INTERNET INFORMATION CENTER
Kayaking Channel Islands National Park is a unique and rewarding way to experience this pristine marine environment. You will find solitude and splendor while paddling along the routes used by the first visitors to the islands. Here also you will face new challenges and adventures and you may encounter unexpected dangers. This web page is designed to help you in planning a safe, enjoyable and environmentally sound sea kayaking trip in the park.
How To Get There
Safety
Kayaking Without Impacts
Island Information
For More Information
Kayaking on Your Own
Visitors with their own kayaks who would like to explore Channel Islands National Park may contact the park boat concessionaires, who will transport kayaks to the islands on their public trips for an extra fee. The concessionaires offer year-round transportation to the islands for day visits and camping trips:
Island Packers (805) 642-1393 ipco@isle.net; for boat travel departing from Ventura and Channel Islands Harbors to all of the islands.
Truth Aquatics (805) 962-1127, info@truthaquatics.com ; for boat travel departing from Santa Barbara Harbor to all of the islands.
Channel Islands Aviation (805) 987-1301, cia@flycia.com ; for air travel to Santa Rosa Island. Folding boats only or to meet up with others.
Kayakers may also paddle from the mainland across the channel to the islands (due to conditions, most of these cross-channel trips are limited to Anacapa Island). However even this shortest 12 mile paddle is not for the novice or anyone who is not properly trained, conditioned and equipped.
Currents, shifting swells and strong winds can stretch a normal 3-to4-hour trip to Anacapa Island into a 6-hour struggle. The strongest currents are often encountered near the island. The paddle from Oxnard or Ventura also takes the kayaker across some of the busiest shipping lanes in California. Potentially dense fog and ship speeds of 25 to 35 knots present a special hazard to kayakers while crossing the channel.
Local Kayak Outfitters
Visitors may kayak with one of several outfitters that offer a variety of different kayak trips to the Channel Islands. The trips are moderate to strenuous in nature, but some do not require previous kayaking experience. Most kayak excursions are offered from May through October. Some of the outfitters also offer kayaks for rent. For a current listing of outfitters and rental sources for kayaks perform an internet search, consult local phone books or contact the Park Visitor Center.
General Safety
Safety requires good planning and common sense. Sea kayaking is potentially hazardous, even for experienced kayakers. Before embarking on your Channel Islands sea kayaking adventure, be sure to obtain current weather and sea condition information. The NOAA Real Time Local Weather Site provides up to the minute weather for the local area. Carefully selecting and equipping your paddlecraft is essential. Craft should be of a sea kayak design. Paddlers will help insure a safe and rewarding trip for themselves if they possess the following:
1. A seasoned veteran sea kayaker as a group leader.
2. Equipment familiarity and the ability to use it in an emergency.
3. Ability to right the craft or to assist others who have capsized.
4. Ability to brace the vessel in breaking seas and to deal with high winds.
5. Ability to prevent, recognize and treat hypothermia and other medical emergencies in wilderness conditions.
6. Ability to read nautical charts and to plot a course.
7. A filed "Float Plan" with the harbor master's office or with a responsible mainland contact. Kayakers are encouraged to contact island rangers at the beginning and end of a paddle.
Equipment Checklist
Experienced sea kayakers recommend the following items:
1. Compass, 2. Air horn/whistle/signal mirror, 3. Flares, 4. Portable marine/weather radio with waterproof pouch, 5. Area charts (per group), 6. Bilge pump/bailing device, 7. Spare paddle/paddle float, 8. Personal Flotation Device (PFD), 9. Helmet, 10. Broad-brimmed hat, 11. Adequate spray skirt, 12. Food/fresh water with extra provisions, 13. Dry storage bags, 14. First aid kit, 15. Sunscreen, 16. Heavy diameter haul lines with carabineer, 17. Knife, 18. Repair kit.
A GPS is also recommended for the group to assist in navigation. Cell phones work from most island locations, but should not be depended on as the southern sides of the islands can be in service shadows.
