Santa Cruz Island – Valley Peak 1

Traveled with Island Packers.  If you are looking for a peak to bag on Santa Cruz Island this is a good one. The hike up and back can be done easily between the drop off time and the pick up time of the boat to and from Ventura.  We used Island Packers to book our passage from Ventura Harbor.  The trail takes you 2.9 miles up Navy Road, where you take an abrupt right turn onto Valley Peak Road that follows up and down a ridge for 0.8 miles to the summit, which houses a collection of communication towers.  From the ridge you have views of the ocean on both sides of the island and of distant western peaks on the island.  This is a kid-friendly hike BUT the threat of missing the boat back to Ventura would probably mean forcing the kids into a Death March. I left my 5-year-old twins after about 1 mile (with my wife!) and took my 14 and 16-year-old to the summit.   The trail is completely sun-exposed and given the boat drops you off about 10:30 -11, you are exposed to hot sun for the entire hike.  We got lucky and had a cool day with high clouds and intermittent sun.  CRAZY megapod of dolphins on our way back to Ventura.