The Channel Islands consist of eight islands off the southern coast of California. Five of them (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Rosa) are part of Channel Islands National Park.
The one hour ferry ride from Oxnard to Santa Cruz was mostly through a thick blanket of fog, high winds and six-foot waves. I was in the middle of a nap (to avoid nausea) when suddenly our ferry slowed down for a thrilling sight - a massive pod of dolphins (roughly 500+ of them) gliding alongside us. Apparently they like riding the wake of the boat...kind of like surfing. Having never seen such a superpod in my entire life, I was one of many on board that squealed like a child in delight. We saw the dolphins again on our return trip the next day.
Santa Cruz island is 22 miles long and 2-6 miles wide. Twenty-four percent of it is owned by the National Park Service, and 76 percent owned by the Nature Conservancy. It is home to unique plants and animals, valleys, sheer cliffs, and the Painted Cave, one of the world's largest and deepest sea caves (and you can kayak into them). According to the NPS, the area has a Mediterranean-type climate that exists in only five regions in the world (parts of California, along the Mediterranean Sea, central Chile, parts of southwestern Western and South Australia, and the southwestern Cape region of South Africa). That means cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
When we visited in early October, the soil, stream bed and majority of plants were scorched dry. The ridges were barren but there were patches of green bushes and some trees around the Scorpion Valley campgrounds. Despite the lack of lush vegetation at the time, Santa Cruz was a picture of desolate beauty. It seemed open, yet mysterious at the same time.
Make sure to hike earlier in the day before the scenic overlooks get covered in fog - that's what happened to us at the Potato Harbor overlook. Fog rolled into the valley in the late afternoon and early evening, and strong winds whipped our tent in the middle of the night. Fortunately we remembered to stake down the tent!
We were excited to have spotted wildlife endemic only to the Channel Islands - the Channel Island Fox, native only to six of the eight islands. He was about the size of a large kitty. Later that night, scampering near our tent was the rare Channel Islands Spotted Skunk, endemic to only two islands.
The next day, we trekked across the island from Scorpion Anchorage to Smuggler's Cove (8 miles round trip). The landscape was dry and there was absolutely zero shade against the sun (so bring water). Interestingly enough there's some vegetation at Smuggler's Cove and the ranch nearby - flower bushes, citrus trees and walnut trees (with some seriously gigantic black birds snacking on walnuts). We stopped here for lunch before heading back to catch the ferry.
One night just wasn't enough - we wished we had several more days in Santa Cruz. We would've liked to summit El Montanon Ridge, explore further west into the island, kayak the Painted Cave, and perhaps snorkel in shallow waters to check out the marine ecosystem. We wanted to get lost in its beauty. Perhaps early summer when everything is green. Yet no matter which season, if you like wildlife viewing, majestic scenery and a sense of remoteness, visit Santa Cruz island.