Float Plan
The National Park Service recommends that a float plan be filed with a responsible party before beginning your trip. Before paddling across the Santa Barbara Channel, float plans may also be filed with a local harbor master's office.
Names and addresses for the kayakers, as well as emergency phone numbers, should be listed. Plans should also include the number of kayaks and kayakers on the trip as well as the color, size and type of craft used. Any survival and special emergency equipment should be listed (EPIRB, VHF, food rations, flares, etc.). The place, date and time of departure and return should be logged as well as destination(s). This information can be invaluable for a search operation if something goes wrong. At the end of your trip is is recommended that you close your float plan.
Weather
Conditions are most ideal for kayaking from August through October, with relatively calm wind and sea conditions. Kayaking is possible during other monthly, but with much greater chance for adverse wind and seas along with unexpected changes.
High winds may occur regardless of the forecast. Forty knot winds are not unusual for Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands. Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands generally have more moderate winds. Winds are often calm in the early morning and increase during the afternoon. Generally the wind comes from the northwest, but kayakers must also be prepared for strong east or Santa Ana winds.
Dense fog is common during the summer months, but may occur at any time, making chart and compass navigation mandatory. Ocean currents of considerable strength may be encountered both neat and offshore from the islands. Ocean water temperatures range from the lower 50s(F) in the winter to the upper 60s(F) in the fall.
Sea Caves
Sea Caves can be very dangerous-- large waves or swells can fill a cave unexpectedly. Be extremely careful and wear a helmet at all times when exploring sea caves.
Regulations & Guidelines for Protecting Natural & Cultural Resources
The protection and preservation of your park's biological, cultural and historical resources is a major mission of the National Park Service. By following the regulations and guidelines listed below, you can help protect these rare and unique treasures of Channel Islands National Park for future generations to enjoy.
Regulations
As in all national parks, natural and cultural resources are protected under federal law. Visitors may not collect, harass, feed, or otherwise harm the native wildlife, plant life or other natural and cultural resources of Channel Islands National Park. This includes, but is not limited to, vegetation, animals, rocks, shells, feathers, and other natural, archeological, and historic features within the park. Please leave all resources as you find them, what you found interesting will bring enjoyment to others who follow in your footsteps. Preserving your National Park is your responsibility.
Archeological sites and other cultural resources, such as shipwrecks, are protected under federal law. It is illegal to disturb or damage these sites in anyway. These sites are still common on the islands today because of the protection that has been given them. With ease of kayaking access to these sites comes an enhanced responsibility to respect and protect them.
Tidepool areas throughout the park are protected. Collecting is illegal. Be careful where you walk. Careless trampling destroys tidepool animals.
Possession of a valid California State fishing license is required to fish, and all California Department of Fish and Game Regulations apply.
Pack out what you pack in. There are no trash cans on the island. Please do not place trash in outhouses.
Pets are not allowed on the islands for the protection
of wildlife and your pets. Service animals require special clearance.
No smoking on trails or in brush areas due to high fire hazards. Please smoke only on the beach or in the campground.
To protect wildlife, landing is prohibited on all offshore rocks and islets.
Rock climbing is prohibited.
Firearms and firework are prohibited.
Do not directly or indirectly feed the native wildlife--protect your food from wildlife. Human food is generally not good for animals. Wildlife may become habituated to humans if they learn to associate humans or camps with food. Besides becoming a nuisance, habituated animals may bite and transmit diseases including hantavirus. Animals also may injure themselves by consuming plastics which obstruct their digestive systems, causing them to starve.
Under federal law it is illegal to disturb and/or harass seabirds, or seals and sea lions. Harassment may be interpreted as any action that modifies the behavior of birds and mammals. California's Channel Islands offer some wonderful opportunities for wildlife viewing. There is an abundance and diversity of marine creatures unmatched anywhere else in southern California. Pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and sea birds choose to live and breed on islands and offshore rocks to escape predators and disturbance. In the past, these animals were exploited for eggs, feathers, meat, blubber, and fur. Now they are protected. In the 1970's, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act became law and prohibit harming or disturbing mammals and birds. Several species are coming back from the brink of extinction. Even though you just want to watch them, remember that this is the last place for many of these creatures to live in the quiet seclusion they require. Please respect that and follow these guidelines to avoid disturbing animals.
