Notable Campgrounds
- Best for families: The biggest campground in the park, Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground offers easy access to swimming areas, plus pit toilets and picnic tables.
- Best for coastal views: Snug Anacapa Island Campground offers seven sites with picnic tables, as well as fantastic views out over the Pacific Ocean.
- Best for avoiding the masses: Getting to Santa Barbara Island Campground requires a mile-long uphill hike, so you won’t get many crowds.
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
- Camping is available year-round, with one campground per island, plus a handful of backcountry sites (on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands).
- Campsites can be booked on the National Park Service website. Reservations open at 7am PT, six months in advance. If visiting in summer, you’ll want to wake up early to secure your spot.
- Boat transportation tends to fill up faster than the island’s campgrounds do. You'll therefore need to secure transportation before booking your campsite. Book early to avoid disappointment.
When to Go
The park is at its busiest during the summer months, though the weather is good enough for swimming through early fall. The autumn months are great for wildlife fans, with an increase in migratory birds and elephant seals in the area. Gray whales begin to make their way past the islands in late December and continue to do so until April, while wildflower season starts later in winter and continues until early spring.
Know Before You Go
- Getting to the park requires taking an Island Packers boat from Ventura or Oxnard.
- Fires are never permitted at the park, no matter what time of year you visit. Gas stoves are allowed.
- Campers are required to store food and trash in special storage boxes or in coolers. If you’re staying at Scorpion Campground on Santa Cruz Island, it’s important to be extra careful with your food and trash, as local ravens and foxes have figured out how to open zippers.
- Ticks are an issue on the islands, so be sure to carry adequate insect protection.
Channel Islands National Park
Set sail for one of the five wildlife-filled islands that make up this offshore park.
Comprising five islands off the coast of Southern California, Channel Islands National Park offers a fantastic mix of quiet beaches and scenic hiking opportunities, with a handful of campgrounds. It's a fantastic spot for wildlife lovers thanks to a variety of species that can't be found elsewhere on earth, including a wide variety of marine creatures and shorebirds, plus two subspecies of island foxes. Getting here requires taking a boat from the mainland and service is limited, but if you’re able to plan ahead and get a reservation, you’ll be rewarded with a quiet getaway and unbeatable landscapes.
Comprising five islands off the coast of Southern California, Channel Islands National Park offers a fantastic mix of quiet beaches and scenic hiking opportunities, with a handful of campgrounds. It's a fantastic spot for wildlife lovers thanks to a variety of species that can't be found elsewhere on earth, including a wide variety of marine creatures and shorebirds, plus two subspecies of island foxes. Getting here requires taking a boat from the mainland and service is limited, but if you’re able to plan ahead and get a reservation, you’ll be rewarded with a quiet getaway and unbeatable landscapes.
Activities in the park
5 campgrounds in Channel Islands National Park
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 Read more...
Anacapa Island is the island closest to the coast. The Anacapa Campground is on the eastern side of the island, up a good number of stairs a half mile away from the visitor’s center. There are seven campsites with picnic tables and pit toilets, but be sure to bring your own water and pack all of your trash in and out. Read more...
This plateau campground is one mile uphill from Cuyler Harbor, so you’ll have to bring all your gear up. The view from above makes it worth the trek. There are 9 sites with picnic tables, pit toilets and a windbreak (it can be pretty windy here-- dress warmly). Bring your own water and pack all your trash in and out! What with all of the beach a Read more...
This island is located some distance between the other national park Channel Islands and the non-park islands, a tiny one-square mile island. The campground is on the central leeward coast, where you have to bring your gear one mile uphill from Landing Cove. Bring your own water, sunscreen and layers, pack all your trash in and out, and be prepare Read more...
Santa Rosa is the second largest island in all of California and features a high mountain range amazing wildlife, and the incredible Painted Cave, a large western sea cave. You can do some backcountry camping here as well as stay at the Water Canyon campground. Lucky for you, there is running water and bathrooms! It can be pretty windy here, but t Read more...
Why can't I see these campgrounds when I search with dates?
Notable Campgrounds
Notable Campgrounds
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
When to Go
The park is at its busiest during the summer months, though the weather is good enough for swimming through early fall. The autumn months are great for wildlife fans, with an increase in migratory birds and elephant seals in the area. Gray whales begin to make their way past the islands in late December and continue to do so until April, while wildflower season starts later in winter and continues until early spring.
Know Before You Go
Public campgrounds (book externally) —