GETTING THERE
Channel Islands
Ventura, Calif., is the most convenient gateway city — about 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Island Packers, one of the park’s concessionaires for travel to the islands, departs from Ventura Harbor. Year-round excursions visit East Anacapa Island and East Santa Cruz Island (western portions of each are private property). Voyages to Santa Barbara Island and Santa Rosa Island leave April through November. Trips to San Miguel Island go in the month of April and again June through October. Passage takes from one to two hours each way, depending on the island destination and including pauses for whale-watching during migration periods. Adult fares range from $37 to $62, depending on destination. For details on schedules and fares and to make reservations, call 805-642-1393, or click on www.islandpackers.com. A similar service — Truth Aquatics at Sea Landing — operates out of Santa Barbara (805-963-3564; www.truthaquatics.com). Channel Islands Aviation flies from Camarillo (Calif.) Airport to Santa Rosa Island in approximately 45 minutes (805-987-1301; www.flycia.com).
Joshua Tree
The park lies 140 miles east of Los Angeles. From the west, take Interstate Highway 10 to California Highway 62 (Twentynine Palms Highway) and follow it to the north entrance, about 40 miles from the interstate exit. Or use the south entrance at Cottonwood Spring, 25 miles east of Indio, reachable both from eastbound and westbound I-10. It’s also possible to fly into nearby Palm Springs Municipal Airport on major airlines from many cities in the U.S. and abroad.
GETTING AROUND
Channel Islands
All five islands are laced with hiking trails and offer opportunities for sailing and kayaking. Private boaters may land at all park islands at any time of year. Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands have the most appeal for scuba divers and snorkelers.
Joshua Tree
People explore the park in their vehicles, on bikes, on horseback and on foot. A dozen nature trails offer short strolls, while six hiking trails lead off on explorations measuring from 3 to 16 miles, round trip. Climbers scale a few of the rock formations where conditions and park rules permit.
WHEN TO VISIT
Both parks are open year-round. The Channel Islands bask in an agreeable climate most of the time, although fog occasionally sets in, and the higher altitudes can get chilly. The park stays open all year, but excursion boats do not visit all islands every day, so check with the concessionaires (see above).
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Joshua Tree tends to be clear and dry all year, but summer brings searing heat — routinely above 100 degrees in the daytime and not much cooler at night. In winter, the days are mild and the nights freezing. Ideally, one visits in spring or fall, when the highs average 85 degrees and the lows 50.
LODGING AND FOOD
Channel Islands
Those planning to spend the night, or nights, on any of the five islands must bring their own provisions, including water. Campgrounds are primitive, restrooms basic and food sellers non-existent. There are only 79 campsites, divided amongst the islands. Santa Cruz, with 40 sites, has the most; Anacapa, with seven sites, the least. Permits and reservations are required. The reservation fee is $2.50 per campsite, per night. Call the national park reservation service at 800-365-2267, or log on to www.reservations.nps.gov. Last-minute provisions may be purchased at a cafe in Ventura Harbor. Elsewhere in Ventura — and, of course, in the Santa Barbara gateway — plenty of stores, restaurants and overnight accommodations await Channel Islands explorers.
Joshua Tree
This is another concession-free park, but several communities just outside the boundaries offer food, supplies and motel/hotel shelter. Those preferring to sleep in a tent or under the stars will find nine campgrounds with tables, fireplaces and toilets. Call the park (see Information) for further details. No hookups for RVs. Bring your own firewood, as all park vegetation is protected.
ACCESSIBILITY
Channel Islands
In Ventura, the mainland visitor center is fully accessible. However, those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility will find the islands’ isolation and transportation requirements daunting. Park workers are in the process of creating some wheelchair accessible areas on Santa Rosa Island for visitors arriving by air. Call the park for more detailed information.
Joshua Tree
Nature trails at Bajada, Cap Rock and the Oasis of Mara are accessible to wheelchairs. With prior notice, an assisted-listening system is available during ranger programs. Cottonwood Visitor Center can provide an audio description of the Bajada trail.
INFORMATION
Channel Islands
Superintendent, Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura, CA, 93001; 805-658-5730; e-mail [email protected]; www.nps.gov/chis/.
