Channel Islands National Park guide · 1 min read
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.
As many as five kinds of seals and sea lions gather there, and more than 30,000 animals can be counted at one time, which makes it one of the largest wildlife gatherings anywhere. Breeding draws them together, and each species keeps its own season for it.
The walk out to Point Bennett is a fifteen-mile roundtrip hike, so it asks for real endurance. Halfway across the island, a low rumble begins, barely audible at first, and it swells with every step. When you top the final ridge, the beach comes into view, covered with thousands of elephant seals.
The noise comes from northern elephant seals, and the enormous males are its main source. Their long proboscises, which give the species its name, are hard to miss. On the sand, the animals flip sand over their heavy bodies and carve out territories of their own.
Northern elephant seals can also be seen on the beach at Cuyler Harbor, where visitors come ashore. Northern fur seals and California sea lions live on San Miguel too, along with harbor seals.
Because it is the westernmost island, San Miguel is exposed to northwest winds, fog and storms rolling in off the open sea. The island measures roughly eight miles long and four miles wide.