Guidelines
Avoid approaching areas with birds, seals, and sea lions that are roosting, nesting or pupping. Look ahead and give animals a 100 yard clearance if possible. Be alert for birds that you may not be able to see, around guano covered rocks and pinnipeds hauled-out on secluded beaches. Cormorants and pelicans are disturbed easily and may knock their eggs out of the nest and abandon their nests if they are flushed suddenly from the cliff. Adult birds will stay away from the nest while people are in the area. The eggs or chicks may overheat in the sun without parental protection. Gulls and ravens are less shy of people and will take advantage of a disturbance to steal eggs and chicks. Entire colonies have been lost this way.
On San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, the snowy plover, a threatened shore bird, establishes its fragile nests on many sandy beaches from mid-March to mid-September. Please refer to the specific bulletins on these islands for areas to avoid during these periods.
Pupping harbor seals, sea lions and other pinnipeds also are sensitive to any type of human disturbance and may abandon their pups. In addition, all of these animals are easily disturbed when resting or preening on rocks or secluded beaches at the water's edge . Rest periods are important to their energy budget. Approach new territory slowly and quietly. If you see animals close by, quietly move away. There may be more animals than you first see.
All rock islets within Channel Islands National Park (park boundary extends into one nautical mile offshore around each island) are closed to access above mean high tide. It is also recommended that visitors stay out of sea caves, including dry caves behind beaches, during the spring and early summer when sea birds are nesting. Landing on offshore rocks, entering caves, and making loud noises in these areas may cause sea birds to abandon their nests. Black oystercatchers, western gulls, and Cassin's auklets are a few of the birds that nest on offshore rocks. Pelagic Cormorants nest on tiny ledges of sea cliffs and just inside the mouths of caves. Pigeon guillemots and ashy storm-petrels nest in crevices and under rocks and debris inside caves. Many sea birds leave their nests alone while feeding, so even if birds are not present, a misplaced step could crush an egg or chick by moving a loose rock. Bats also hibernate in some of the dry sea caves and waking them can cause a fatal depletion of energy reserves.
There may be resting birds and pinnipeds in caves and on offshore rocks even after the breeding season. Under federal law it is illegal to disturb and/or harm these animals. Be cautious of sea lions resting on rocks or beaches in the backs of caves. Startling a sea lion that you can't see in the dark could be hazardous for you as well.
In order to be rewarded with displays of interesting natural behavior, never chase any animal and do not try to see how close you can approach them. If an animal starts to look alarmed (appears agitated or starts watching you) then you are too close. Even though it may not show obvious agitation, being too close can cause severe stress. Sit calmly at a safe distance. Let the animal's natural curiosity take over and it may approach you.
Let sea birds and sea lions adjust to your presence and you will be rewarded with displays of interesting natural behavior. For your safety as well as their's, do not approach sick or injured animals. Alert a ranger or a wildlife rehabilitation center.
Remember, these sea birds and pinnipeds have nowhere else to go. Do your part to pick up any trash you find and please pack out all trash. Plastics especially can cause problems if ingested or entangled in by animals. Help educate others. Let's protect our wildlife for all to see.
Fish, Game, and Marine Resource Regulations
The water one nautical mile around Anacapa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands are California State Ecological Reserves. Special resource protection regulations apply. Contact the Channel Islands National Park headquarters and island rangers for more information on fish, game, and marine resources regulations. Fishing is allowed in designated areas only, a valid state fishing licence is required and all state regulations are enforced. Shore fishing is prohibited on San Miguel Island and the landing area on East Anacapa is a protected no take area. Kayakers should also be sure to obtain the Channel Islands National Park brochure/map and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA/NMS) Synopsis of Regulations map in addition to this brochure.
