Channel Islands off the CA coast, Santa Cruz island in particular

July 4, 2015 7:14 PM

We're landing on Scorpion Anchorage (?!) around ten AM and leave from there at three PM. We've have only five hours to hike around. What should we do? What have you done?
posted by goofyfoot to Travel & Transportation around Ventura, CA (8 answers total)

Best answer: I was just on Santa Cruz Island last weekend! We originally planned on kayaking, but the weather was too windy in the morning so the guides recommended various day hikes to us. If you are at all prone to seasickness, I'd bring pills because the ferry across is a smallish boat and it's a long ride through possibly choppy waters.

If you walk down to the bathrooms shortly after disembarking at Scorpion Anchorage, there will be a small covered visitors area with a topographical map that may be useful. Oh, here's an online guide with a picture of the same topo map. The "best" (and most strenuous) day hike recommended to us was going to Smugglers Cove and back, ~8 miles round trip with a lot of up-and-down elevation change. The 5-mile Potato Harbor loop was also recommended for great coastal views and moderate enough to do with kids.

Personally, I love rock scrambling and have no regrets about the route I ended up doing (uh, except for the part where we got lost). We hiked into Scorpion Canyon, which starts on the Scorpion Canyon Loop but instead of branching left and up, continue down off-trail through the canyon. There's lots and lots of boulders, but definitely scrambling rather than technical climbing level. You can do this as an out-and-back, or if you're chasing after adventurous teenage boys, you can hike through the entire canyon and scramble up the right slope at the end then continue going right, which will eventually connect to a maintained trail. You'll be able to see the ocean with Potato Harbor off in the distance to your left, and then just follow Potato Harbor Road back to Scorpion Anchorage. This took us under 3 hours making good time, and it was really fun if you like scrambling/hiking off-trail.
posted by serelliya at 9:10 PM on July 4, 2015

Response by poster: Oh that sounds perfect!
posted by goofyfoot at 9:49 PM on July 4, 2015

Best answer: I'd be a little nervous about trying to do Smuggler's cove and back with a 5 hour window to catch the boat back, and the hike through the interior is not the most exciting. There are trails along the coast going in both directions from Scorpion, I'd say just ramble along one of those (the Potato Harbor trail is very nice) and enjoy the clifftop views and/or hop in the water to do some kayaking or snorkeling, the swim over to Scorpion Rock is quite doable and fun. I camped for three days last time and vowed that next time I will bring or rent a kayak, paddling around all those little rocky coves looks like great fun.
posted by contraption at 9:53 PM on July 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also hit Andria's in the Ventura harbor on the way out or back, they make my favorite fish and chips anywhere.
posted by contraption at 9:59 PM on July 4, 2015

Some (but not all) of the ferries also stop at Smuggler's (or did years ago when I used to go out there.) It might be possible (but again, you'll have to ask) to get dropped off at Smuggler's Cove and hike to meet the ferry at Scorpion's. I don't know the timing, and I've only been to Santa Cruz Island when camping.

So have the pigs been eradicated yet?
posted by JMOZ at 6:34 AM on July 5, 2015

If you've any interest in birds, bring a pair of binoculars and check out the Scrub Jays that are unique to Santa Cruz island.
posted by dws at 8:05 AM on July 5, 2015

So have the pigs been eradicated yet?

They have! The Island Fox population is doing great, to the point that the campground is overrun with miniature grey foxes that watch you from the bushes and will scamper over in an instant to steal any food you turn your back on. When I was there three years ago the park service was also trying to save a colony of reintroduced bats nesting in one of the old buildings near the ranger station.
posted by contraption at 4:53 PM on July 5, 2015

Response by poster: We're back, and had a lovely time hiking with guide Marty Flam up a nearby cliff and then off from there on the Potato Loop. The cliffs are astoundingly beautiful. We met a bug that apparently doesn't exist anywhere else. We went wandering around off-trail to look at caves and encountered a fox who didn't care that we were there.

Best was seeing the dolphins and whales on the boat trips out and back.
posted by goofyfoot at 9:35 PM on July 7, 2015