Joshua Tree
Superintendent, Joshua Tree National Park, 74485 National Park Drive, 29 Palms, CA 92277; 760-367-5500; fax 760-367-6392; www.nps.gov/jotr/.
CHANNEL ISLAND FACTS
Established as a national park: March 5,1980.
Area: 249,353 acres, half under the ocean.
Visitors: 300,000 at the mainland visitor center in 1999; 30,000 to the islands.
Location: Islands are strung along the California coast from Point Conception near Santa Barbara to just north of Los Angeles. They extend about 40 miles into the Pacific with the closest island about 10 miles offshore.
Flora and fauna: Tree sunflowers, red paintbrushes, morning glories, chaparral, pine forests, grasses are among the plant features. More than 140 landbird and 11 mammal species, three amphibian and five reptile species, including native scrub jays, cormorants, gulls, sea lions, foxes, deer, deer mice, seals, whales, dolphins.
Entrance fee: None.
JOSHUA TREE FACTS
Established as a national park: Oct. 31, 1994.
Area: 792,749 acres.
Visitors: 1,320,891 in 1999.
Location: 140 miles east of Los Angeles.
Flora and fauna: Joshua tree forests, fan palms, California junipers, ocotillos, cholla cactuses and Mojave yuccas — along with other plants and wildflowers — dot the desert floor. Creatures include bobcats, burrowing owls, kangaroo rats, tarantulas, sidewinder rattlesnakes, stinkbugs, yucca night lizards, coyotes, roadrunners and golden eagles.
Entrance fee: $10 per car, valid for seven days.
CHANNEL ISLANDS MAIN SIGHTS
No particular landmarks or monuments mark the islands. But each one has its own subtle, and unique, characteristics.
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1. Anacapa: Superb viewing of flora and fauna, including the bright yellow of the unusual tree sunflower (coreopsis), brilliant red paintbrush, seabirds (gull chicks in early summer), seals and sea lions.
2. Santa Barbara: Plants exclusive to this island include the Santa Barbara Island live-forever, shrubby buckwheat, chicory and creamcups. Endemic birds nest on Santa Barbara, including the horned lark, orange-crowned warbler and house finch.
3. Santa Cruz: Among many rocky features spread across this rugged terrain, Painted Cave — colored by lichens and algae — is one of the largest and deepest sea caves in the world.
4. Santa Rosa: Its high central mountain range (up to 1,589 feet) seems to rise abruptly from a flat plain and the sea. The Santa Rosa subspecies of Torrey Pine is one of the rarest pines in the world, the last vestige of a once-huge Pleistocene forest.
5. San Miguel: A huge (33,000) community of pinnipeds (sea lions and seals) sprawls along the beach at Point Bennett. More than 600 archeological sites — some dating back 11,600 years — testify to the longtime presence of Island Chumash Indians. Sites contain some of the oldest evidence of human presence in North America.
JOSHUA TREE MAIN SIGHTS
1. Joshua trees: The park is named for this strange form of yucca, and the trees may be found in clusters throughout the western half of the park.
2. Fortynine Palms Oasis: A 1.5-mile trail leads to a wildlife watering hole and a stand of pines much like the neighboring Oasis of Mara — site of the north side visitor center.
3. Hidden Valley: The park’s massive boulders are hard to miss, and they crop up in many places. These shade a trail said to be a cattle rustlers’ hideout in the old days.
4. Jumbo Rocks: Domes, spires and balanced rocks create a formless jumble of monzonite and a memorable geological display.
5. Keys View: An all-inclusive panorama from 5,185 feet takes in mountains, valley and desert all at once.
6. Cholla Cactus Garden: A concentration of cactus plants and other Colorado Desert flora await discovery on a nature trail that a variety of creatures also find appealing.
7. Transition Zone: The high Mojave gives way to the Colorado Desert — a corner of the vast Sonoran Desert — where the Joshua trees and other tall plants are replaced by lowland plants adapted to the arid atmosphere.
8. Cottonwood Spring: Birds flock to the palm oasis here. A small visitor center is a mile away, and a 4-mile trail starts here, leading to the Lost Palms Oasis.