This Breathtaking California Trail Traverses One Of The 'Best Islands In The World For Outdoor Adventure'

Channel Islands National Park is a massively underrated chain of islands off the coast of California with such incredible biodiversity that it has been dubbed America's Galapagos Islands, and so beautiful that Outside named it one of the best islands in the world for outdoor adventure. While there are five islands (and quite a bit of ocean) included in the park, if you're up for a challenge, consider making the journey to the most remote of the islands: San Miguel Island. There, 55 miles off the coast of Ventura, you can hike the incredible Point Bennet Trail.

This is an island in transition. It may be wild now, but it's only getting wilder. Once, this place was devastated by farming, but today, the 14-mile hike across the island shows you a part of California that's long gone in most of the state. Seeing this wild island, complete with fog rolling over the lush hills and blue waves battering the coast, is well worth the journey there — but the real appeal is the wildlife. Although the island is close to Santa Barbara, here the only inhabitants of the white sand beaches are an unbelievable number of seals and sea lions. You'll hear their barks and calls long before you reach them, and their sheer numbers create a surreal, almost sublime experience that you won't want to miss.

This incredible journey is almost six hours long and takes you right to the very tip of the island — but you won't be making the trek alone. Because of the risks associated with going off the trail here, you'll be accompanied by a ranger or trained volunteer. For your safety, and the safety of the island, you can't explore the Point Bennet Trail alone. Not only is the park home to an ecosystem that might be damaged by people moving through it but, at one time, this island was used as a bombing range, and there's no way to know for certain that everything on the island has already been detonated.

Even with a guide, you'll still have to get an access permit and sign a liability waiver to come to the park. Depending on how you book your transportation to the island, a guide may be automatically arranged for you. If not, however, you can contact the ranger station on San Miguel to coordinate a time for a ranger to take you on the trail yourself by calling (805) 658-5730.

The Point Bennet Trail hike is definitely considered a challenging one — but figuring out how exactly to get there can be tricky, too. Channel Islands National Park is one of the many national parks that are always completely free to enter, but you will have to spend some money to get someone to ferry you there. While you can charter your own boat and make your own arrangements if you want to, the easiest way to get from the mainland to the Point Bennet Trail is to book with Island Packers, a cruising company that specializes in taking visitors directly to the different islands of Channel Islands National Park. The trip leaves from Ventura Harbor, so if you're coming from far away, all you'll need to do is fly into Santa Barbara Airport and make your way to Ventura. There are trains you can take, or simply rent a car at the airport. If you get seasick, be prepared! This trip takes between three and a half and four hours.

For the day, you can expect to spend just under $125 per person for a boat ride to San Miguel and back. With such a long boat ride followed by a long hike, you're probably going to want to spend the night on San Miguel. Overnight, it costs a little over $180 per person. If you're hoping to camp on the island, make sure to book early. You definitely don't have to think about ways to avoid national park crowds here — there are only nine campsites available. At the time of writing, these unique campsites can be booked through recreation.gov for just $25 per night.