Channel Islands National Park: We had heard this string of 5 protected islands referred to as the “Galapagos of North America,” which sounded pretty darn enticing. Only 20+ miles off the California coast, it is certainly worlds apart from the hustle and bustle of the mainland … no vehicles, no pets, no drones, no In’N’Out Burger … not even any trash cans! Just a weathered NPS sign that hasn’t had a fresh sanding in years.
Unless you have a private boat or airplane, the best/only way to get to any of the islands is via private concessionaire Island Packers, which runs a variety of ferry shuttles back and forth from both Oxnard and Ventura. The official NPS Visitor Center is in Ventura, with a 25-minute movie and educational exhibits.
Putting out to sea, you cross a basin even deeper than Arizona’s Grand Canyon: the Santa Barbara Channel. Volcanic activity and fluctuating sea levels created these islands, and it is considered one of the top scuba diving and snorkeling areas in the world.
Each island has it’s own personality. We opted for Santa Cruz, which reportedly had the best hiking (and the most frequent shuttles). Windy or bad weather can easily cancel your adventure; even with a reservation, you must call a recorded message the morning of your ferry to confirm that it (and therefore, you) are still going.
This place is EXTREMELY primitive, with nothing except an unmanned “visitor center,” some displays and buildings highlighting the early history of the island for the Chumash Indians and later sheep and cattle farming operations, a tent campground of sorts, a kayaking tour operation, and thankfully, pit toilets and outhouses.
Santa Cruz Island is very large, at least as far as islands go, about 92 square miles. We disembarked at Scorpion Anchorage, the origin of the name something I was not eager to know. There are several trails and hikeable roads on Santa Cruz Island. We chose the two most accessible (and therefore, popular) trails with stunning views.
From Scorpion Anchorage, you can hike a 2-mile moderately steep route with beautiful coast vistas, on the Cavern Point Loop Trail. Hike counterclockwise to avoid a steep uphill.
From Cavern Point, you can journey another 2 miles one way on the North Bluff Trail to Potato Harbor. It is named for its oblong, potato-y shape, but I increased Philip’s hiking pace by telling him it was named for the Baked Potato Bar, with all the fixin’s, to be found at the end of the trail. Psych!
One of the selling points for Channel Islands is the magical word “WILDLIFE.” On our visit, this was laughable. Supposedly the ferry boat journey is frequently delayed because it slows or stops for 28 distinct species of whales, seals, dolphins and more. The whiteboard in the ferry office jauntily noted that more than 6,600 dolphins had been counted just four days prior. How many did we see? Zero.
Once on the island, we were supposed to also see landlubbing wildlife, particularly in the form of the inquisitive Island Fox. How many did we see? Zero. The isolation of these islands has led to 145 unique species of plants and animals not found anywhere else on Earth. For us, they couldn’t even be found here! Oh, well. The surroundings were still spectacular.
What we did see, which could have easily been seen from any mainland beach in California, was a bunch of pelicans, and enormous black ravens. The island volunteer mentioned not to put your backpack down unattended for any purpose, so skilled are these scavengers at opening zippers and scattering your belongings looking for food, in seconds flat.
This was our 46th National Park. If you were camping here, or island-hopping, you could easily spend a few days or even a week. For most people, an afternoon would suffice. Pack a picnic, wear sturdy shoes, go exploring, check out the historical displays, relax on the rocky beach, and relish “Coastal California as it once was,” without development, noise, vehicles or pollution!
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This was an excellent read, Tessa, and your pics are gorgeous! It would be interesting to see how the visitation numbers between this National Park and some of the other more easily accessible Parks compare. Sometimes the best experiences are reserved for travelers like you and Philip who are willing to go off the beaten path.
You are the best guide! Always just what we need to plan a great trip!
I’ve been to Catalina but not the Channel Islands. Sounds worth the trip! Thanks