Channel Islands National Park

Well into the 20th century the Channel Islands were a real-life version of a John Steinbeck novel, the domain of hearty ranchers, crusty abalone collectors, and eccentric scientists who came to study its natural wonders in splendid isolation. But after most of the archipelago became a national park, other sorts of people began flocking to the islands: nature lovers and outdoor sports enthusiasts bent on discovering a slice of Southern California that hasn’t been paved over or subdivided.

Often called the American Galápagos, the islands and the marine sanctuaries that surround them are an oasis of West Coast flora and fauna. Humpback, gray, blue, and killer whales share the offshore waters with great white sharks and 27 species of marine mammals. Elephant seals and sea lions gather in numbers that reach into the tens of thousands. Nearly 400 avian species have been recorded on the islands, which provide a nesting place for millions of shorebirds. There are endemic species of fox, skunk, mouse, snake, salamander, and lizard. The discovery of mammoth bones in 1994 revealed that island terrestrial life was even more diverse (and much larger) in ancient times.

But the Channel Islands also have their human side. Archaeological evidence proves the islands were occupied as early as 13,000 years ago—the oldest human remains found anywhere in North America were found here. Thousands of Chumash Indians called the islands home when the Spanish arrived; the last native inhabitants were forcibly relocated to mainland missions in the 1820s.

Hacienda life flourished after that, and the tradition lasted until the cusp of the 21st century (see p. 347). Paddlers and photographers, backpackers and scuba divers are today’s denizens, although never in numbers that overwhelm this wild side of southern California.

US National Parks Map

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