And that’s when we saw it. A perfectly full moon hanging on the western horizon gracing the landscape—a cherry on top of an already blissful night.
May 23–24, 2024
After flying in late the previous night, we rise early to drive through the L.A. traffic to the Oxnard Marina where we are to board Island Packer’s cruise ship, Vanguard. Of the sixty people aboard the vessel, we are the only two looking to camp on the island of Anacapa that night. Because Anacapa sits roughly 200 feet above the waters surrounded by cliffs and with choppy waters and cloud banks rolling in from the ocean, the crew is unsure if docking that morning is even possible. But hopeful nonetheless, at 9:30am the captain makes his way out of the marina toward the island, pausing to point out California sea lions and the occasional dolphin pod dancing along the ship.
As we approach the island, it becomes clear why this land is dubbed “island of deception”. The foggy summer haze seems to shift the shape of the three islets (east, middle, and west Anacapa) disorientating our view as we draw close to Arch Rock and the historic 1932 lighthouse. Thankfully further out from the mainland, the waters calm down and the sun begins to break up the cloud banks making our landing possible. Carrying our backpacks, two gallons of water each, and a bag of camera equipment, we climb the 157 stairs from the dock to the island’s plateau. Atop, we are immediately greeted by a reception of western gulls squawking in chorus—either bidding us welcome or warning, we are unsure.
Our first destination in mind is our campsite half a mile away where we can drop our gear. The views along the trail are unmatched as fog gives way to the outlying islets and the ocean expanse beyond. After setting up camp we take to the short two-mile loop of trails to scope out our home for the next two days. We stroll the paths to the lighthouse, a small visitor center compound, Pinniped Point overlook, and Cathedral Cove viewpoint. Walking among flowering coreopsis forests we are careful to not step on the many nesting gulls hidden in the grass. To say the island is overrun with these birds would be a gross understatement. Every year, Anacapa receives an influx of nearly 20,000 western gulls offering a haven of safe nesting grounds for 6–8 months. While the stench and noise are overwhelming at times, the scale of this flock is worth the experience.
At 3:30 pm, the day-trippers boarded the return vessel, leaving the two of us alone on the island with no other human presence. Just us and 20,000 avian neighbors. After a leisurely dinner, we venture out to the iconic Inspiration Point for sunset. Looking west over the other two islets, we watched as the sun dipped below the horizon in hues of pink and purple, feeling very blessed to have experienced such an evening. But little did we know that was not all Anacapa would offer. Rising at 5 am, we quietly made our way back to Inspiration Point for sunrise. And that’s when we saw it. A perfectly full moon hanging on the western horizon gracing the landscape—a cherry on top of an already blissful night.
That morning we quickly realize we have exhausted our hiking and viewing options on this small island so we called Island Packers seeking to cut our stay short and secure two spots on that day’s return voyage, to which they graciously accommodated. We pack up our campsite and await departure by watching sea lions at Pinniped Point frolic in the kelp forests 200 feet below, another highlight of the trip. 3:30 pm rolls around and we bid the island farewell boarding the Vanguard. The hour back to the coast gives us plenty of time to replay in our minds the unforgettable memories and dream about the other four islands yet to be explored in Channel Islands National Park.
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