Channel Islands Kayaking.mp4

Sea-splunking

Adventure Sea Cave Kayak Tour at Channel Islands National Park

If exploring a cave is spelunking, then exploring a cave by kayak is … spelayaking?! Whatever it is, this truly unique cave-kayaking adventure at Channel Islands National Park is a wonderful way to get an in-depth perspective of the the marvelous caves here.

Kayaker inside cave at Channel Islands National Park Adventure Sea Cave Kayak Tour

Even if you’re totally new to kayaking, the experts at Channel Island Adventure Company will get you set up and safe on the water to spend a few hours paddling around on the Adventure Sea Cave Kayak Tour. It’s the most popular tour at the national park, and for good reason!

Channel Island Adventure Company guides getting kayakers ready for the sea kayak adventure tour at Santa Cruz Island

You’ll paddle into and through the magnificent sea caves at Santa Cruz Island. Once you get the hang of steering your vessel, you’ll be looking up and down and all around as you learn about the wildlife inhabiting the area, including ospreys perching high on cliffs. If luck is on your side, dolphins might coast beside you or a migrating whale may appear in the distance.

Two Kayakers on Adventure Sea Kayak Tour by Channel Island Adventure Company

The adventure is a boon of opportunity to enter caves of all shapes and sizes. Keep an eye out for California sea lions; they like to use cave shelves to dry off and warm up. Get your bragging rights photos as you course through caves, some containing blowholes for a little extra splash.

Kayaker outside a cave at Santa Cruz Island Channel Islands National Park

Cave kayaking at Channel Islands National Park, two kayakers outside a cave at Santa Cruz Island

Just don’t drop the camera—this is spelunk, not kerplunk. When you’re done, there should be enough time before the ferry departure to get in a quick hike up to Cavern Point, where you might just see the small island fox, endemic to six of the eight Channel Islands, and found nowhere else in the world. Then again, you may just be so giddy on the water you’ll be begging your guide for just one more cave “spelayak”… or whatever you want to call it!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View
  3. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  4. Hike Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

    Purisima Charisma

    Hundred-foot redwoods, a shaded canyon, and views overlooking Half Moon Bay. This 10-mile loop hike in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is a roller-coaster of uphill and downhill along with easygoing stretches through some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful landscape.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. A woman on a hiking trail with huge open space and yellow flowers around her at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

    Going Wildwood

    Consider this your invitation to get a little untamed. In just one walk through Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, you can chase the sound of a cascading waterfall, duck into a shadowy cave, and soak in big hillside vistas. The mostly flat 4.25-mile loop makes wild feel wonderfully accessible.

    View
  3. Two people fly fishing on the Truckee River with guides from Reno Fly Shop

    Zen and the Art of Fly Fishing

    Learning to fly fish is one of the most fun and beautiful ways to connect with nature, family, friends, and yourself. It’s also a great way to truly experience the magic of a place. Make that place Reno Tahoe, where a fly fishing adventure with Reno Fly Shop is like being planted in a plein air painting of dreamy outdoors.

    View
  4. A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

    This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

    Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike. Afterwards, explore the creative hub of Dickerson Road.

    View