Channel Islands National Park guides
11 in-depth guides to Channel Islands National Park, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Channel Islands National Park overview.
Coreopsis Blooms and Island-to-Island Weather
The yellow coreopsis usually peaks from late January through March. After a year of normal rainfall, the islands turn green, and wildflowers reach their height in late winter and spring.
Kayaking the Sea Caves and Kelp Forests
Santa Cruz Island is the largest island in Channel Islands National Park, stretching 22 miles long and between two and six miles wide.
Blue, Gray and Humpback Whales of the Channel
Whales, dolphins and porpoises, known together as cetaceans, are a big part of life in the waters around these islands.
The Island Fox and Other Endemic Survivors
The island fox is a dwarf cousin of the gray fox found on the mainland, shaped by millennia of isolation on the islands.
Point Bennett's Elephant Seal Colonies on San Miguel
Point Bennett sits at the western tip of San Miguel Island, and it is the most famous spot on the island for watching pinnipeds.
Pygmy Mammoths and Santa Rosa's Lost Giants
Santa Rosa Island is the second largest island in California, covering about 53,000 acres.
Chumash Names, Tomols and Island Heritage
Human history on the northern Channel Islands reaches back more than ten thousand years. The Island Chumash lived here for thousands of years, drawing much of their food from the ocean.
Seabird Colonies and the Bald Eagles' Return
The islands matter a great deal to seabirds, which depend on them for nesting ground. Few places bring together northern and southern species the way this chain does, and no other spot on Earth has that same mix.
Booking Island Packers Ferries and Island Campgrounds
Reaching the islands requires a boat or a small aircraft, and for most visitors that means Island Packers, the park's official concessionaire.
Scorpion Anchorage to Cavern Point and Potato Harbor
Ferries from Ventura and Oxnard Harbor reach the dock at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island in just over an hour.
Anacapa Island: Arch, Lighthouse and Inspiration Point
Anacapa is the closest of the Channel Islands to the mainland. The island is made up of three islets, East, Middle, and West Anacapa, which can only be reached from one another by boat.
