The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock
Twenty-seven miles outside the Golden Gate, a cluster of granite rocks rises from the Pacific like the spine of something ancient. The Farallon Islands are visible from San Francisco on clear days - jagged silhouettes that seem too dramatic to be real. They're also completely off-limits. The Farallones are a National Wildlife Refuge, home to 300,000 nesting seabirds, a haul-out for sea lions and elephant seals, and hunting ground for great white sharks. Only researchers are allowed to land; even boats must keep their distance during breeding season. The islands have been protected since 1969, recovering from a century that saw millions of seabird eggs harvested to feed Gold Rush San Francisco. What humans nearly destroyed, nature is slowly rebuilding.
The Colony
The Farallon Islands host the largest seabird colony in the contiguous United States. Thirteen species breed here: common murres, Cassin's auklets, Brandt's cormorants, western gulls, and others, packed onto 211 acres of rock in densities that seem impossible. During breeding season, the islands are white with birds and loud with their calls. The murres nest in such density - up to 10,000 pairs per acre - that losing your spot can mean losing your egg. The colony's productivity is monitored constantly; population trends here reflect ocean health hundreds of miles away. The birds return because the Farallones offer what few places on the coast still provide: isolation from human disturbance.
The Slaughter
From 1850 to 1880, the Farallones supplied eggs to Gold Rush San Francisco. Companies hired 'eggers' to harvest murre eggs by the hundred-thousand - an estimated 14 million eggs taken over three decades. The eggers kicked previous eggs off cliffs to ensure freshness, killing countless chicks. Fights broke out over territory; at least one man died in the 'Egg Wars.' By the 1880s, the murre population had collapsed from millions to perhaps 60,000. The harvest ended; protection began; the colony has slowly recovered. Today's 200,000 murres are still fewer than before the harvest, but they're multiplying. The Farallones demonstrate both how quickly humans can destroy and how slowly nature heals.
The Sharks
Every fall, great white sharks gather around the Farallones to feed on the elephant seals and sea lions that haul out here. The 'Red Triangle' - the waters between Bodega Bay, the Farallones, and Monterey - has the highest concentration of white sharks in North America. Researchers tag and track the sharks, documenting their movements and feeding patterns. Shark attacks on marine mammals happen regularly; attacks on humans are rare but not unknown. Tour boats watch from a distance as sharks breach while pursuing prey. The Farallones are part of the shark highway - critical habitat for an apex predator that's only beginning to recover from decades of persecution.
The Research
Point Blue Conservation Science maintains a research station on Southeast Farallon Island - the only permanent human presence. A rotating team of biologists monitors seabirds, marine mammals, and sharks year-round, living in a cluster of buildings powered by solar and suffering regular isolation when storms make boat landings impossible. The data they collect stretches back decades, providing irreplaceable baseline information on Pacific marine ecosystems. The Farallones have become an outdoor laboratory, testing how wildlife responds to protection, climate change, and shifting ocean conditions. What happens here predicts what's happening across the Pacific.
Visiting the Farallones
You cannot visit the Farallon Islands - landing is prohibited except for authorized researchers. But you can see them from the sea. Whale watching and wildlife cruises from San Francisco often pass the islands, maintaining required distances while offering views of the seabird colonies and, in fall, the possibility of shark sightings. On exceptionally clear days, the islands are visible from high points around San Francisco Bay - Mount Tamalpais, Twin Peaks, and the Marin Headlands offer the best views. The Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center interprets Farallon ecology. The islands remain forbidden - and that's exactly why they still have wildlife worth protecting.
From the Air
Located at 37.70°N, 123.00°W approximately 27 miles west of San Francisco in the Pacific Ocean. From altitude, the Farallon Islands appear as a cluster of rocky outcrops surrounded by dark blue ocean - the largest island (Southeast Farallon) shows the research station buildings and lighthouse. The white of seabird colonies is visible during nesting season. San Francisco and the Bay Area are visible to the east; the Golden Gate Bridge spans the bay's entrance. The islands sit at the edge of the continental shelf; the water around them is productive and nutrient-rich, attracting the wildlife that makes them significant. From altitude, they look too small to matter. They matter enormously.