East Anacapa Island Trail

Leaving from either Ventura or Oxnard via Island Packers, this full-day hike is in the middle of the Santa Barbara Channel on a small island, about one hour from Los Angeles by car and one additional hour by boat. Without a beach on which to anchor, your boat will pull into Landing Cove and idle while passengers disembark. Climb 157 stairs up a cliffside to the surface of east Anacapa while the...

The numerous kelp forests, sea caves, and coves of the Channel Island National Park, coupled with its unbelievable sealife makes for some of the best diving in the world.  East Fish Camp off Anacapa Island is an excellent introduction to diving on the Channel Islands, with an average depth of 35' and a great array of wildlife and underwater nooks and crannies to explore. Like any coldwater, Cal...

East Cat Rock of Western Anacapa Island is an excellent dive site for experience the vast kelp forests that can be found all along the California Coast and in the Channel Island National Park. The average depth is around 60' feet and clarity varies from day to day. Kelp forest and coldwater diving have their specific concerns, namely navigation, warmth, and buoyancy so as always, plan your dive...

Save one stretch of elevation close to the cove itself, this 8-mile, round-trip hike is a leisuring trek across one of the countries most beautiful, though less famous National Parks - the Channel Islands. Smuggler's Cove is located on the Santa Cruz Island, which also happens to be the largest in the island chain. For the sake of this adventure write-up, we are going to assume that you have al...

The 4.5-mile North Bluff Trail traverses the colossal cliffs of Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park from Scorpion Anchorage to Potato Harbor. Arrive via an Island Packers boat to Scorpion Anchorage and, upon disembarking, walk straight ahead. Just past the restrooms (one of only two on the island so make a stop if needed), turn right onto the North Bluff Trail.  Your first looko...

Accessible only by Ferry, this little-known national park is a backpacker's dream. You can catch the ferry out of Ventura or Santa Barbara, only a short distance from LA. The ride to the island is around 1 hour. We chose to take Island Packers Ferry out of Ventura to Santa Cruz Island. The ferry leaves for the island once or twice in the morning, and picks people back up in the afternoon, head...