The park is known for its unique and diverse ecosystems, including beaches, cliffs, kelp forests, and maritime caves. It includes Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara islands. The Channel Islands National Park is a collection of five islands off the coast of Southern California. Potato Harbor, Santa Cruz, Channel Islands National Park. The park also provides opportunities for visitors to experience the rich cultural and natural history of the Channel Islands, including hiking, camping, kayaking, and wildlife watching. The park is home to a wide range of plant and animal species, including the island fox, the spotted skunk, and the bald eagle, as well as many rare and endangered species. Today, Channel Islands National Park encompasses over 249,000 acres of land and sea, including a variety of habitats, from rocky cliffs and sandy beaches to deep-sea canyons and kelp forests. Channel Islands National Park | Courtesy of NPS In the mid-20th century, concerns about the preservation of the islands led to the creation of a national park to protect their unique resources. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Channel Islands were used for agriculture, ranching, and military purposes, and many of the native species and ecosystems were impacted by human activity. They used the resources of the islands to sustain themselves and developed a complex society with unique traditions, arts, and beliefs. The Chumash people, who have lived on the Channel Islands for thousands of years, have a rich cultural history that is tied to the land and sea. The park was established in 1980 to protect the unique natural and cultural resources of the islands, which are home to a diverse range of plant and animal species, including many that are found nowhere else in the world. There are four travel options.Ĭhannel Islands National Park is located off the coast of California, encompassing five of the eight Channel Islands.

Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Long Beach?ĭistance From Long Beach: It’s 104 miles from Long Beach to the Channel Islands National Park.

Sunset from Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California. Now let’s go ahead and share those 7+ reasons why you’ll want to make that day’s drive from Long Beach to one of these amazing places. We get asked that question a lot because there’s a difference between a “national park” and a “national park site.” To help you understand that difference you might want to check out our article titled: What Is A National Park Really?

Aerial panoramic view of the Long Beach coastline, harbor, skyline and Marina in Long Beach with Palm Trees. Long Beach is a great place to live on the Pacific Coast and offers plenty of community events, convenient access to beaches, incredible entertainment, and more.Īnd it’s home to some amazing national parks which are within a day’s drive (or less) of the city. And now I’m sharing the stories of these incredible places with you.

Did I mention that I taught history? I spent a lifetime teaching about the history behind these momentous sites. I’ve been to so many of these amazing places since retiring from teaching in 2018. In this article, we’ll familiarize you with the incredible national parks that are within a day’s drive of downtown Long Beach. There’s so much more to the great state of California than the Queen Mary.

Long Beach, California | National Parks Near Long BeachĪrticle Summary: National Parks Near Long Beach

Parks with beautiful scenery near me