Once a notorious offshore prison where some of America's most infamous criminals like 'Scarface' Al Capone and 'Birdman' Robert Stroud were incarcerated, Alcatraz is now a visitor attraction operated by the National Parks Service. Reachable by ferry, the island is the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the US and home to large colonies of gulls, egrets, and cormorants, which add to the island's atmosphere as they circle overhead.