Travel Guide Channel Islands National Park

Off the coast of Los Angeles, the eight islands of the Channel Islands archipelago are home to a magnificent Mediterranean ecosystem. Five of them are under protection, forming a 1,009 km2 national park. From east to west: Santa Barbara, isolated, then, in a tight archipelago, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel. The other three islands, which are not part of the park, are San Clemente, San Nicolas and Santa Catalina. The natural beauty of the islands attracts some 30,000 visitors a year, a limited number due to their insularity, which means that visitors have to come by plane or boat. The islands are not inhabited, but each has a campsite where you can spend the night, far from the noise of the city.