Santa Rosa Island Campground, Channel Islands National Park, CA

Santa Rosa Island Campground is part of Channel Islands National Park in California (about 35 miles from Santa Barbara, CA) with an elevation of 117 feet. There are a total of 15 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, flush toilets. Activities include boating, fishing, hiking trails, floating sports.

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Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (105)

4.8 out of 5

5 star		84%
4 star		12%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		2%

@JiayueM9022484 · Camped on Nov 8, 2024 at Campsite #7

very beautiful place with a lot of fox running around.

@DeborahB541180 · Camped on Nov 8, 2024 at Campsite #9

My favorite place! The campground is beautiful. The facilities are excellent. The boat ride is great.

@Elizabeth20437 · Camped on Oct 20, 2024 at Campsite #3

Saw so many dolphins and whales on the boat ride over! We also lucked out and got perfect weather while we were on the island. Hiking to Carrington Point was definitely a highlight because we got some beautiful views and saw sea lions!

@BevS3595870C81 · Camped on Oct 9, 2024 at Campsite #12

Beautiful island, the hikes/trails were great. Would happily spend more time there. Also the ferry over is great fun, seeing dolphins of all kinds and even orcas!

@HoytT4730198 · Camped on Oct 7, 2024 at Campsite #9

I was there 4 nights and half or more of the sites in the campground were vacant the whole time. I wanted to have two campground spaces but they were not available on recreation.gov, I was lucky to get one. I'm not sure why NPS and Recreation.gov allow this to happen but it has been that way as long as I have been traveling to Channel Islands (4 years).

@AustinP158219C · Camped on Sep 15, 2024 at Campsite #2

Santa Rosa is amazing - the trek from the pier to the campsite is tough - bring a collapsible wagon - but the island is calm and beautiful. I've been 3 times and will go back

@RichardS712869 · Camped on Jun 26, 2024 at Campsite #13

Great experience!

@BrianJ9078626 · Camped on Jun 24, 2024 at Campsite #4

Love camping here. But there are some issues. We stayed from Monday to Friday. The paper towels in the restroom were gone by Wednesday, and neither restroom was serviced during our visit. The toilet paper is worse than the public toilet mega-roll I expected. It was thin, and perhaps more importantly, rather abrasive. My rear was sore by Wednesday, so I switched to my own TP from home. Bring back the shower! I was told it is now a storage closet.

@GeisteVDE441CB · Camped on Jun 14, 2024 at Campsite #4

Beautiful island! Windy as expected but we had a blast with our little friend group. Will be back!

@DoreenE1A9A780 · Camped on Jun 10, 2024 at Campsite #15

My partner and I camped at Santa Rosa Island in mid June for three nights. Island Packers was our transport out and back. Reliable and professional, I recommend this company for boat transport. We always pick up our motion sickness tablets when we check in just to be on the safe side. Sometimes the channel can be rough to cross. Our island campsite (15) was perfect for us. Potable water is available at a sink adjacent to the restroom building(yes, there are two flush toilets!) and dispersed facets at the campground. The quality of the water taste and smell seems to have improved since drought years. The weather was foggy in the am burning off by midday. We didn't experience high winds at all. The island can be VERY windy. There was a lot of water running in Water Canyon creek, enough to fill small pools to cool off in at the end of the day! The Cherry Canyon trail was going off with lupine, poppy, paintbrush, campion, gentian, California buttercup and many others! The bluffs at the top of CCT provide a picnic table for a lunch stop and nice panoramic views. Torrey Pines trail was equally impressive with wildflower. The stand-outs being Clarkia, California buttercup, Dudleya, wolly sunflower and the beautiful Fairy Lantern, to name a few. Given its elevation, on a clear day the Torrey Pines trail will reward hikers with expansive views of the coast and Santa Cruz Island. We did have fox visitors sniffing around the campsite every day in the early evening like clockwork and noted that they were looking for easy food and marking trails. I was sad to see folks leaving food out at their campsites. It's better for all if the fox hunt and eat naturally. The island offers something for birders too, both inland and at the beach. Aside from plant and animal life in abundance, Santa Rosa Island is rich in geological wonder. It is such a privilege to spend time exploring this extraordinary place. Each year I return and fall in love again.

