When we moved to California we started a bucket list, and one of things on it was visiting the Channel Islands National Park. The boat launch for the tour was in Ventura which was about 20 minutes from our house which was very convenient. On the clear days while driving along the coast we could often see some of the islands, so we frequently talked about going out for a day trip. I’m sure many of you can relate with this—because it was so close and always an option, we just kept putting it off. We knew we’d always have next weekend or the next whale watching season to reserve our tickets. One factor against us was the fact that our boys were so young when we first moved to CA, and the Channel Island tour is an all day tour with no place to buy food or fill up waters on the islands. I was nervous to be bringing out my two young kids knowing we’d have diaper changes, naps, and just struggling to maneuver the island with little ones. So we kept waiting and waiting. Well, we did make it out the island…it just happened to be the day before we left California on our road trip. No joke! Hubby and I knew it probably wasn’t the wisest choice to spend the full day prior to leaving out on an island, but we were not going to leave without going out, so we went! Channel Islands NP was the first NP of the 10 we would visit on our road trip to Tennessee, and it was an amazing start.
We booked our tour with Island Packers in Ventura, and I would highly recommend using them for anyone interested! They were very organized, very accommodating, and the staff was great from start to end. We chose to go out to Santa Cruz Island and hike the Scorpion Loop Trail because it was advised by an employee at the Channel Island Visitor Center. We were told that the hike would provide great views of the open ocean, nearby islands, and also give us the opportunity to see the channel island fox and some of the native plants. My oldest son is an animal enthusiast and we both agreed that being able to take him out to the island to see a fox would probably create a core memory so we booked it! Hubby and I both brought backpacks filled with water, snacks, first aid kit, jackets, and I had my camera. The boat ride was a little chilly and the water was fairly choppy, we chose to sit inside the boat next to windows so we could still see out and enjoy an animal sightings but be protected from the wind and water. I did get a little sea sick, but once I switched to facing forward I was able to relieve some of the motion sickness. Definitely would advise anyone who regularly gets car sick/dizzy to be prepared with whatever method works for you on the boat. Seeing wildlife isn’t a guarantee, and the captain of the boat won’t go out of their way to follow a whale or get you an animal sighting, but the ships crew will do their best to point out anything they see. We were lucky enough to happen upon a Mako shark feasting on a fish/seal while we were headed out.
Once we got to the island we unloaded and were told to be back on the pier 30 min prior to departure. It felt very similar to the nature survival shows you can watch on TV where the crew leaves you stranded somewhere and tells you to survive until the pick you up at a later time. They do leave an island expert at the island visitor center so if you do have q
uestions, you can ask the guide. Just down the trail from the pier there is a little visitor center that is complete with a 3D map of the island. It was so fascinating to see the history and shape of the island all while physically being there. Once we got acquainted with the island we began our trek on the hiking trail. For no particular reason, we chose to go counterclockwise. The first chunk of the trail was an uphill climb, but once we made it to the top it was an easy walk around the top first quarter of the island.
We had some amazing views and it was truly amazing to just listen to the ocean crashing onto the island as we walked. The second quarter of the trail had more of an up and down hike to it, but nothing to extraneous. I will say, my oldest had been on the hunt to see the Channel Island Fox as soon as our feet touched the island and we weren’t able to find one until the last ¾ of our hike, so the first half was tough and tested his patience. The last half of the hike we started to climb back down the mountain into the camping area. Once we reached the first camp sites, we found some picnic tables and decided to stop and eat lunch. While we were eating, we began to see more and more foxes walking around, trying to find some food scraps. The look on my sweet boy’s face will forever stay with me.
He was overcome with joy at the first sight of the fox. We sat at the picnic tables and enjoyed our lunch and the foxes for about an hour, and then we hiked on. The last quarter of our hike was very flat and took us right back to the visitor center and pier. It was a nice way to finish the hike because it offered some shade and flat trails for our kid’s tired feet. The last hour and a half we had on the island we spent by the ocean throwing rocks, looking for critters, and just relaxing. Our boys were 5 and 6 when we went and while they did get tired toward the end of the hike, they were able to hike the whole thing and had enough stamina to carry them through the whole island adventure. I’m sure it would’ve been fine to go when they were younger, but I’m really happy we waited because they were old enough to remember it and experience it for themselves.
If you ever have the chance to go out, I would absolutely,10/10, recommend visiting one of the Channel Islands!
