Visit Anacapa Island and the Other Channel Islands
These California isles rose out of the ocean millions of years ago, but its first signs of human habitation were when the Chumash Indians came some 10,000 years ago. They were explored by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in the fall of 1542, but they would get their Channel Islands name by Captain George Vancouver in 1793. Since then, the archipelago has been used by the military and for ranching purposes. In 1980, they were designated as a National Park while Jimmy Carter was President and are known today as the “Northern Galapagos Islands”, because a number of plant and animal species are endemic to the region; that is, they can only be found here.
Anacapa is a little over a square mile in size but is really loaded with some of Mother Nature’s most colorful and interesting plant life and creatures. It has over 250 species of plants and seabirds, with the largest Brown Pelican rookery in the USA. Seven other species of marine birds nest here, including the Western Gull, as well as 22 species of land birds. Some 90 per cent of the Western Gulls in Southern California were born on Anacapa. This isle is also a migration ground for many other birds. Harbor seals and sea lions breed on its rocky beaches.
Island Packers will take you to Anacapa. It’s about an hour each way. For a couple of minutes during our trip over to this National Park, it felt as if we were on a roller coaster because a large freighter ship crossed in front of us, producing large waves which really rocked the boat. I was lucky enough to be onboard the Vanguard with a very knowledgeable and friendly National Park volunteer by the name of Mike Sandford, as he was heading out with us to not only give us a tour, but to camp for the weekend. He’s a successful metal roofing company owner, but has been volunteering with his wife for the National Park Service for some time.
Those of us on the tour got a great safety tip from Mike because it was breeding season for the Western Gulls. They can get agitated and will sometimes swoop down on people like a kamikaze plane. The way to protect one self is to hold your fist up high so they will aim (but miss practically all the time) at your fist rather than your head! When walking the marked trails, you will constantly be within feet of mother gulls sitting on their eggs. They won’t attack you if you stay on the foot paths, but complain incessantly to you in a noise that’s hard to describe.
Another thing we were warned about was not to pick up Deer Mice droppings since they carry the hantavirus. You never know, a manure fanatic could be lurking around within every tour group, so Mike wanted to cover all the bases for safety in this National Park!
Be prepared to climb the 154 steps when getting off the boat and then to hike a few miles once you have climbed those stairs. Visitors normally have around 2.5 hours to tour the island before they have to head back to the docking area to board the boat.
Yet the climb and hike are more than worth the trouble, as you will see such plant life as the Alkalai Heath, Cheesewood, Cliff-aster, and Gumweed. The most dominant plant on the island is a bright orange-red Perennial Ice Plant. It’s from South Africa, and was introduced by the Coast Guard in order to help with erosion control. The introduction worked too well, as the Ice Plant has overrun the island so much that the National Park Service brings out high schoolers to pull them up. Still, when walking along Anacapa, you won’t have to worry about a shortage of them. The dominating colors on the island also include green and yellow. Much of these two colors are from the Giant Coreopsis Trees’ leaves and sunflowers.
This isle is sectioned off in three parts. Guests will find themselves basically on the Eastern Anacapa side, but hiking westward, they will stumble onto one heck of a view from the high cliffs, which open out to the strait that separates East Anacapa from Middle Anacapa. This view is found at Inspiration Point, and also affords a look-see of Western Anacapa that’s further in the distance. The National Park Service provides a free East Anacapa Island Map & Guide for use while exploring. Yet for 50 cents, you can take the guide home with you.
Solar energy helps supply power to the island. Every twelve seconds, you will hear the blaring of a foghorn out of the lighthouse for two seconds. The lighthouse has been in place for almost a century. At first, the noise was very irritating, but then the overwhelming beauty of this place caused me to basically tune out the noise. Anacapa Island even has a church-like building, but I’m not going to mention what it’s used for: You gotta go to this wonderful place yourself to find out about “the church’s” unusual function!
The Other Channel Islands
Here’s a bit of a rundown on the other isles in this National Park that can be visited, which stretch out over 40 miles, in order from east to west. The availability of visits varies by what time of year it is. It’s best to check the websites below for information on outdoor opportunities for each island:
The Channel Islands branch out over forty miles, and include Santa Cruz, the largest, and closest to Anacapa. It’s 22 miles long, and 2-6 miles wide. Santa Cruz Island contains one of the world’s largest sea caves called the Painted Cave. Santa Cruz’ Mount Diablo rises over 2400 feet above sea level. Seals and sea lions can be seen here, as well as the island’s Scrub Jay.
Santa Rosa Island is 15 miles long and ten miles wide. Here, one will find hills, canyons, and sand dunes. The spotted skunk thrives here as well as the elusive Torrey Pines. The Munchkin Dudleya is an endemic species of plant life found only here. Visitors can learn more about Chumash and ranching history on this isle.
San Miguel, the farthest out island of the group of four, is eight miles long by four miles wide. Because it’s so far away, San Miguel Island gets the worst weather, but it’s got plenty of sea lions and seals. Sheep used to be raised here from the mid-1800’s to the mid-1900’s. San Miguel was also used for bombing exercises by the military. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed here in 1542, so a monument honoring this explorer is located here.
Santa Barbara is split away from the other islands, roughly 40 miles southeast of Anacapa, and offers fewer tours during the year. The Xantus’ Murrelet is a seabird that makes its home in the crevices of Santa Barbara’s cliffs. Kelp forests and the isle’s “live-forever” plant thrive here.
Two of the other Channel Islands, San Clemente, and San Nicolas, are not a part of the National Park because they are used by the military; as a result, they are off limits to the public. Santa Catalina makes up the 8th Channel Island, and is a well-known tourist destination, off of Los Angeles’ coastline, but is primarily owned by private interests.
More information on visiting the Channel Islands:
Hiking, camping, snorkeling, and kayaking activities are also available here. Check below websites for details. When visiting Anacapa Island, it’s wise to pack or wear long sleeves and long pants (and bring some insect repellant) because you may get swarmed by mosquitoes as you get off and re-board the boat, due to the vast amounts of kelp around the landing point, which attract these pests! Don’t let those flies keep you from visiting because being pestered by them is only temporary. Yet the memories collected from visiting Anacapa will last for a lifetime!
Island Packers will take you out to Anacapa and the other islands. Throughout the year, some are more accessible than others, with Anacapa and Santa Cruz being the most available to visit. 3600 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA. www.islandpackers.com 805-642-1393. Admission charge for tours.
Roy A. Barnes’ feature article on Oxnard can be found at: www.associatedcontent.com/article/38593/
oxnard_california_more_than_great_strawberries.html
