CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK — Only my footprints marked the wet sand along Water Canyon Beach.
Only my ears heard the wail of sea gulls resonating off the sandstone cliffs above.
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Offshore Eden
Kayaking, diving and that rarest of finds -- solitude -- await on the Channel Islands. Just getting to America's Galapagos is an adventure, breaching whales and all.
SUMMER VACATIONS IN THE WEST
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 53 words Type of Material: Correction
Channel Islands: An article in the June 22 Travel section story, "Off-Shore Eden," about vacationing in the Channel Islands said Anacapa was east of Ventura. The island is southwest of the city. Also, an accompanying story said that San Miguel Island was the farthest from the mainland; it is the farthest from Ventura.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, June 29, 2008 Home Edition Travel Part L Page 3 Features Desk 1 inches; 43 words Type of Material: Correction
Channel Islands: A June 22 article about vacationing in the Channel Islands said Anacapa is east of Ventura. The island is southwest. Also, an accompanying story said that San Miguel Island was the farthest from the mainland; it is the farthest from Ventura.
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Only my eyes saw a bright orange starfish rising and falling with the tide as the sea battered its rocky ledge.
I found solitude, adventure and an unspoiled, world-class beach only 26 miles from the Los Angeles megalopolis. And I reveled in it.
I'm not a loner, but occasionally, life in Southern California overwhelms me. The cacophony of screaming horns, circling helicopters, bleating phones. None of those could follow me here. I was off the grid.
My nirvana was an isolated beach on Santa Rosa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park. The five rocky outcroppings off Southern California are so wild and isolated that they're often called America's Galapagos.
The park, accessible only by boat or plane, draws so few people that it ranks as one of the least-visited in the country; although it is within 60 miles of 18 million people, only about 80,000 visit each year. Seclusion is not only possible but also probable along its 175 miles of coastline.
In actuality, two of the islands are easy to reach by ferry. And those who make the trip find a place that is worlds apart from the mainland. An unspoiled land with an incredible array of plants and animals found nowhere else. An adventure-in-the-making where unparalleled kayaking and diving await. A place where hikers, sailors, fishermen and campers find first-rate wilderness activities.
MAGICAL WATERWORLD
I discovered the Channel Islands more than a decade ago. Since then, I've collected the islands the way some people collect fine art.
There are eight in the chain, but only five comprise the park (Catalina is a Channel Island, but is not part of the park.) The two inner islands, Anacapa and Santa Cruz, are closest to the mainland and easy to reach on scheduled boat trips; the three outer islands -- Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara and San Miguel -- can be difficult.
Boat service is infrequent and subject to mercurial weather and sea conditions. Even if you reach Santa Barbara and San Miguel, landings can be wet and wild rides through the surf because docks are nonexistent. The adventure quotient is high.
I finally bagged my fifth park island, Santa Barbara, this spring after several years of failed attempts.
