Description

Santa Cruz Island is a little more than 10% National Park and the rest is under the Nature Conservancy. This campground is on the northeastern shore of the island, a flat and easy walk from the landing site. There are 40 sites that are pretty close to each other if the campground is totally full, but hey, the more the merrier-- living on an island is definitely a bonding experience. Campfires are actually allowed here, but only duraflame logs can be burned. There are picnic tables and pit toilets and you’ll have to bring plenty of your own water! Backcountry camping is available here, see the backpacking section under activities.
Campsite area
Tent or RV sites
54 sites
Up to 6 guests per site
Up to 6 vehicles
No wheelchair access
Essentials
Campfires allowed
Toilet available
No pets
Amenities
Potable water available
Picnic table available

Activities

Offered near the campground.

Boating

You can bring your own boat, but it’s highly recommended to go with a park authorized operator and contact park rangers before ...Read more

Fishing

There are some massive fish over here…but if you’re paying to boat over to the Channel Islands, they had better be legendary! T...Read more

Hiking

Trails vary on each island, from flat and maintained in Anacapa Island, to mountainous wilderness in Santa Rosa. Make sure you ...Read more

Paddling

Kayaking the Channel Islands is probably one of the coolest and most exciting things you could do in your life, but be warned t...Read more

Surfing

The best surf is found on Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands, depending on the swell. Currents are variable so make ...Read more

Wildlife watching

There are thousands of species inhabiting these islands thanks to the diverse environments found here. The tidepools house a va...Read more

Terrain

Natural features you'll find at Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground.

Beach
Cave
Forest

14 Reviews

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Drop some Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground knowledge on us.
Hipcamper Bea
Bea L.
recommends this listing.
January 29th, 2019

Put this on your list! It’s untouched California perfection. It’s technically back country camping but there are pit toilets. We saw a blue whale on the way out and there were plenty of foxes to keep us on our toes! We got stuck out here two extra days because of a storm (we were warned and decided to ride it out!) with most people having left on the last boat before the storm it meant we had the island to ourselves for two days!! So worth a night of terrifying winds and rain!

There are tons of gorgeous hikes with views worth a million bucks. And you can swim/snorkel/dive but it’s chilly, I’d recommend a wetsuit even in summer. But I’m also a wimp.

Hipcamper Craig
Craig T.
recommends this listing.
November 15th, 2017

This is a remote island where you will need to pack everything in as well as everything out. One of the things that makes it so beautiful is the remote nature you'll find such as the island fox. Beware of the Ravens, they have learned how to open zippers and unattended bags in parts of the island. If you feel extra adventurous you can explore the coast via kayak. The sea cave tours are incredible, and keep an eye out for seals.

Hipcamper Jack
Jack R.
didn't provide a recommendation.
September 10th, 2017

One of the best trips we have ever taken as a family. An adventurous and informative boat trip to the island is over before you get tired of it. Once on dry land, it's about .5mi to the campsite. When we arrived, squatters were in our site. Fortunately, the ranger was easy to find and they were on the boat out of there in no time.

Lots of fun and semi-challenging hikes around the island and tons of history to be learned. The wildlife is awesome. Just don't let the foxes snag your trail mix!

Our neighbs were a spearfishing couple and brought us a heaping handful of steaming lemony peppery fresh caught/cooked sheephead fish which I will never forget the flavor of

I plan to do some fishing and kayaking next time.

Highly recommended!

Hipcamper Joshua
Joshua D.
recommends this listing.
July 27th, 2017

Upper loop has group sites which can get noisy, but also has three three most secluded non-group sites with incredible views. Toilets were well lit during the day, but though "maintained" by park staff daily, were pretty gross and in desperate need of pumping.

Hipcamper DAVID
David T.
recommends this listing.
July 12th, 2017

Pack a portable little grill

Hipcamper Lucie
Lucie S.
didn't provide a recommendation.
May 31st, 2017

We camped in March and it was INCREDIBLE! We hiked through wildflowers taller than us, saw whales, dolphins, and the cutest baby seal sleeping on the beach. So much life and diversity.

Group sites at the upper loop can be a little windy. Lower loop looked a little more protected.

Securing transportation prior to booking a campsite is not required but recommended. The ferry can sell out and you just want to be sure you can get there before booking a campsite. However, if sites are available it's likely seats on the ferry will be too.

Hipcamper William
William C.
didn't provide a recommendation.
March 15th, 2017

I love camping on Santa Cruz Island. I've camped at both Del Norte, which is a long hike-in site, and the more popular Scorpion multiple times. I've been there in hot summer, stormy winter (we were evacuated 2 days before Christmas during a crazy rain/wind storm), and nice spring time. I'd say winter and spring time are the most beautiful. Hikes are amazing.

The foxes are really cute, but be super careful about leaving ANYTHING out of sight for even a second... my friend put a block of cheese on the picnic table and went back to the 'bear safe' for something else, and in that time a fox had jumped up on the table and ran away with the whole block. At night thousands of them run everywhere around the campsites like a rushing river.

Park
Channel Islands National Park
State
California
Country
United States
Phone Number
805-658-5730
Directions
View on Google Maps
Official Website
View Website
Coordinates
34.049° N, 119.558° W
Unknown price
Tent Only: 25 Sites
(Up to 6 people per site)
Unknown price
Tent / RV / Trailer - Group: 6 Sites
(Up to 15 people per site)
Unknown price
Tent / RV / Trailer: 23 Sites
(Up to 8 people per site)