San Miguel Island (Info & Pictures)

On the west of California’s Channel Islands, San Miguel Island is located. It is the sixth largest of eight Channel islands at 9325 acres. It is now included in the Channel Islands National Park.

It was settled by about twelve thousand years ago by human. European explorer to land was the Spanish Portuguese. The National Parks service maintains two airstrips, a ranger station and a research station on San Miguel Island.

San Miguel Island does not receive protection from the open ocean as the other Channel Islands. Strong wind blow from northwest of the island. It speed from 40 kilometer per hour to 80 kilo meter per hour. Most of the time island is captured by the heavy fog. During these days temperature exceed upto thirteen degree foreign higts.

About two hundred people visited this island last year. Visitors are transported to the island by boat. Eight-foot seas are not uncommon in the Pacific between Santa Rosa Island and San Miguel Island.

There is no pier on San Miguel Island, so all public visitors arrive on the island by skiff at Cuyler Harbor. Landing on the island can be an exciting experience, as the surf can swamp the landing boat. During ideal weather, visitors are put ashore directly in front of the trail that leads into the interior of the island. When the swell is high, visitors might be placed on the beach to the east or west, depending upon conditions.

San Miguel Island includes a campground with ten sites. Each campsite includes a picnic table, wind break and an animal-proof box. The campground includes one pit toilet. Fires are prohibited due to the high winds and the inability to extinguish them. Sturdy tents are recommended as the wind can exceed 50 mph (80 km/h), even during the summer. It is recommended that campers tie their tents to the wind break to keep them from blowing away when not being occupied.

With the exception of the trail leading from the beach in Cuyler Harbor to the campground and ranger station, hiking is restricted to ranger-led outings. Many visitors participate in the 14-mile (23 km) round trip hike to Point Bennett to view the thousands of seals and sea lions that reside at the west end of the island during spring and summer. Another popular hike is to the Island's caliche forest. Caliche is a type of hardened calcium deposit.

Water activities

Visitors to the island are restricted to ocean access at Cuyler Harbor. This landing is well protected from the strong ocean swell that is driven from the northwest. Cuyler has a sandy beach and visitors will often find themselves sharing the beach with elephant seals. The water is generally below 60 °F (16 °C), making it cold without a wetsuit. During low tides the harbor offers a tide pool area at the east end of the beach. Sea kayaking is not recommended for the novice as high winds can develop without notice.

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