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If the crowds are getting a bit much, then it’s high time you took a trip to the Channel Islands National Park, an undeveloped, hidden gem off the coast of Southern California. Known as the Galapagos of North America, this archipelago of five rugged islands is possible to see on a day trip from Santa Barbara or Ventura.
Because the park is only accessible by private boat or boat tour, you’ll find fewer crowds than at any other attraction in CA. These are the adventures I live for. Adventures that take me to extraordinary natural beauty and undeveloped landscapes.
Kayaking around the cliff faces of Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park, California, made me realize we haven’t had such a unique and special natural adventure like this in the whole of California. If off-the-beaten-path adventures are your vibe, then here’s how you visit Channel Islands National Park and what you can do there. It will be a highlight of your adventures in California.
How do you get to Channel Islands National Park?
Channel Islands National Park is located off the coastline of Ventura, California. Ventura County is located 70 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. The remoteness of Channel Islands National Park helps to give it the title of the least visited of the National Parks in the USA, but undoubtedly, it’s still worth visiting. The Channel Islands National Park is made up of five islands:
- San Miguel Island
- Santa Rosa Island
- Santa Cruz Island
- Anacapa Island
- and Santa Barbara Island
Getting to Channel Islands National Park requires you to either have your own boat or you need to book a private boat or join a day tour. You can book boat tours from one of two visitor centers on the mainland – The Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura or the Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center.
Alternatively, you can book a ferry ticket with the official boat tour company, Island Packers, which operates from Ventura Harbour. They run ferries to all five islands. The boat from Ventura Harbour to Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in the park, is about 80 minutes and drops you off at Prisoners Harbor. We only visited Santa Cruz Island as it’s the perfect place for a one-day trip, and it is the easiest island to get to.
There are no roads on the island. You can get yourself around on foot or by kayak. While you can visit the islands all year round, you should keep in mind that not all islands are accessible in bad weather.
What to do in Channel Islands National Park
There aren’t a lot of attractions over on the Channel Islands. The top things to do here are visit a handful of beautiful beaches, cliff faces, valleys, native wildlife, canyons for hiking, and sea caves to explore on kayaks. There’s also snorkeling or scuba diving through the kelp forest, tiny island foxes waiting to grab your lunch, and this divine gum tree.
Here are some of the top things to do in the Channel Islands National Park that we enjoyed…
1. Enjoy the ferry ride
The Channel Islands ferry ride over from Ventura Harbor is an adventure in itself. We spotted a group of seals resting on a buoy, large fish swimming to the surface, pelicans swooping down to catch their lunch, and dolphins jumping in the distance.
As these waters of the Santa Barbara Channel run pretty deep, Island Packers boat tours to the Channel Islands and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary often see whales: humpback, fin, and blue whales! Yes, the largest animal in the world!! We didn’t see any whales, but wait until you get to the end of this post so you can read more about how many dolphins we saw on the way back.
2. Sea Cave Kayak Adventure at Scorpion Anchorage
We were spending the day at Scorpion Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. Our mission was clear; spend a half-day exploring the sea caves by kayak with Santa Barbara Adventure Company, who offer several Channel Islands National Park tours.
Since Savannah clutched to me like a baby koala up a gum tree with every bump on the ferry over (which really wasn’t that bad), I thought our kayaking adventure was going to be a disaster. She has been on so many boats, cruises, and once even kayaked 16 kms through the Noosa Everglades, but she’d developed a strange fear of boats right before this trip. However, that all slipped away once she zipped up in her wetsuit, buckled up her life jacket, grabbed the paddle, and jumped in the kayak.
Since Savannah has no problem rock climbing up a 55-foot wall, I’m guessing the thrill of adventure overtakes her, and she can’t help but breathe deep and fall in love with the experience. I can’t tell you how much I love having these experiences with my daughters.
To have a seal pop its head up just meters from your kayak, to craftily paddle through Marge Simpson-shaped crevices in the rock face, and navigate past rocks with the white wash, gives you a push that is exhilarating. We timed our paddle through the narrow gap perfectly. You just can’t beat having these thrilling teamwork experiences with your kids.
After paddling through the belly of the elephant cave, we learned about the dwarf woolly mammoths that thrived on the island until the last Ice Age ended. We also learned about the Indigenous history and culture on the island, its past ranching history before becoming a National Park, the restoration projects that happen to protect the flora and fauna, and the different animals that live on the island, including foxes, ravens, and nesting birds.
There was the moment when we sat in the darkness of the Painted Cave, grappling with our fears and deciding whether to take advantage of the low tide and paddle into the back room with only the light of a flashlight to guide us. Painted Cave is one of the largest sea caves in the world and stretches 300 meters back into the island.
Savannah wasn’t having any of it, but I managed to help Kalyra find the courage to take the flashlight and help us find our way. Savannah and Craig waited in the cave entrance, while Kalyra and I paddled beside our guide, who expertly guided us into the dark and noisy cave. The sound of the ocean rushing in and hitting the walls to deepen the cave spooked us. I felt small and vulnerable. These moments with Mother Nature remind you of your aliveness and that your smallness is part of something so significant.
3. Go snorkeling amongst the kelp forest
Since the water temperatures are pretty chilly in California, we decided on the ferry ride over that we probably wouldn’t snorkel. But, once we peered over the kayak to watch the bright orange Garibaldi, the protected state fish of California, swimming amongst the kelp forest, I knew I could not turn my back on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Don’t worry, if you fear cold water, it really wasn’t that bad. The Channel Islands Adventure Company has thick wetsuits you can wear, including a full head feature. I know, I’m setting sexy snorkeling fashion trends here. I really didn’t need it, but how could you say no to this look?
