Anacapa Island Campground, Channel Islands National Park, CA

Anacapa Island Campground is part of Channel Islands National Park in California (about 16 miles from Oxnard, CA) with an elevation of 204 feet. There are a total of 7 campsites which are all tent-only sites. The campground is open all year. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. There is a fee of $15.00 per night. Some amenities include swimming. Activities include boating, fishing, hiking trails, floating sports.

Make a Reservation

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (42)

4.3 out of 5

5 star		67%
4 star		19%
3 star		2%
2 star		2%
1 star		10%

@LakshayGC2EA9E · Camped on Aug 31, 2024 at Campsite #4

Our experience on the island was very good. We landed around 10:30 and did the guided hike with the ranger till inspiration pt. His info is same as the trial booklet provided there so it can be done at your own pace. Next we snorkeled in the kelp forest in landing cove 2-3pm, this was a nice small activity. 30min to see the kelps and some fish, water wasn't that bad on, but I would recommend to do this while the sun is still on this part of the island, We heard it got a little choppy for people who did it later. Basically we had seen all till 3:30pm except for the lighthouse, which we did the next day. Campsites where pretty good, and clean restroom. A lot of birds come to the island in the evening after sunset. In the nights the birds will not stop making noise, you need to be prepared for it, we were, but still had trouble adjusting. In all its a really nice experience, this is the iconic island which you will see when you search Channel Island, just be prepared for the birds, as its you visiting their home.

@KentW8A072FCB7 · Camped on Aug 26, 2024 at Campsite #6

If you dont bring a kayak, everything can be seen in one day. If you do bring a kayak(I highly recomend) you could easily spend a whoke day kayaking around the island and seeing the caves and sea lions. At night time, the birds dont really quiet down but you get used to the sound quick so its not too bad.

@KevinB3052996 · Camped on Jun 29, 2024 at Campsite #1

It's nesting season for the seagulls this time of year, if you are wondering why there are sites available during peak season, it's because the island is covered in thousands of defensive seagulls feeding and defending their young offspring, yes the chicks are very cute and its a unique experience, but the loud 24 hour nonstop squawking will test your sanity if you decide to camp overnight. If you hike the trails, you will likely be swooped and pooped on. Literally every camper that stayed overnight was on their phone the following morning booking an earlier boat ride out of there! Inspiration point is beautiful, you can see and hear seals in some of the coves at a couple lookouts, I did spot a couple falcons flying along with pelicans and a few other birds, you can't get very close to the lighthouse (trail roped off a distance away) and there is only about two miles of total trail on the island. Campsite tables and Food Boxes are covered in seagull droppings, wind can kick up pretty good at times in the evening, if you have a sensitive nose you can smell seagull everywhere, the vault toilet restrooms .. I'll give them some credit were actually nice with provided hand sanitizer and a highlight of the adventure haha. MY ADVICE, BOOK A DAY TRIP FOR A FEW HOURS DURING NESTING SEASON OR A SEACAVE KAYAK TOUR, DON'T STAY OVER NIGHT THIS TIME OF YEAR, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU, UNLESS YOU WANT TO PLAY A CRUEL TRICK ON A FRIEND HAHA!

@JianqiangF1751 · Camped on May 27, 2024 at Campsite #5

Absolutely amazing! Love the gulls on the island!

@JoanneM3777681 · Camped on Oct 14, 2023 at Campsite #1

Camped in mid October, had great weather, and was outside of seagull nesting season. Lighthouse is audible 24/7, light sleepers will benefit from earplugs. Lots of opportunities to enjoy and experience wildlife and being in the wild, especially at night when all the day trippers have gone. Facilities were very well kept.

@JordanT7350849 · Camped on Aug 11, 2023 at Campsite #7

Anacapa Island was great to explore for a couple days. Obviously there are tradeoffs, but well worth the time there. The views are beautiful, the campsites are good, and you can get a lot of time to yourself with how few people are around. Obviously the birds make a lot of noise (I recommend headphones / music for sleeping) and there is very little cover from the sun, but if you prepare, you will be good!

@RohanN7913487 · Camped on Aug 10, 2023 at Campsite #7

Beautiful island and excellent campground for an overnight stay. Swimming at the landing is a phenomenal way to enjoy the marine environment and hiking all of Anacapa is no problem. If you're staying during the Western Gull mating season (we did) the birds are definitely vocal. All day and night. Kind of incredible and mind-numbing at the same time. Amazing place.

