Channel Islands National Park
Santa Cruz Island - Channel Island National Park
Hiking on Santa Cruz Island
On Monday, May 20th we traveled by boat to Santa Cruz Island off the Coast of California. Santa Cruz Island is part of Channel Islands National Park (the other islands are: Anacapa, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands). It’s the largest at 22 miles long, 96 square miles and most popular of the Channel Islands, with daily boat service. The island is approximately 20 miles from the coast of California.
The boat departed from Ventura Harbor and was operated by Island Packers. After an hour and half boat ride we arrived at Scorpion Cove. The weather was overcast and even though the temperature was around 60 degrees with a 15 mile per hour breeze it felt cold.
After going through the Scorpion Ranch Visitor Center on the island, we set out on our hikes for the day. The first hike was up to Cavern Point. It was about 1 mile from the visitor center with a 400 feet elevation gain. The views are outstanding. You are standing on a coastal cliff approximately 300 feet high, looking out at the Pacific Ocean and on a clear day you can see the California coastline in the distance. During the hike I took pictures of the trail, plants and flowers as well as views from the Cavern Point.
Next week hiked over to Potato Harbor which was a 1.5 mile hike over rolling hills. Once you see Potato Harbor it will become clear on how it was named because of its oval shape it resembles a potato. From the overlook you also have a great view to the west and the remaining part of Santa Cruz Island. From the top you can see the giant Kelp Forest. Kelp is a type of algae that is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. Under ideal conditions (cold water) it can grow 2 feet per day. The view of the Kelp Forest is really something to see from high up on the cliffs.
After each our late lunch it was time for the hike back to Scorpion Cover to pick up our only boat back to the mainland. If you miss the boat, you spend the night on the island. On the hike back we saw one of the island foxes. They are quite small, maybe the size of a large cat, but they are fast and know that humans have food.
We had a great time on Santa Cruz Island and recommend visiting Channel Islands national park. Pictures are posted below.