Kalyra jumped in beside me, and we explored the kelp forest around the pier together. The underwater rainforest danced around us as we peered between the giant kelp to discover what lay amongst and under them.
Our awesome guide helped us by bringing out sea stars, sea cucumbers, and bright purple sea urchins for us to have a look at. I decided to swim back to shore to see if I could spot any sand rays. Except I took a wrong turn and ended up on top of the kelp forest, trying to swim my way across in my heavy wetsuit!
That was such hard work, but I made it and did not see any rays, over the short strip of sandy bottom I managed to crawl my way over to. It’s all part of the Channel Islands adventure! Our guide was very patient and friendly, making sure we were comfortable and having a good time. We enjoyed our time with her kayaking around the cliffs and seeing Santa Cruz Island from the water (and under it!)
4. Have a picnic on Santa Cruz Island
Once our Channel Islands kayaking tour was over, we found a picnic table to sit in the sun and the creeping foxes to enjoy a picnic lunch. There are no shops or food vendors on the island, so be sure to bring your own lunch. Or if you want a hassle-free experience, grab a pre-packed meal from Harbor Cove Cafe.
If you book your ferry with Island Packers, you can order your lunch online through one of their partners, and it will be delivered to you. They make everything in your prepacked lunch from scratch and have a selection of island gourmet fare from sandwiches to salads. Our salads were definitely gourmet, the food was so fresh and flavorful, and the girls’ sandwiches were equally gourmet and delicious.
In the lunch pack, you also get a sandwich, potato chips, cakes, a piece of fruit, and a water bottle filled with icy, chilled water. You can also order coffee and breakfast burritos.
Be sure to order at least 24 hours in advance!
5. Hit the hiking trails on Santa Cruz Island
We had little time after we finished our lunch before the ferry left to go back to Ventura. So we had just enough time for some Channel Islands National Park hiking. There isn’t much in the way of development on the island, only a campground and a lighthouse, which means the biggest attraction is the nature. We followed one of the trails from the visitor center up to a viewpoint to look out over Scorpion Anchorage.
It’s a loop walk that takes you further around to look over the cliff faces you just kayaked around.
If you don’t want to do any kayaking and would prefer to stay on land, the Potato Harbor and Cavern Point Loop trail is a popular 4.5-mile hike that takes you on a loop along the northern coast of the island. Alternatively, the Smugglers Cove hike is a longer, more challenging 8-mile hike. We didn’t have time for this one, but if we stayed longer, we would love to do this one. We’ll save the bigger hikes for next time we visit the Channel Islands National Park with kids.
What to take to Channel Islands National Park
If you’re thinking this all sounds great, but you’re not sure what to take, here are some items we recommend all visitors bring with them:
- GoPro camera – perfect for your kayaking adventure
- Waterproof phone case – I took my phone on the kayak with one of these to take video. Don’t take your phone with you without one.
- Dry bag – if you want to take things on the kayak with you
- Sunscreen – the sun in California is quite a burning sun. Protect yourself
- Hat (there is little shade on the islands)
- Sunglasses
- Swimming costume and rash shirt
- If you have your own snorkel gear, bring it so you don’t have to pay to rent it
- Keens, or similar hiking sandals that are waterproof
- Ample food for your day, as there are no stores or concessions on the island
- Bring plenty of water if you are visiting in the summer
- Warm jacket for the boat ride back, it can get breezy
- Tissues and hand sanitizer. There are only pit toilets on the island, fair warning.
Be sure to take your own trash home with you; there are no receptacles on the island.
What is the best time to visit the Channel Island National Park
The Channel Island National Park is open all year round, but each season brings something special with it. In the Spring, you can expect to see the green islands blooming with wildflowers. It’s also when the Western gulls and seabirds begin nesting, and the fox pups are born.
However, for those interested in wildlife watching or whale watching experiences, you can expect the whales to have left by this time, but the sea lions, northern fur seals, and elephant seals still gather.
The summer is prime time for getting out on the water for snorkelling and diving adventures. It’s also when the seabirds’ babies leave their nests, and the sea lions have their pups. It’s also when the blue and humpback whales start to visit for their annual migration.
However, June to September are the busiest times to visit for tourism. Autumn is when the blue and humpback whales leave, and the bird migration starts to move on, and winter brings the Gray whale to the islands between December and April.
Video: Watch us explore Channel Islands National Park
Final Thoughts
As I stood under the gum tree breathing it in for some time before catching our boat back to Ventura, I was reminded of how I miss that fresh, earthy smell that usually tells me I’m home. It’s one of those experiences in California I’ll never forget, because a chance to enjoy seclusion and unspoiled nature in this state is incredibly rare.
Our visit provided a striking contrast to the hustle and bustle of Southern California that we typically experience. And if the day couldn’t be more perfect, on the way home, our boat stopped and turned around. Right there, coming to remind us of how precious and special nature is, was a pod of about 100 dolphins. I have never seen so many dolphins in my life.
We stayed with them for some time, watching them chase fish and dive in and out of the water.
More California Travel Tips
Looking for tips on other things to do in Southern California? Start here:
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Are you planning to visit Channel Islands National Park? What are you most excited to see? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments!
