Books, Bites, and Sights

February 14th, 2026

Channel Islands National Park was park number 21 on Amory and I’s 63 in 365 journey, and, romantically, our visit landed on Valentine’s Day.

How did we get to the park?

After landing in LA, Amory and I drove an hour and a half West to Ventura Harbor. Once there, we made our way to the Island Packers’ office to check in for our day trip to Channel Islands National Park. We reserved two tickets ($72 each) for the 8 am ferry day trip to Scorpion Ridge. We made these reservations nearly a month in advance to secure the 8 am departure and the 5 pm return – and while a month in advance reservation isn’t required, we wanted to be sure we would have as much time on the island as possible to explore, and we knew we would be going on a holiday.

Island Packers is the only public ferry to and from the islands, but they do offer two different departure locations (Oxford Harbor and Ventura Harbor), as well as many different day trips, round trips, and tours. You can choose to visit any of the islands with them with varying ticket prices, but the Santa Cruz Island is the most convenient and popular. Some islands and trips require you to camp on the island and do not have day trip options.

Our ferry ride was a little less than a hour and a half ride to the island, and once there, you can opt to stake out and explore the island on your own, snorkel off shore, or rent/do a guided kayak tour with Island Packers (although for the latter option reservations must be done in advance).

On our ferry ride to the island, we saw a dolphin feeding frenzy and two breeching gray whales. The captain stopped the ferry to point out both sightings – such an added treat.

What did we do at the park?

We opted to trek the Montanon Ridge Loop which gave us a taste of everything we hoped for: coastal views, fox and bird sightings, and so many wildflowers. The elevation gain on this trail gave us vast views of the island but was longer and more strenuous than other options. However as avid hikers, we were able to complete the 9 mile loop, stop for breaks along the way, and make it back to the harbor with plenty of time before our return ferry.

After exploring the island all day, we were so relieved when our return ferry finally arrived to take us back to the mainland. On our ride home, I snagged The Handbook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the World off the ferry’s bookshelf and read about both the common dolphin and the gray whale because we had sighted both earlier that day. Books, Bites, Insights? Barnacle and whales have a commensalism relationship (barnacles benefit while whales remain unaffected), but some whales use the barnacles on their fins and tails as a defense mechanism toward predators – ie the barnacles are like brass knuckles for the whale lol.

What did we do for the remainder of our Valentine’s Day?

Without reservations and on the fly, we made our way to Lure Fish House in downtown Ventura. Fresh oysters, a glassful of red wine, and the local catch-of-the-day Baja Kanpachi fish dinner, all made for a wonderful way to wrap up our time on the West coast and, as the hopeless romantic I am – bless my heart, was a perfect lovey-dovey ending to Amory and I’s third Valentine’s Day.

Xoxo – I hope all is well readers. How did you spend Valentine’s Day? Do you celebrate? Are you like me and into the mushy-gushy side of life? Or are you like Amory and indifferent? Let me know. I would love to hear from you.