@JavierC140D0D1 · Camped on Aug 5, 2023 at Campsite #6

Our camping experience in Anacapa island was wonderful and unique, we were lucky enough to have the island all by ourselves during our stay, and we could explore the whole island undisturbed once the day trippers left around 3 PM, the ranger was super nice and knowledgeable, the restrooms were one of the cleanest we've been in all the NPS system, the island felt small and cozy, unbeatable vistas all around.During our stay we shared the island with 9,999,999 seagulls, they were very territorial between them, so much so that the would kill between them, but they never bothered us a bit, never tried to snatch our food or didn't even came close to the trash bags, but please make sure to always keep food in lockers, at night little deer mice will come and check if you had any leftovers, so don't leave anything outside.In short, great experience, so close to mainland yet so different, will definitely recommend.

@HELIOF0BAF4287 · Camped on Jul 30, 2023 at Campsite #6

You have to know that you will sleep into a bird loft. There is thousand of bird everywhere, you are into their habitat. They crie all the day and night. It smells a lot.Very hot and there is no shade. Of course no water !The ferry (168$ !) will drop you off at 11am, and take you up the next day at 3:30 pm. Thus you will spend like two days here. Fog on the morning, perhaps in the afternoon. The sunset is amazing.Just ask yourself whether all of this worth it for the sunset.

@HarishM3E6A239 · Camped on Jul 28, 2023 at Campsite #4

A wonderful experience! I was sad to leave the island and all the birds when returning. It feels like a magical place especially after the day hikers leave the island in the evening. The sunsets are just the most beautiful I've probably seen in my life, especially at Inspiration point (which is probably the most beautiful viewpoint in all of California or the US). The ranger on the island was super helpful and nice to us as well.

@TessaH47DA4D1A · Camped on Jul 23, 2023 at Campsite #2

This island was just full of birds. Loud loud birds. No wonder this was the only island with last minute availability lol. Theyve nicknamed this island Bird Island and I now understand why. There is no shade, its HOT, the constant breeze is nice though. The site was fine but Id choose farther away from the bathroom because when the breeze changed direction we would get whiffs of the pit toilets.. It was a neat experience but to be honest I wish we had gone to a different island instead.

@AndrewR3887527 · Camped on May 26, 2023 at Campsite #2

We had the entire island to ourselves! (if you don't count the 100,000 nesting seagulls)... A totally unique experience with great views and beautiful kelp forest snorkeling in the cove. Highly recommend for a 1-night trip (not really enough to do/see to justify a longer stay), and don't bring too much crap with you (campsite is a good schlep from the dock).

@Anastasii47655 · Camped on Apr 8, 2023 at Campsite #1

What an experience! We’ve camped on the island for 1 night in the beginning of April and it was amazing! The island is tiny, so don’t expect a lot of hiking but it looks like this island has the most beautiful views among Channel Islands. And with camping you get to see the epic sunset at Inspiration point. April seems like a good month to camp here. The island is all green and blooming and seagulls are just staring to arrive, so it’s not too many. If you hate seagulls and have trouble sleeping, you may consider a day trip though or camping not during April-August(seagulls breeding season) since the birds a are loud and that stay loud 24/7. You can also bring kayak here like we did, but you will have to lower it from the deck using ropes and must be very careful with the cliffs. Read instructions carefully and make sure you know what you are doing! The hardest thing is that you also have to make sure there is a ferry to bring you to and from the island for the night you decide to camp. Overall, we enjoyed our trip and I would say this is a beginner camper friendly experience, since you don’t have to carry your gear too far from, just need to make sure you have everything with you since you are to be all alone on the island with no water.

@ChrisP7014555 · Camped on Dec 17, 2022 at Campsite #5

Great views, lots of birds and seals, nice fellow campers, helpful ranger orientation. A fun time! The trails are pretty limited, but I revisited the cool spots many times. The fog horn was broken, so I got lots of sleep. I highly recommend the experience. I wouldn't go for more than one night because I need more space to roam. A more meditative soul, however, might really enjoy the solitude and views for longer.

@YevgeniyP69708 · Camped on Dec 6, 2021 at Campsite #6

Loved my trip, was very peaceful.

@YevgeniyP920 · Camped on Dec 6, 2021 at Campsite #6

Loved my trip, was very peaceful.

