FILE - A distant view of Alcatraz, which will be shutting down for repairs again this fall.
FILE - A distant view of Alcatraz, which will be shutting down for repairs again this fall.
San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island is preparing to shut down to visitors and cancel tours for nearly a month to complete dock repairs, continuing work that led to a sudden closure of the Rock in April. The shutdown will last from Oct. 26 to Nov. 18, allowing crews to “replace pilings that secure the ferry dock to the island,” park officials said in a news release.
“Completing the repair work this fall will help ensure safe and reliable public access to Alcatraz Island for years to come,” the news release said.
The historic landmark and tourist destination initially closed to visitors on Jan. 14 after an inspection team from Alcatraz City Cruises, which operates tours of the island and is funding the project, discovered two of the dock pilings were deteriorating and needed to be repaired. At the time, ferry service ran as normal, but with a reduced capacity per boat, which they managed by operating an extended fleet of vessels, park officials said.
A subsequent six-day closure announced in April was a “planned” endeavor, National Parks Service spokesperson Joshua Winchell previously told SFGATE, though the news caught some out-of-towners who had already booked tours by surprise. During the shutdown, workers at Alcatraz City Cruises further stabilized the existing pilings and developed a plan to replace the two that were deteriorating, allowing them to shuttle people to and from the island at a greater capacity during the peak season for tourists.
This fall will be the final phase of the project, which park officials described as “a complex operation” that involves “strengthen[ing] the overall floating barge piling system” by pile driving and replacing the two remaining pilings. Such a process in San Francisco Bay has to be regulated by the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission, which restricts work in the water after Nov. 30.
People who have booked tours during the closure will be notified and offered refunds. Alcatraz City Cruises is also giving ticket holders the option to reschedule their visit or book a San Francisco Bay Discovery Cruise instead, which zips around the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito and Angel Island.
Alcatraz City Cruises makes more than 3,200 ferry trips per year, carrying 1.5 million visitors annually. Once the repairs are completed, they are expected to last anywhere between 20 to 30 years.
Updates and closure information can be found on the National Park Service’s website. Contact Alcatraz City Cruises for information on rescheduling tours.
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Sep 28, 2026