In the 1850s Capt. George Nidever brought sheep, cattle, and horses to San Miguel. An adobe he built may be the earliest structure on any of the Channel Islands. Its remains are barely visible today. In 1930 Herbert and Elizabeth Lester became the Sand's caretakers. The family left the island in 1942 after the suicide of Herbert Lester, who had become known as the "King of San Miguel." From the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s the island was used as a bombing range. Staying on the trail is particularly important on this island because live ordnance is still occasionally uncovered by shifting sands.

For half-day visits to the island, the caliche forest is a popular destination. Once you hike from the beach to the island's top. it is about 5.5-kilometers (3.5-miles) from the ranger station to the caliche forest. Caliche is a mineral sandcasting. As with all park resources, it may not be collected. Take all the pictures you want. The island has been greatly altered by extensive sheep grazing, but you can still see an array of distinctive native plant species. Coreopsis and other flowering plants produce beautiful displays in spring.

If you can spend more time on the island, try to make the 24-kilometer (15-mile) round-trip hike across the island to Point Bennett. With binoculars you may see thousands of breeding seals and sea lions (pinnipeds) from an overlook about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the beach. Depending on the time of the year, the California sea lion, Steller sea lion, northern elephant seal, harbor seal northern fur seal, and the Guadalupe fur seal may be seen at Point Bennett. (All except the Guadalupe fur seal and the Steller sea lion breed on the island.)

Seasoned hikers who make this long, cross-island trip to Point Bennett will never forget seeing one of the world's outstanding wildlife displays.

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