California - 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide and Travel Planner - (Page 44) play » sun » channel islands island dreaming F 44 ollow a meadow trail along bluffs looking out to Pacific blue; continue along that path to fern canyons where delicate wildflowers bob in the breeze. At trail’s end lies a crescent beach. Gulls cry. Sea lions play outside the waves. Nothing but solitude and the sea. Welcome to Santa Cruz Island, 19 miles and several hundred years distant Enter from mainland Southern California. Similar scenarios of serenity await on any of the five islands—Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Barbara, San Miguel, and Santa Rosa—that comprise Channel Islands National Park L Channel Islands]. [ Here you can hike empty beaches, kayak through dripping sea caves, or scuba dive in sunlit kelp forests swollen with life. Mainland outfitters conduct everything from kayak and diving trips to sailing overnights and guided naturalist hikes. It’s California before human settlement, but with all the services in place. Each island offers its own face. Santa Cruz, the largest (24 miles long), has a historic ranch, rugged mountains, and one of the world’s biggest sea caves. Santa Rosa Island has rare Torrey pines, the endangered island fox, and swaths of white sand at Water Canyon Beach. L keyword in Search box at visitcalifornia.com http://www.visitcalifornia.com
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