@LilianaS356 · Camped on Oct 31, 2021 at Campsite #2

nice clean quiet a unique experience I recommend

@LilianaS554934 · Camped on Oct 31, 2021 at Campsite #2

nice clean quiet a unique experience I recommend

@RebeccaH696815 · Camped on Aug 29, 2021 at Campsite #2

It was definitely a memorable experience! There was a hiccup in the transportation getting out to the island, but Island Packers handled it wonderfully. All of the people involved with our trip were excellent, 5 stars. We saw a pod of Common Dolphins and a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins on the way out it was a joy to watch them race along side the boat and the Bottlenoses leaped out of the water in a spectacular display. The weather was awesome, the pit toilets were clean, the campsite was in great condition, the views were gorgeous. We know it is a bird nesting site so we planned our trip at the end of summer after the nesting season was over. However, we were still surprised at the shear volume of bird feathers, bones, carcasses and droppings. There is a LOT!! If you live near the coast and have ever noticed the seagulls in the evening as they head out to sea and wondered to yourself where they all go... they ALL go to Anacapa!!! In the evening hundreds of birds came to rest in and around our campsite and they made a heck of a racket All. Night. Long. I suggest you bring earplugs. Also, do not bring your summer tent, solid tent walls are advised. Our tent is all mesh and the wind blew all the dust up under the rainfly where only the finest grains made their way through the mesh and into the tent covering everything with a fine powdery, bird poop filled layer. Wind-whipping, birds screaming, dust settling we did not sleep well. All that being said, I am really glad we camped a night on Anacapa it was a very different experience from all the other places we've camped from Mt. Rainier to Joshua Tree and I don't ever need to camp there again! LOL!

@RichelM9667082 · Camped on Aug 29, 2021 at Campsite #6

A more secluded camping experience for Channel Islands. I specifically picked this for that reason. Sunset was gorgeous. Be prepared for any weather. If birds annoy you, this island isn’t for you. You will literally be camping next to them especially at night. Foghorn runs all day. Bring ear plugs if that bothers you. Overnight camping is more than enough to explore. If you’re an experienced kayaker, I highly recommend it.

@RichelM662 · Camped on Aug 29, 2021 at Campsite #6

@RebeccaH698 · Camped on Aug 29, 2021 at Campsite #2

@MitchellM529 · Camped on Aug 26, 2021 at Campsite #1

Go here.

@MitchellM47055 · Camped on Aug 26, 2021 at Campsite #1

Go here.

@TrentonB404410 · Camped on Aug 22, 2021 at Campsite #4

The birds were very loud and never stopped, the staff and scenery were great though

See other campgrounds near Ventura, CA with availability Tonight
See other campgrounds near Ventura, CA with availability This Weekend

Other Campgrounds Nearby

We track all the sites so you don't have to.

Reservation Systems

Campsites Tracking

Campsite Reviews

Available Tonight

Available this Weekend

Cancellations Today

PRO $2.50/month

You're in Control. We never save credit card information or auto-renew subscriptions.

Availability Map Search
3000+ Interactive Campground Maps
Campground Virtual Tours
Save Your Favorite Campsites
Favorite Campsites Availability
Campground Mobile Speed Test Maps
National Parks, Forests & Ranger District Layers
Wildfires & Air Quality Map Layer
Satellite View Map Layer
Campsite SMS Cancellation Alerts
Rent your Property & Cabins
Love's & Super Walmart Map Layers
Cracker Barrel & Bass Pro Shop Map Layers
Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) Layer
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Map Layer
RV Propane, Parking, Dump, Water Map Layer

Pro is FREE for 7 days. (No credit card information required!)

Thanks to all our Supporting Members

@BranJen - Santa Clara, CA

I wanted to thank you for this site and especially for the notifications feature. Thanks to your site and my subscription I was able to book a campsite I've been annoyingly trying to book for 5 years unsuccessfully. So thank you.

@Wondering - Oregon

Wow! Woke up this morning to a notification that a favorite had opened at Paulina, and when I went to check, it was there. This membership just paid for itself in the first 24 hours I owned it. Couldn't take the site it conflicted with a trip already set, but it truly was there. Thanks Tons.

@CarlaLThompson - Colorado

I just love this site and I tell everyone about it! It's so competitive to secure desired campsites and the alerts really help track when sites free up. The best part of this story is our alert notified a cancellation the next day!!!!!! Just incredible!!!