One square mile of island surrounded by kelp and sea lions, with the clearest water in the Channel Islands because nothing…One square mile of island surrounded by kelp and sea lions, with the clearest water in the Channel Islands because nothing muddies it, elephant seals and harbour seals ashore, and the reefs off the cliffs unfished enough to still hold big sheephead. Grazed and farmed disastrously in the early twentieth century, then left alone; the island has been recovering ever since it joined the park in 1980. Its seabird colonies, including Scripps's murrelet, are the reason it is watched so closely. Anchorage: Day anchoring off the landing cove in settled weather only. This is a day trip from a sheltered island, not somewhere to spend a night in doubt. Hazards: Fully exposed, 38 miles offshore, with no shelter if the weather turns. The landing is a ladder onto rock and is often impossible. More