Channel Islands

Matt recently traded the mainland for open water, heading out to Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands to explore one of California’s most spectacular hidden gems: Painted Cave.

Carved into the island’s rugged northwest coastline, Painted Cave stretches nearly a quarter mile into the cliffs, making it the largest sea cave in California and one of the largest and deepest in the world. Its name comes from the naturally vibrant colors created by different rock types, lichens and algae—and from the water, the scale of it is pretty incredible.

And the cave is just one small piece of what makes the Channel Islands so special. Often called the “Galápagos of North America,” these islands are home to wildlife found nowhere else, dramatic cliffs, kelp forests, secluded beaches and more than 150 species found nowhere else on Earth.

Just off our Southern California coast, but feeling worlds away, the Channel Islands are a reminder that some of California’s best adventures are hiding in plain sight.