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Want to take your children to an island paradise without borrowing from their college fund in order to finance the trip? The solution lies just a few hours off the California coast near Ventura. Like an open-air time capsule, the land and seascape of The Channel Islands National Park have remained isolated from the public, preserved in a primitive state of natural beauty. The five islands extend from off the Ventura shore to off the Santa Barbara shore and are comprised of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara. They are home to 2,000 species of plant and animal life, 145 of which are found nowhere else on earth. Yet the park reports only about 30,000 visitors per year. The Island Fox, Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay, and an array of plant life exist only on Santa Cruz, the destination my son and I chose for a two-night camping trip. The biggest island off the coast of California, Santa Cruz is about a two-hour ocean crossing that starts at the Ventura Harbor and passes through the migration path of whales and dolphins. The boat docks in crystal clear waters that provide a window to an abundance of colorful sea life, a sharp contrast to the murky waters of coastal Southern California. From there it’s a quarter-mile hike to the Scorpion Ranch campground where one can choose among sites that are nudged up against fields of tall grass with a view of a huge canyon sliced between rolling hills. Where to walk After setting up camp, take a hike back through time. The lush landscape is marked with a tangled pattern of trails, left by the aboriginal population, the Chumash Indians. Want to cool off from the hike? Grab some snorkeling gear, head for the beach, and immerse yourself in an underwater kaleidoscope of coral, platter-sized anemone, and a varied menu of fish. Be wary of the graceful, but painful, jellyfish. When you come up for air, you can take advantage of one of the most popular activities, a tour by kayak through the echoed chambers of the island’s sea caves. Centuries of tidal battering have left dozens of these immense marvels of nature, scattered along the island’s edges. Save enough energy for an evening trek up one of the short trails that begin at the campground and end at the top edge of the sheer northern cliffs. It’s a must for this trip. Dusk paints the rock formations and sea caves below with bluish gray shadows as the sun drops into the ocean horizon, making for a memorable scene. Look skyward Plan on doing some stargazing; you can’t avoid it. The remote location of the island provides a clear black canvas of sky that sets off a brilliant light show of stars in every direction you look. After an exhausting day, you should be able to sleep well, but do so in a tent. Those who have chosen to sleep under the stars have encountered deer mice that forage the ground at night for food. If the thought of rodents skittering over your sleeping bag doesn’t deter you from snoozing out in the open, meet your other neighbors. Some of the island’s 4,000 wild pigs have been known to be hungry. Jim Larkins is a Mission Viejo resident. IF YOU GO Visit the Channel Islands National Park headquarters located in the Ventura Harbor for an informative film. There are no shops or fresh water sources on the islands. Make sure you have enough of the items listed below to sustain each member of your party for the duration of your trip. • Plenty of drinking water. • A well-stocked first aid kit. • Flashlights with extra batteries. • Sunscreen. • Clothes for extreme heat and cold. As anyone who has camped before knows, there are many more items that are necessary to make a camping trip fun and stress-free. Make a list and double check it before going over. • Channel Islands National Park: www.nps.gov/chis/ • Island Packers (transportation): www.islandpackers.com • Island Kayakers: www.islandkayakers.com TRAVEL TIPS Your camping checklist www.coleman.com Plan to go camping in a tent? Here are essentials as well as extras to make the family trip not only enjoyable, but bearable. For eating: Cook stove and fuel; portable table; folding chairs; cookware and eating utensils; biogradable dish soap; can opener; cooler; ice or ice substitutes; food to please everyone; paper towels; trash bags; drinking water. For sleeping: Sleeping bags that meet the minimum temperature; sleeping pad or mattress with pump. Gear to remember: Lantern and fuel; matches; compass and maps; flashlights with extra batteries; ground cover or tarp; multipurpose knife or camper’s tool; rope or wire. Personal stuff: First aid kit; towels; soap; insect repellent; layered clothing; rain gear; toilet paper and toiletries. Eating stuff: Coffee with coffeemaker; dishpan; zipper bags; plastic wrap and tin foil. Sleeping comfort: Small hand axe that can serve as a hammer; extra tent stakes; pillows; camp cots or pad or mattress. Camping gear: Firewood for campfires; folding saw; lantern tree hanger. Personal: Camera and film; clothesline; cards and games; flare and mirror; sunglasses; sunblock. Courtesy of Coleman, www.coleman.com |
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