The Channel Islands are an eight island archipelago off the coast of Southern California and five of these islands make up Channel Islands National Park. The waters surrounding these islands are also protected as a National Marine Sanctuary. The Channel Islands were created by tectonic forces 5 million years ago and have always been islands, although they were closer to the mainland during the last ice age when the sea levels were lower. Because of their isolation, the islands are home to several endemic species of plants and animals meaning those found nowhere else on Earth.
People have inhabited these islands for a very long time. In fact the oldest human remains ever found in North America, dating back 13,000 years, were discovered on Santa Barbara Island in 1959. In more recent times, the northern islands were home to different bands of the Chumash people while the southern islands were inhabited by the Tongva. Juan Cabrillo observed the islands on his 1542 voyage up the coast and in more modern times the islands were used to raise sheep and cattle. They were protected as a National Park in 1980.
I was unfortunately only able to visit one of the islands in Channel Islands National Park during my stay, but Santa Cruz is the biggest and most accessible and made for a wonderful visit. I stayed in the campground at Scorpion Ranch for three nights and was able to hike to Cavern Point, Smuggler’s Cove, Potato Harbor and the incredible Montañon Ridge. For the last two days I was on the island, there were only 19 other people there which made for a peaceful and incredible stay. It was hard to believe that we were only an hour car ride and an hour ferry ride from the second largest city in the country, but it sure was nice to be there. I can’t wait to go back again and see more of Channel Islands National Park.
This post is one in a series of “In Focus” posts in which I hope to capture the magic of each of our wonderful National Parks and many affiliated National Park Sites. You can find the other posts in this series by typing “In Focus” into the search bar in the footer of this blog or scroll using the links below. Click on any photo to make it bigger. All photos are available for purchase and licensing - please contact me for further details. For licensing, click the link in the header. Please support our National Parks - they really are our greatest treasures.
At Smuggler’s Cove