Backcountry and Camping Reservations
Camping is available on all five islands in National Park Service managed campgrounds. No camping is allowed on The Nature Conservancy's western 74% of Santa Cruz Island. Beach camping is allowed on Santa Rosa Island throughout the year. For more General Island Camping Information.
Camping reservations are required for all of the island campgrounds. There are no entrance fees to visit the park or campground fees, however there is a reservation fee of $2.50 per campsite per night. Reservations can be made no more than three months in advance.
Information required to make your reservations includes; camping dates, transportation information and number of campers.
Camping Reservations
Camping reservations for National Park Service campgrounds
on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, East Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara
Islands are available through Biospherics Inc. at (800) 365-CAMP (2267).
Camping on the beaches of Santa Rosa Island is available
for experienced kayakers and boaters on a seasonal basis; a free permit
is necessary, and can be obtained by calling (805) 658-5711. To hike beyond the Ranger Station on San Miguel Island, visitors must be escorted by a ranger and have a backcountry permit. Permits must be obtained by calling park headquarters (805-658-5711) prior to mainland departure.
(699 acres) Anacapa has hiking trails, a visitor center, lighthouse
exhibits, picnic area and offers opportunities
for SCUBA diving, snorkeling, bird watching, and observing
marine mammals.
The campground is on East Anacapa Island, 1/2 mile from the dock landing, up 154 stairs. There are 7 campsites with a campground capacity of 30 people. West Anacapa's Frenchy's Cove is available for day use only.
Closures
To protect the cliffside nests of the endangered California brown pelican, the waters approximately 1/3 mile from the northeast facing cliffs of West Anacapa are closed to entry by any craft, including kayaks, from January 1 to October 31.
The waters on the north shore of East Anacapa to a depth of 60 feet are designated as a "natural area." The take or possession of any type of aquatic life in this area is prohibited. Other invertebrate closures exist. Please refer to the California Department of Fish and Game Regulations and NOAA/NMS Synopsis of Regulations map and brochure available from park headquarters.
Landing
A permit is not required to land at the Landing Cove dock at East Anacapa Island or at any of the island's beaches. To protect the island resources, visitors may not proceed beyond the beach areas of West and Middle Anacapa Island. Landing also is prohibited on all offshore rocks and islets.
The East Anacapa landing is available for loading/unloading only. No craft, including kayaks and inflatables, should be left moored to the dock. Kayaks must be lifted up 10 to 12 feet onto the dock. It generally takes 3 people to do the job. A davit to manually haul kayaks onto the dock is available for public use; the davit's maximum lift capacity is 300 pounds. Kayakers need to bring enough line to rig a lifting bridle for their kayaks. Storage of kayaks must be coordinated with island ranger.
Santa Barbara Island:
(639 acres) Santa Barbara has 5 miles of hiking trails, a visitor center,
picnic area, and offers opportunities
for hiking, bird watching, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, fishing,
and marine-mammal observation.
The campground is 1/2 mile uphill from the dock landing. There are 8 campsites with a campground capacity of 30 people.
In spring, California sea lions, and in winter, elephant seals, breed and pup on the island shores. Numerous sea birds roost and nest throughout the island. Avoid disturbing these animals.
Closures
An invertebrate fishing closure exists on the east shoreline of the island in waters less than 20 feet deep. Please refer to the NOAA/NMS Synopsis of Regulations brochure and map.
Landing
A permit is not required to land on Santa Barbara Island. However, access to the island is permitted only at the landing cove. The landing cove dock is available for loading/unloading only. No craft, including kayaks and inflatables, should be left moored to the dock. Kayaks must be lifted up 10 to 12 feet onto the dock. Overnight storage of kayaks should be coordinated with the island ranger.
San Miguel Island:
(9,325 acres) San Miguel has miles
of hiking trails, and beaches and offers Ranger-led hikes, marine-mammal
observation, beach exploration, and bird watching.
The campground is near the Lester Ranch above Cuyler Harbor, a 1 mile hike uphill from the beach landing and has windbreaks. There are 9 campsites with a total campground capacity of 30 people. Fewer than 200 people per year ever get the experience of camping on San Miguel Island.
