Some 12 miles off the Southern California coast near Ventura, the rugged volcanic ridges that form the spine of Anacapa Island, or more precisely its three closely connected islets, thrust upward from the Pacific.

It’s an intimidating and austere environment. This cliff island, part of the Channel islands National Park, has only one small beach reachable only by boat and has barely a nod to any requirements to support habitation.

The 40-foot sea arch rock just offshore serves as both the symbol of the park and a guidepost on approach to East Anacapa.

Visitors ferried by Island Packers Cruises, the concessionaire in charge of transportation to the Channel Islands National Park, must climb a ladder to a series of cliffside staircases to mount the island. The transition from boat to ladder is aided by a small mechanical lift, with visitors timing their movement to match the sea swells.

Ferry service to the island is dependent on tides and weather. Boats do not run to Anacapa every day; mostly, they drop off or pick up returning passengers in a single stop.On days when tides permit, Island Packers runs extra trips to give visitors a chance to explore the island and return home the same day, but in terms of scheduling, those dates are few and need to be booked well in advance.

After landing on East Anacapa, the island’s 1932 lighthouse is nearby and the roundtrip to Inspiration Point on the west of the islet is an easy 1.5 miles.

Other features along the figure-8 trail system include Pinniped Point, where California sea lions can be sighted, and Cathedral Cove which is noted for its beautiful rock formations.

For campers, a primitive experience awaits. Campsites lie in a small valley and include a picnic table, food storage box, pit toilet and nothing else. Fires are not allowed.

On a recent visit, photographer Paul Bersebach and a friend found themselves two of the only three campers staying on the often fog-shrouded Anacapa, with gray and white Western gulls squawking to protect their nesting spots all over the island.

While often noisy and in some cases camping out on food storage boxes, the birds weren’t aggressive.

Anacapa also is home to the largest brown pelican rookery in the United States. Park advisories note the island can be noisy and smelly depending on the bird nesting season, but wildflower displays can be vibrant.

Anacapa has no food, services or water for visitors.