@justinhEFD9EFA · Camped on May 27, 2024 at Campsite #14

Beautiful island, lots of great hiking. Lobo Canyon and the Torrey Pines were gorgeous. NPS staff was friendly and informative. Bathrooms were clean and are legit flushable toilets, not pits like most NP bathrooms. Island Packers also does a great job and run a tight ship!

@NicoleD9B67573 · Camped on May 22, 2024 at Campsite #15

I love to camp out at Santa Rosa Island. Amazing hikes, and gorgeous beaches. Always see tons of island foxes and birds. Highly recommend the hike to Lobo Canyon or to East Point if you are into long hikes!

@CandaceL914546 · Camped on May 17, 2024 at Campsite #4

I always love getting out to the Channel Islands, and Santa Rosa Island is one of my favorites to camp on. The island itself is fairly remote, and it feels like it. The boat trip there and back is always beautiful, no matter the weather, and you're *almost* guaranteed to see some form of sea life! The bathroom facilities at the campsite are great, and the wind shelters help keep you surprisingly warm at night. Going in May, we had mild weather and little to no bugs. Most hiking trails are fantastic - my group and I ended taking an unmaintained connector road and the foxtails were deeply embedded in our socks - would recommend staying on the main trails, marked well on the maps :)

@RyanH4459660 · Camped on May 13, 2024 at Campsite #14

My third time camping at Santa Rosa. Always wonderful.

@HeatherD420628 · Camped on May 3, 2024 at Campsite #7

The island is fabulous in the spring for the greenery and flowers. Highly recommend staying here. Would not recommend a day trip because the boat ride is 4 hours one way and there is only 2-3 hours on the island to explore.

@CelinaW2922163 · Camped on Apr 7, 2024 at Campsite #10

Santa Rosa Island was an incredible experience. Wild flowers were in full bloom, we got to see foxes and even a couple whales on the ferry. Beaches were pristine. Prepare for wind this time of year. We had a day and a half of no wind and got to enjoy the sun on the beach. Campsite is clean and has running water and flushable toilets. Be prepared for a remote experience. Park Rangers housing is a bit away from campsite so you are likely to not see them.

@LeoS8439359366 · Camped on Apr 7, 2024 at Campsite #5

A great trip. Facilities were excellent. Day hikes were interesting. My buddy and I did a three night stay.

@RachelC2171796 · Camped on Apr 1, 2024 at Campsite #4

Great trip! Water Campground reached 30+ mph winds at night, but the windbreaks were helpful. Potable water and flush toilets reduced weight on the 1.5 mi hike from the pier to the campground. Other amenities including picnic tables and bear/fox boxes made for a good experience. Short walk to the beach, with longer hikes accessible from the campground and along coastal road. Park rangers, campers, and day users were friendly.

@JohnB8383631 · Camped on Mar 29, 2024 at Campsite #6

Santa Rosa Island at Easter 2024 was wonderful. The rains held off until evening. The wildlife, when you have time for long day hikes, is outstanding. The emptiness and space and history..

@ArnoldZ7B92B2A · Camped on Mar 8, 2024 at Campsite #8

Best restroom I've ever seen in a national park. Also the Island looks like a meadow out of heaven.

@LindaF9023379 · Camped on Mar 3, 2024 at Campsite #12

We love Santa Rosa Island and have been going there for years now. It is wondrous to see the recovery of the island, especially the vegetation and foxes.

@KarenD6822172 · Camped on Nov 17, 2023 at Campsite #2

Loved the isolation and the wildlife, will definitely go back.

@CAREYH18098DDB · Camped on Nov 6, 2023 at Campsite #11

Wonderful, well-maintained campsite with a variety of trailheads accessible from camp.

@DustinH7713849 · Camped on Nov 5, 2023 at Campsite #10

Facilities were top notch and well maintained, especially for a remote island! Easy access to water at several spots in the campground and the bathrooms were well cared for. Wind shelters provided a nice break when the gusts came through. Food storage "fox boxes" are a little small for more than 2 people in a site, so work to consolidate food and minimize trash.

@AlijahSB15F3C0 · Camped on Oct 23, 2023 at Campsite #4

Island packers were very helpful, the views were beautiful, it does get pretty windy at night. No showers but very well kept bathrooms, also Torrey pines is a must.

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