Family Adventures: National Parks

Channel Islands National Park: Visiting the Galapagos of North America

By Kristen Lummis, braveskimom.com

Serendipity or coincidence?

Last summer, I was looking at a map of southern California. I was searching for beaches, for a quiet sandy place, off of the normal tourist track, when I noticed four islands called Channel Islands National Park.

An unapologetic fan of all national parks, I immediately recognized our destination. We booked a hotel and drove west.

Isolated Islands, Cultures and Ecosystems

Sometimes called the North American Galapagos, the Channel Islands are home to plants, birds and mammals found nowhere else on earth. Originally home to the Chumash people, the islands hosted vast cattle and sheep ranches in the mid-nineteenth century. When the ranches were abandoned and sold about 100 years later, just a few homes and outbuildings remained.

In 1980, the islands of Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and the more southerly Santa Barbara, were designated a National Park. Today, visitors spend their time hiking, camping, snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking.

How Do You Get From Here to There?

Visiting a National Park on an island is not as easy as driving up to the typical entrance station and paying a fee. While there is an excellent mainland Visitors’ Center in Ventura Harbor, trying to figure out how to visit the islands can be a bit tricky.

The Park Service provides a list of outfitters on their website. That’s were we started. But then we were faced with a wide range of options: catch a ferry to an island and hike independently, take a kayak tour, book an all day excursion that includes kayaking, snorkeling and hiking, or reserve a campsite and stay for a night or more.

Visit Number One: Exclusively Kayaking

For our first visit, we decided to take a kayaking tour at Anacapa Island. We left Channel Islands Harbor on a chilly, soupy July morning. When we arrived at Anacapa, the smallest of the Channel Islands, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the sparkling water beckoned.

I’ve written a post about this day. It was, in a word, incredible.

Except for one thing: we wished we’d had time to get off the water and onto an island.

We spent the rest of our vacation enjoying the beach and staring across the channel at the islands, yearning to put our boots on their ground.

Visit Number Two: Hiking, Snorkeling and, Yes, More Kayaking

In November, we are returning to Channel Islands National Park and on the recommendation of the crew at Santa Barbara Adventure Company, we are taking a full day to visit Santa Cruz Island.

At 96 square miles, Santa Cruz is the largest of the Channel Islands, with a 77-mile coastline. The island has one of the highest concentrations of sea caves in the world, ranging in size from so narrow that you need to pull in your paddle to gigantic cathedrals of stone. Having “tested the waters” of sea cave kayaking last summer, we’re eagerly anticipating this paddle.

And then there’s the hiking. The highest point on the Channel Islands is 2,470-foot Mount Diablo. Although we won’t be climbing Diablo, which lies on land owned by the Nature Conservancy that is closed to the public, we still have some excellent hiking options.

According to Grant Cunningham, Field Coordinator at Santa Barbara Adventure Company, one of the most scenic and popular hikes on the island is a two-mile loop from Scorpion Anchorage to Cavern Point. The trail passes an old ranch house that serves as a visitors’ center. Continuing from Cavern Point along the North Bluff Trail, we can make our way to Potato Harbor, which is meant to have spectacular coastal views. All told, this is a five mile round trip.

Along the way we hope to catch a glimpse of Island Fox, Scrub Jay and some of the other Channel Islands species.

Depending upon the weather, we can also snorkel. The water around the islands is ultra clear with a high concentration of fish, sea stars, and lobster.

Even if we don’t get into the water, we will enjoy spying on barking sea lions and harbor seals and watching innumerable water birds take flight.

Unlike Any Other Park

As someone who lives in the interior west, Channel Islands National Park is both alluring and mysterious. It is completely different from my home and anywhere else I’ve ever been.

An isolated oasis just off the crowded California coast, the islands offer a glimpse into a simple past, a successfully restored and protected ecosystem, and a playground devoid of modern distractions.

For us, Channel Islands National Park is a watery refuge, a place where we can access nature and where each of us can find our own unique adventure, on land, on water or, even, in water.

So was it serendipity or coincidence that brought us to Channel Islands National Park?

We’re not sure. All we know is that the islands are calling.

Trip Details

This is the first time I’ve written a post before I’ve actually done the trip. But fall is such a spectacular season in Southern California that I wanted to share this information in case you’re inspired to go now.

Come November, we are taking the Sea Cave Kayak Trip with Santa Barbara Adventure Company. It is only one of many options that they offer for adventure in the islands and on the mainland.

Our morning starts with an Island Packers ferry from Ventura Harbor. Santa Cruz Island is 19 miles from Ventura, and the crossing takes about an hour and 10 minutes. Along the way, we hope to see dolphins and gray whales, which should be migrating at this time.

Once we arrive at Scorpion Anchorage, we’ll get on land and do a short kayaking and safety orientation and get geared up. Then we will kayak, with a guide, along the shore and into caves for between 2.5 and 3 hours.

Returning to the beach at Scorpion Anchorage, we have about two hours at leisure, exploring on foot or snorkeling in the marine sanctuary just offshore. Since we will be there in late fall, our day ends a bit earlier, with the fading light, and we’ll depart Santa Cruz Island around 3:30. Summer trips last about an hour longer.

Colorado National Monument: Underrated and Spectacular

By Jen Charrette, velomom.com

“Did you remember the lights?” This is the question we always ask each other while preparing for a road bike ride through the Colorado National Monument. They have a rule that all bicycles entering the park have a front and rear light.

The reason? Tunnels.

They aren’t long but they are dark. The roads here twist and turn through red rocks that make for an amazing bike ride. Besides enjoying the mostly uncrowded and smooth roads, you will also want to stop and enjoy the scenery. Honestly, you would never know by looking at Grand Junction from the highway that such beauty awaits just a few miles into the park.

Unlike some National Parks that require you to hike or drive dirt roads for the best scenery, much of the park can be seen on the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive. The park is reached just minutes off I-70 in Grand Junction or Fruita, Colorado.

Highlights include Independence Monument (a sandstone monolith), Kissing Couple, and the Coke Ovens.

Is the ride ‘family friendly?’ In the traditional sense, I would say no. There is significant climbing from each direction and you must be comfortable riding in the road because shoulders are narrow. But we have frequently ridden the roads in the park with our Chariot and our 8 year old just completed his first ride through the park in the Spring.

In addition, a friend of mine road through the park during her pregnancy and then enjoyed getting back into shape by towing her little one up behind her.

So yes, it can be done. As with any road ride, you need to assess your family’s ability and scout the area out yourself.

As for those lights–I learned something last time we were there–if you forget your light, they may just have a spare for you at the guard shack. Ask them nicely and enjoy your ride!

Exploring the Everglades

By Erica Lineberry, cragmama.com

When a lot of people think about national parks, they picture the awesome wildlife-watching of Yellowstone or the spectacular fall foliage of Acadia.  Many avid park-goers often forget about the unique ecosystem teeming with not only wildlife, but also recreational opportunities: the Everglades!

An easy drive from Miami, the Everglades National Park will bring out the naturalist in everyone.  Whether you’d prefer a backcountry canoe trip and camping on a chickee (wooden platform out over the water), or biking the flat, paved Tamiami Trail, adventure (and gator sightings!) are guaranteed.

With cooler weather approaching, it’s the perfect time to plan an Everglades experience–80 degree temps in December will be a welcome escape from the cold! Camping options are plentiful throughout the park, and there are hotels for all budgets in downtown Miami. The park rangers do a great job with programs and presentations for kids as well as grown-ups, and many of the observation areas are even handicap accessible. So start planning your trip today. It’ll be a wonderful experience for the whole family that you won’t soon forget!

Category: Outdoor Kids