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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: Channel Islands


Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart, Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara. These islands and their ocean environment, have preserved and protected a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth and helped preserve a place where visitors can experience coastal southern California as it once was.

Surfacing over the horizon from the depths of the Pacific Ocean, the coastal mountains of California's Channel Islands offer an extraordinary gateway to the past, spanning more than 12,000 years of human history.

The Channel Islands have attracted many explorers, scientists and historians during the past few centuries. Today, island visitors can explore the world of the native Chumash, walk the shores where European explorers landed, discover new tales from California’s ranching history, and witness the remains of off-shore shipwrecks
The Channel islands are a wonderful spot to explore California Nature The northern Channel Islands were home to many native Chumash communities who are believed to have inhabited the islands for thousands of years. For over ten thousand years, the northern Channel Islands have hosted a diverse range of peoples and cultures. The large number and undisturbed condition of archeological sites on the islands are shedding light on coastal migration patterns of the earliest Americans and their subsistence in the marine environment. Human remains discovered in 1959 at Arlington Springs on Santa Rosa Island have been dated to more than 13,000 years of age, among the oldest dated human remains in North America.

When Europeans first reached the islands in the 16th century, they discovered a rich culture dependent upon the resources of the land and the sea for sustenance and survival. By the nineteenth century, the islands were fulfilling different purposes: vast sheep and cattle ranches occupied Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel islands and the channel waters were aggressively harvested for fish and marine mammals. The remains of ancient Chumash villages are intermingled with historic ranch complexes and later military structures, testifying to the diverse heritage of human experience on these offshore islands.
Channel Islands National Park provides a delightful break from the congestion and clamor of urban life. The islands are ideal for quiet, uninterrupted time with family and friends, wonderful places to hike, camp, snorkel, kayak, bird watch, take photographs, sketch, or just relax to the soothing sounds of the natural world.

Neighbor to the scenic Channel Islands, Channel Islands Harbor is a working harbor that offers fun-filled water activities for the whole family. About an hour’s drive from Los Angeles, the Harbor features several beach-lined parks and coastline for picnics and surfing, as well as nearby biking and walking paths.

The Channel Islands are home to more than 2,000 terrestrial plants and animals, ranging from plankton to blue whales. These beautiful islands are an extraordinary experience, and just a short boat trip from the Channel Islands Harbor.
The Channel Islands National Park includes five islands and the surrounding coastline and water The islands located within Channel Islands National Park go all the way from Point Conception to around Santa Barbara and then to San Pedro. Ventura is where visitors can find the park headquarters plus they can also find the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center. The park is big and has around 249,354 acres.

A lot of visitors go to the park in the Summer time because of all the things going on but during the autumn time there’s some special things going that some might not know about. Visitors can see the migrating gray whales during autumn. It’s a wonderful and incredible thing to see the gray whales migrate.

The winds are minimal and it’s almost always sunny during the autumn season which makes it perfect for traveling the park plus diving. Another activity that visitors enjoy is camping on Santa Cruz Island because of the Pirate’s Cove. With so many visitors going to the island they recently opened up a island visitor center on Santa Cruz Island called the Scorpion Ranch.
Summer days can be spent on island trails or weaving the water aisles between in a kayak or canoe. Scuba diving and snorkeling are also popular pastimes in these parts.

Its close proximity to Los Angeles makes the Channel Islands a worthwhile escape from the rigors of the city. Whether your trip is focused on natural sites or you just want to escape the city for a while, the Channel Islands are a great choice.

One half of Channel Islands National Park is comprised of the waters surrounding the islands and extending one mile offshore. The park waters provide numerous recreational opportunities to include sailing to secluded anchorages, fishing, scuba diving, kayaking and exploring over 175 miles of coastline in the park.

Private boaters may land on all five islands within Channel Islands National Park throughout the year.
 
 
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