All tours to San Francisco's Alcatraz Island suddenly canceled
LATEST April 21, 3:40 p.m. A day after San Francisco's Alcatraz Island closed to visitors for a week of repairs at its ferry dock, National Park Service spokesperson Joshua Winchell provided more details regarding what led up to the shutdown - and why another closure is on the horizon.
The island was briefly closed on Jan. 14 so staff could inspect the pilings that secure the dock on the island. "Results from this inspection confirmed the need for repair," he said in an email. "Additional improvements to the dock and pilings are anticipated later this year, which will necessitate another temporary closure of the island."
Alcatraz City Cruises makes more than 3,200 ferry trips to the island annually, according to Winchell, transporting 1.5 million visitors per year.
"The wear and tear on the dock necessitates regular inspections and repair work that ACC funds not using tax dollars," he said.
April 20, 1:54 p.m. San Francisco's Alcatraz Island has shut down and will be closed to visitors for the rest of the week to undergo repairs at its dock, National Park Service officials told SFGATE on Monday morning. The historic landmark and tourist destination is scheduled to reopen by Saturday.
In an email, Joshua Winchell, the park's chief of communications and special park uses, described the closure as fairly routine. He noted it was a "planned" and "pre-scheduled" endeavor to repair the island's dock where more than a million people disembark every year, "specifically to repair and inspect the dock pilings." All tours from Monday through Friday have been canceled, and previously purchased tickets have been refunded, though Winchell was not immediately able to share how many.
An alert about the closure was shared on the park service's website on Friday, encouraging people to reschedule their tours by calling Alcatraz City Cruises at 415-981-7625. Jeffrey Brault, vice president of global public affairs for the tour operator, told SFGATE the temporary suspension of service will "allow for required mechanical maintenance to landing infrastructure" and encouraged guests to seek out its alternative Bay Discovery sightseeing cruise, which zips around the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito and Angel Island. He also declined to comment on how many tours had been canceled and how many refunds were processed.
"All guests with reservations during this period are being contacted to allow them to reschedule their visit, select a bay cruise departure, or receive a refund," Brault said in an email. "We thank our guests for their understanding and apologize for any inconvenience."
Though the canceled tours came in the aftermath of the pre-scheduled closure, the tour operator said the timing was intentional in order to avoid any disruptions during the peak summer tourist season. Tickets for the ferry's Alcatraz tours resume again on Saturday, with most morning slots sold out.
The news caught some out-of-towners by surprise. On Reddit, one user said they learned of the cancellation Monday morning as they were preparing to visit San Francisco for the first time from the United Kingdom, and they weren't sure if they could reschedule.
Updates on the status of the island's reopening will be shared on the park's website, Winchell said.
This breaking news story has been updated.
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 7:09 PM.