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Peninsula in California, United States
Photo: Eugene Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mare Island is in Vallejo, Solano County. It is a former U.S. Navy shipyard. The architecture is a mix of historic military housing and industrial buildings which have been converted to commercial use. There are park areas and places to eat and drink.
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Parts of southern Mare Island have been preserved as a park that features many historical sites of the former Naval base, such as the Naval graveyard, a reservoir used to water that part of the island. Its main feature is the converted roads that bikes and pedestrians use to climb to the highest point of the island, and enjoy views of seven Bay Area counties.
Operated by the Mare Island Historical Preserve, this walking trail is an escape into the quiet and peaceful wetlands of Mare Island's western shores. After being closed to the public for over a century, this four-mile collection of flat walking trails comes not only with the views you see in a wildlife preserve, but also of places such as San Pablo Bay, Mt. Diablo, the Carquinez Strait, the East Bay hills, Mt. Tamalpais and the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Because the trail is only to be used by humans on foot, there is a rack to park your bike in the parking lot.
Various officers' quarters, plus Saint Peter's Chapel. Most buildings are only accessible to the customers of the renting businesses, if rented for an event, or as part of a tour. See The Quarters Coffee House under Eat for a historic building business anyone can enter daily.
Paid guided tours are regularly available. Free self-guided tours are rarely available. Both provide access to some historic buildings.
Cafe in a former officers' quarters. Coffee and other hot drinks brewed to order. Premade sandwiches, beverages, and ice cream in coolers/freezers. Various local packaged foods for sale as well. Since most of the historic buildings on the island have limited or no public access, this is also a great opportunity to see what the inside of an officers' quarters looks like, at least the first floor. Wheelchair lift in back. Seating inside, on a large lawn, and on the front porch for eating and drinking.
On foot or by bike
There is a causeway over a drawbridge near the north end of the island, with a walking and biking path between Mare Island and the Vallejo mainland.
By public transit
There are a few ferries a day by San Francisco Bay Ferry., weekdays only, and returns at 2:10PM, allowing for less than two hours on the island, so plan ahead for what you are going to see or do.
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Concord · Regional · CCR
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