Closures
All of the shoreline of San Miguel is closed to public landing or entry with the exception of Cuyler Harbor. Please refer to the NOAA/NMS Synopsis of Regulations brochure and map for more detailed information.
Landing
Landing is prohibited on San Miguel's coastline, beaches, offshore rocks and islets except at Cuyler Harbor beach. Year-round, daytime use of this beach and the short hike to the Ranger Station does not require a permit. Overnight storage of kayaks must be coordinated with the island ranger.
Santa Rosa Island:
(52,794 acres) Santa Rosa has hiking trails and offers beach exploration, surf fishing, wildlife observation, ranger-led hikes, vehicle tours, and kayak beach- camping.
The campground in Water Canyon is 1 1/2 mile miles across the flats from the pier landing, or 1/4 mile from the airstrip/beach landing. There are 15 campsites with a 50 person campground capacity. The campground has windbreaks, running water (most people bring drinking water or filters) and an invigorating shower.
0n specific beaches throughout the island camping is allowed with a free permit. Please call (805) 658-5711 for beach camping.
Landing
Without a permit, kayakers may land at the island beaches for day-use only. Beaches between and including Southeast Anchorage and East Point are closed from March 15th to September 15th in order to protect the threatened snowy plover. Please check with the Visitor Center or Island Ranger for other temporary beach closures before landing during this time. Visitors may use the island pier. For landing assistance and weather conditions information attempt to contact the Island Ranger on marine radio VHF channel 16. To protect wildlife, landing is prohibited on all offshore rocks and islets.
Santa Cruz Island:
(60,645 acres) 76% of Santa Cruz Island is owned
by the Nature Conservancy. The National Park Service owns
the eastern 24%, where visitors may observe wildlife, hike, camp and explore the newest addition to the park.
Camping is only allowed at the National Park Service managed Scorpion Ranch campground. The rest of eastern Santa Cruz Island, as well as The Nature Conservancy property, is closed to camping.The campground has 40 sites and allows 4-6 people per site. The campsites are spread out along the valley floor 1/2 to 1 mile up the flats from the beach landing.
Landing
Private, noncommercial kayakers may land for day-use only on any eastern Santa Cruz Island beach without a permit. This eastern end (24% or 14,700 acres) is owned by the National Park Service and is located east of the property line between Prisoners Harbor and Valley Anchorage. To protect wildlife, landing is prohibited on all offshore rocks and islets.
A landing permit is required in advance to land on The Nature Conservancy's western 74% of Santa Cruz Island; a fee is charged and no overnight island use is permitted. It may take 10-12 days to process the request. Permit applications are available by contacting:
The Nature Conservancy, Santa Cruz Island Preserve, 213 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, (805) 898-1642
For more information about the islands and camping-
Channel Islands National Park
1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001
805-658-5730, http://www.nps.gov/chis/homepage.htm
For camping reservations call 1-800-365-CAMP (2267), Biospherics Incorporated
Island Packers is the park's concessionaire for boat travel departing from Ventura and Channel Islands Harbors
to all of the islands. A variety of trips, from half-day to multi-day,
are offered. For prices, schedules, and reservations, call or write:
(805) 642-1393; Island Packers, 1867 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura,
California 93001.
Truth Aquatics is the park's concessionaire for boat travel departing from Santa Barbara Harbor to all of the islands. A variety of trips, from one to multi-day,
are offered. For prices, schedules, and reservations, call or write:
(805) 962-1127; Truth Aquatics, 301 West Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, California, 93101-3886
Channel Islands Aviation, located at the Camarillo airport, is the park's concessionaire for air travel to Santa Rosa Island. Trips vary from one-day to multi-day camping excursions. For prices, schedules, and reservations, call or write: (805) 987-1301; Channel Islands Aviation, 305 Durley Avenue, Camarillo, California 93010.
http://www.nps.gov/chis/kayaking.htm
Last Update: 07/16/2004-7
This page constructed by
Kent Bullard
