Walk along sweeping vistas within a massive marine sanctuary, on islands far off the coast of California.
LessThis national park protects an impressive 249,354 acres, most of which is an off-shore marine sanctuary. So while the park is mostly water, it is centered around the 5 Channel Islands which rise like sheer-walled plateaus from the sea. You can reach them only by boat, but once on land you’ll discover a wealth of trails through an isolated environment that the National Park Service calls, “coastal southern California as it once was.”
Upon landing at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island, you have a number of options for hiking from there. The trail to Smugglers Cove is one of the best, but it’s quite a journey. You must make sure you have time before your boat leaves. After hiking the old Smugglers Road all the way to the other side of the island, you’ll find a stony beach facing the open ocean, seemingly cut off from the world. Due to the remoteness, you can expect to share this beach with few other people.
Prisoners Harbor is the lesser-visited landing on Santa Cruz Island, and makes a jumping-off point for backcountry treks. There are good options for day hikers too, and Pelican Bay is the best of them. This part of the island is remarkably lush with vegetation, and home to species found nowhere else on earth. You can see the rare Catalina ironwood tree and the Santa Cruz island jay, and perhaps even an island fox. This may be the park’s single best hike for viewing terrestrial flora and fauna.
East Anacapa is the closest of the Channel Islands to the mainland, and makes a popular destination for day tours into the national park. It’s not a large area, so you can see a lot of it on foot by hiking a figure-8 of trails. Highlights of the hike include the historic lighthouse, lofty overlooks atop 200-foot sea cliffs, and also the constant company of thousands of seabirds. This is the best location for casual walking and photography in all of Channel Islands National Park.
Santa Rosa Island is a large but lightly traveled member of the archipelago, offering long hikes for lovers of solitude. Ford Point, for example, is a 2-day journey that begins at the pier and goes all the way across the island. The destination is a rocky point and sandy beach populated mainly by sea lions. Along the way are expansive views over rolling grassland, steep canyons, and blue horizon, as well as wildflowers in early spring.