East Anacapa Surface

The surface of East Anacapa Island is level and treeless. The plateau lies at about 200 feet above the sea, with the highest point about 250 feet.

The surface of East Anacapa Island is about 1.1 square miles total. It is mostly flat out to the edges of precipitous cliffs above the sea. It feels very much like an island, as the sea is never far away or out of sight there.

Below, parts of the northern section of the island can be seen, with West Anacapa Island and Santa Cruz Island (in the distance) visible. Sheep ranching took place on the island 1848-1937, a practice which was very hard on native vegetation.

It is unlikely that the Chumash Indians lived permanently on East Anacapa Island, as there is no source of fresh water anywhere on the island. Even today visitors to the park must bring their own water. However, there is evidence that these people occupied the island on a seasonal basis and hunted there.

There are some very impressive views of the island's coastline and the Santa Barbara Channel from the surface of the island.

The picture below shows the lighthouse and buildings on the eastern portion of the island, along with the present vegetation growing there.

There is a small picnic area and campground on East Anacapa Island surface, which can be seen in the picture below.

A section of the north coast of East Anacapa Island, along with Middle and West Anacapa Island, are visible below.

The main growing season on East Anacapa Island is the winter. That is when the rainstorms fall on the island. Somewhere between 8 and 14 inches of rain fall per year on the island. Much of the island's vegetation is dormant between May and November. The picture below was taken during that period, in midsummer early in August.

This picture of ice plant along the cliffs of the island was taken in November, showing the plants in bloom.

The surf crashing against the cliffs of the island is a beautiful sight.

A section of the south coast of the island is shown in this photograph. This shows just how steep the cliffs on the edge of the island are.

This is another shot of a rock along the coast of East Anacapa.