (cityexperiences.com) The interruption hit one of the Bay Area’s biggest tourist draws. The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy says Alcatraz, a 22-acre island 1.5 miles off San Francisco, now welcomes more than 1.4 million visitors a year. (parksconservancy.org) Alcatraz is not just a former federal prison site. The National Park Service says the island also preserves a Civil War-era fort, the West Coast’s first lighthouse site, and the history of the 1969-71 Indians of All Tribes occupation. (nps.gov) For travelers with tickets this week, the practical answer is simple: refunds have already been issued, and the next official update is expected to come from the Park Service as the dock work wraps up. (nps.gov)