Santa Cruz is the biggest island in Channel Islands National Park and the best for your first visit I think. It's one of the cheapest to get to and one of the most dynamic for lots of hiking and the campground has potable water which is not available on all the islands. I stayed three days and that was enough time to do almost all the day hikes available from the campground (ill post each hike I did) but you can also backpack 13miles across the island to the backcountry del Norte campground (gotta lug all your water though!). This island is so amazing and so dynamic it's amazing the different environments on an island. And the wildlife is outstanding. The island fox is found no where else on earth and they are abundant guaranteed siting. You can look for whales and sea lions from the huge coastal bluffs. I wanted to cry out of wonder more times than I ever have in my life. You can also kayak through sea caves and snorkel through kelp forests too!e #hiking #extreme #camping