San Miguel Island

San Miguel Island, also called Tuqan by the Chumash, is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands. It lies across the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean and is part of Santa Barbara County, California. The island covers 9,325 acres and stretches 8 miles long and 3.7 miles wide, including small nearby islands like Prince Island.

Owned by the United States Department of the Navy, San Miguel Island is mostly protected within Channel Islands National Park. A large part of the island is an archaeological district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Because it is far from shore, the island often faces strong winds and tough weather from the open ocean.

The waters around San Miguel Island are cold and full of nutrients, which helps many kinds of sea creatures live there. These waters hold sea life not found on the islands closer to shore. San Miguel Island has no permanent residents, and its highest point, San Miguel Hill, rises to 831 feet above sea level.

Visitors can reach San Miguel Island by ferry from the Ventura Harbor through the Island Packers service. The island offers a special place to learn about nature and history.

History

Long ago, birds called puffins lived on San Miguel Island. Scientists found old bones showing that big mice and tiny mammoths also lived there a long time ago.

People first lived on San Miguel Island about 13,000 years ago. These early people, known as the Chumash, were good at fishing and hunting. They used special boats called tomols to travel around the island. The Chumash called the island Tuqan.

In 2005, people found very old bones on the island. These bones belonged to a person who lived between 9,800 and 10,200 years ago. Scientists studied the bones before giving them back to the Chumash people for care.

When Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo visited the island in 1542, he found two Chumash villages. Later, ranchers raised sheep there until 1948. During World War II, the United States Navy used the island for practice. Today, the National Park Service helps people visit the island.

Park Service operations

The National Park Service takes care of San Miguel Island. They have two spots to land airplanes, a station for park rangers, and a place for research. A park ranger often lives there to help visitors and make sure everyone follows the rules. Scientists also come to study sea animals and help island foxes grow in number. Sometimes, volunteers help when there isn’t enough money to pay rangers all the time.

Fauna

In July 2011, scientists found that a group of California common murres had come back to Prince Island, a small island near San Miguel Island, for the first time since 1912. These birds can "fly" underwater with their wings and also fly in the air. This group had disappeared long ago, but now they are back.

In the 1960s, northern fur seals started living on San Miguel Island again. The first seals had tags showing they came from the Pribilof or Commander Islands in the Bering Sea. Today, there are about 10,000 seals on the island. Great white sharks are often seen in the waters around the island.

Climate

San Miguel Island has strong winds from the northwest most of the time. These winds often blow faster than 25 mph and can get even stronger. Heavy fog is common, especially in May and June, and it can keep temperatures low. The island gets about 17 inches of rain each year, mostly from November to March.

Tourism

In May 2016, the island reopened for visitors after the U.S. Navy made sure it was safe. Visitors are guided and must stay on certain paths. They need to sign a permit before visiting, which can be obtained at specific offices or a station near the trail.

Travel to the island is provided by special companies, and there are no cars or buses—visitors walk, use private boats, or kayaks to get there.

Landing can be tricky because there are big waves and no pier. Visitors usually arrive in small boats at Cuyler Harbor.

The island has a campground with ten spots, each with a table and a special box to keep food safe from animals. Fires are not allowed because of strong winds, and sturdy tents are needed to stay safe.

Hiking is mostly only allowed with a guide, but many people enjoy a long walk to see elephant seals and sea lions.

Visitors can go into the water only at Cuyler Harbor, which is protected from big waves. The water is very cold, so warm gear is needed. There are tide pools to explore during low tides.

In popular culture

Some parts of the 1935 movie Mutiny on the Bounty were filmed on San Miguel Island. A magazine called LIFE showed pictures of a family who lived there in the 1930s. In 2012, a book named San Miguel by T. C. Boyle told a made-up story about people who lived on the island.