Start Your Day in Ventura, CA

Ventura is the gateway city to the Channel Islands, and we recommend stopping by the National Park Visitors Center. The Channel Islands are remote and highly diverse, so this is a great way to orient yourself and learn a little about each island and the marine life in the Pacific Ocean. It’s also a perfect spot to pick up a map and a national park tee!

You can also download the NPS Channel Islands app. Cell reception is extremely limited or nonexistent on the islands, and the app is a great way to familiarize yourself with the park in advance and download any maps locally to your phone.

Depart from Ventura Harbor

The Channel Islands consist of five islands: Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara, and San Miguel. Santa Cruz and Anacapa are considered the “local islands” and are the most popular to visit. The official boat concessionaire for the Channel Islands, Island Packers, transports visitors to the local islands year-round and books trips to the remaining three islands on a limited schedule from March to November.

All ferry rides to the Channel Islands must be booked in advance, and these spots fill up quickly. We highly recommend booking several months before your trip to secure your place. However, if you’re planning a last-minute visit, you still might be able to get a ticket if you’re flexible on times and islands.

Explore Santa Cruz Island

While you could explore the islands for a week or more, we recommend Santa Cruz Island if you’re going for the day. Ferries to Santa Cruz are offered daily, so booking transport is easier. It’s also stunningly beautiful and filled with wildlife, like the fluffy island fox, which is native exclusively to the islands. This national park gets roughly 300,000 visitors a year, so if you’re worried about visiting one of the more popular islands, rest assured that it won’t be crowded.

The boat ride from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island is about 90 minutes, and the water can be choppy. If you’re prone to seasickness, you may want to take Dramamine or snack on some ginger before the trip. A park ranger or guest naturalist is usually on board and happy to answer questions about the park and surrounding wildlife. You also might get lucky and see a humpback whale during your boat ride!

Kayak through a Kelp Forest and Hike to Cavern Point

If you’re strategic, you can hike and kayak on the same day. Here’s how to squeeze both excursions into a one-day trip.

Start your day on the 2.5-hour Discovery Sea Caves (Kayaking) Tour through the kelp forest. The Santa Barbara Adventure Company is the official concessionaire, and they provide all of the equipment and a brief kayaking lesson at the start of the tour.

After lunch, hit the trail at Cavern Point Loop. This easy hike is just under two miles and takes about an hour to complete. You’ll get incredible coastline views and likely see island foxes along the way.

If you have more time and are up for a moderate hike, we also recommend Scorpion Anchorage to Smugglers Cove. This roundtrip hike is 7.5 miles and takes you through the island grasslands before descending to the pebbly beach and tidepools.

Soak Up the Adventure

The Channel Islands are home to North America's highest concentration of prehistoric sites, and visiting this wild place feels magical. Stepping foot on these remote islands can seem a little unbelievable– especially when you remember that you’re just an hour or two off the coast of California.

If you’re up for a true adventure, Channel Islands National Park is a must-visit national park!