Channel Islands National Park: A Magical Wildlife Experience

We recently went to Channel Islands National Park and it was the most magical wildlife experience of our lives.

While vacationing in Santa Barbara, we decided to make the trip to Channel Islands National Park. Due to storm damage, the ferry out of Santa Barbara was closed so we made the 30-minute drive to Ventura. The ferry trips stay booked up and since this trip was on a whim, availability was limited. We called Island Packers the morning of. Thankfully availability opened up and Miles was able to get us on the boat. We don’t recommend relying on this though – plan ahead to make sure you get a ticket to the island and back!

The boat ride to Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island is a little over an hour but we had an interruption that made the trip a bit longer. This was a welcome interruption though…hundreds of dolphins. This was an experience on the spiritual level. Island Packers offers wildlife cruises as well so they are knowledgeable of the marine life. They informed us that the dolphins live there in the Marine Sanctuary of the Santa Barbara Channel and considering they can move wherever they please but choose to stay there is a marker of great ecosystem health. We were in awe as more and more dolphins leaped through the waves of the boat.

Upon docking on the island, we made our way around the little visitors center and set off for our hike. Note that the island does not have a store or electricity and the running water is limited so you will need to bring your food and water with you. We did the Scorpion Canyon Loop and Cavern Point Loop. It was steep, rocky, narrow, and beautiful! We got amazing views and got to see the Island Fox, the tiny fox that only lives on the Channel Islands. They are very cute! On the journey, we stopped and ate our packed lunches (take your trash with you, there are no trash cans) and sat down at to watch for whales. We were able to see a few out in the distance.

The boat ride back to the mainland was just as magnificent and even longer. Not only were we able to see a few grey whales, but also two humpback whales! This was a more rare experience for this area. Our guides informed us that they are the most active whales, and they showed us that! They breached above the water multiple times on all sides of the boat. This was the best surprise.

We went on this trip expecting to hike a beautiful island and maybe see the cute fox, and that was enough for us. But we were met with multiple life-changing surprises from the wildlife that made for one of the best days. When we got back to the harbor, there were even sea lions waiting in the water. We hope you get the same luck we did. We are so grateful.