Channel Islands National Park

Activities:

Backpacking

Boating

Camping

Fishing

Hiking

Kayaking

Picnicking

Sailing

Scuba

Swimming

Welcome to Channel Islands National Park, composed of 5 beautiful islands in the Pacific Ocean off the California coastline, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa Island. Due to their isolation, these islands boasts many unique archeological and natural treasures that are found nowhere else in the world.

Park History: The first known humans to inhabit these islands were members of the Chumash Native American tribe who lived here for thousands of years. The first known Europeans to set foot on these islands were explorers who arrived in the 16th century.

By the 19th century there were white ranchers raising livestock on the islands and the remains of these ranches as well as of the Chumash communities can still be found inside the park today. In the earlier parts of the 20th Century the islands served many needs for the U.S. Military and Coast Guard. In 1938, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the legislation into law creating Channel islands National Park.

Flora and Fauna:The unique ecosystems of these islands help protect the home of numerous plant and animal species and they are known as the Galapagos of North America. Some of the nearly 800 plant species that take root on these islands include sea-cliff bedstraws, island rushroses, oaks, and pines. Some of the wild animals that live here include brown pelicans, bald eagles, golden eagles, plovers, big eared bats, spotted skunks, foxes, deer mice, elephant seals, California spiny lobsters, bottlenose dolphins, and Pacific gray whales. Please treat their home with respect. Another interesting artifact that was discovered here is the most complete pygmy mammoth specimen. The pygmy mammoth, unlike it's bigger cousin the wooly mammoth, was only 4 to 6 feet in height and roamed these islands thousands of years ago. However one thing it does have in common with it's bigger cousin, is the fact that it is extinct.

For the lover of the outdoors Channel Islands National Park boasts hiking trails, excellent birdwatching, snorkeling opportunities, and much more. Come on out and explore.