Channel Islands National Park

In general, the islands have a Mediterranean climate year-round. Temperatures are relatively stable, with highs averaging in the mid-60s and lows in the low-50s.

No entrance fees to visit the park.

A reservation fee is charged for camping on the islands.

Channel Islands National Park provides a delightful break from the congestion and clamor of urban life. The islands are ideal for quiet, uninterrupted time with family and friends—wonderful places to hike, camp, snorkel, kayak, birdwatch, take photographs, sketch, or just relax to the soothing sounds of the natural world.

Consider the following activities if you have:

One Hour
Stop by one of our visitor centers in Ventura or Santa Barbara.

Half Day
Take a half-day non-landing boat tour around Anacapa or a half-day, express boat trip to Anacapa or Santa Cruz Islands via Island Packers. During gray whale season (December through April), take a half-day whale watch trip out of Ventura, Oxnard, or Santa Barbara Harbors.

Full Day
Take a day trip to any of the park islands via our park concessionaires. During blue whale season (Spring through Summer), take an all day whale watch trip out of Ventura or Santa Barbara Harbors.

Camping is available year-round on all five islands in Channel Islands National Park in National Park Service-managed campgrounds. There is currently one established campground on each island:

• Above the landing cove on Santa Barbara Island
• On the east islet of Anacapa Island
• At Scorpion Ranch on Santa Cruz Island
• At Water Canyon on Santa Rosa Island
• Above Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel

No camping is allowed on The Nature Conservancy’s western 76% of Santa Cruz Island. Limited backcountry camping is available on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands. Please refer to the Backcountry Camping section for more information.

Camping Transportation
Because concession boats fill to capacity much faster than campground limits are met, campers must first secure transportation for an overnight trip to Channel Islands National Park. Visit Island Transportation for more information on park concessionaire boat and plane transportation.

Camping Reservations
Advanced camping reservations are required for all of the campgrounds. There are no entrance fees to visit the park. However, a reservation fee is charged for camping on the islands. The $15.00 per night-per site fee includes both the National Park Service fee that supports the operation and maintenance of the campgrounds and the reservation fee charged by the contractor that manages the National Reservation Service.

Reservations can be made no more than five months in advance. Information required for the reservations includes: camping dates, transportation information, and number of campers. Reservations can be made by calling (877) 444-6777 or through the National Recreation Reservation Service. A confirmation notice will be mailed to campers. This notice needs to be presented to the island ranger upon arrival.

Campground Facilities
All campgrounds are located away from the boat landing areas. Visitors must carry all their gear to the campgrounds. No on-island transportation is provided. Please see the table below for more information on campground distances from landings.

Camping conditions are primitive, and users must camp within designated areas. All campgrounds are equipped with picnic tables and pit toilets. Water is not available at campgrounds and must be brought with you except at the Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island campgrounds. No trash containers are provided; campers must pack out their own trash.

Outer island campgrounds (San Miguel and Santa Rosa) have wind breaks for each campsite. Campsites are generally located close to one another.

No fires are permitted. Use only enclosed, gas camp stoves.

Since the mice do carry hantavirus, some basic precautions should be taken: do not feed any wild animals; keep food and drink in rodent-proof containers; and prevent entry of mice into your tent by keeping it zipped up at all times. Click here for more information on hantavirus.

Due to scavenging animals (including birds), campers are required to store all food and trash in animal- and bird-proof containers. National Park Service food storage boxes are provided at campsites, but coolers, plastic Rubbermaid-type boxes or other types of containers with sealing lids may be used as well. On Santa Cruz Island, further precautions are needed due to scavenging pigs: 1) do not store any food or trash in tents; 2) if not using food storage boxes, secure pig-proof containers to picnic tables or trees with straps or rope or place food and trash in duffle bags and/or backpacks and hang from trees.

Weather
Campers should be prepared for a variety of weather conditions, especially on the outer islands. Thirty-knot winds are not uncommon on Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands. Sturdy, low-profile tents, stakes, and line for securing tents to ground, table, or wind shelters are recommended.

Fog can occur on the islands during any season producing cool, damp conditions.

All of the campgrounds, except eastern Santa Cruz, are located away from trees and shade. Overexposure to the wind and sun can be a serious problem.

Visitors are advised to bring supplies for an extra day in case boats are unable to pick up campers due to sea conditions.

Suggested Camping Gear
Campers must be prepared for the primitive campground facilities and weather conditions. Supplies and gear are not available on the islands. Gear must be transported up ladders at most landing areas, and carried some distance to the campgrounds.

Packing your gear in backpacks, duffle bags, and containers with handles makes transportation easier. The boat concessionaire requires that items weigh no more than 45 pounds each.

On some islands, visitors may get wet during loading and off-loading, so waterproof your gear. An extra pair of shoes packed in waterproof material is recommended.

Campers should plan to layer clothing, as weather conditions tend to change from cool and damp in the mornings to bright, warm, and windy during the afternoons. Clothing that protects against wind is advisable year-round. Hiking boots are recommended for most island trails.

Picnic tables are available for day use on all islands except San Miguel. If weather permits, many visitors enjoy picnicking on the islands’ beaches. Visitors must bring their own food and water (potable water is available at the Scorpion Canyon Campground on Santa Cruz Island and the Water Canyon Campground on Santa Rosa Island). Public pit toilets are available on all islands.

Due to scavenging animals (including birds), please secure food and trash at all times.

Many trails and roads traverse the islands, providing visitors with spectacular hiking opportunities. These trails and roads range from the maintained, relatively flat, signed trails of Anacapa to the unmaintained, rugged, mountainous, unsigned paths of Santa Rosa.

Hikers need to assume individual responsibility for planning their trips and hiking safely. To increase your odds of a safe hike, decrease your disturbance to wildlife, and lessen damage to resources, visitors should be in good physical condition and must follow the regulations and guidelines in Laws and Policies and Limiting Your Impact as well as those listed below:

• Stay on trails and roads while hiking—avoid animal trails which are narrow, uneven, unstable and dangerous.
• Cliff edges should be avoided at all times since they tend to be crumbly and unstable. Stay well back. Children should be supervised at all times by an adult.
• Carry plenty of water—one quart for short walks, more for longer hikes.
• Hikers should never hike alone—use the buddy system. This allows someone to go for help if you encounter trouble.
• Be aware of poison oak, “jumping” cholla cactus, ticks, and scorpions. Poison oak can be identified by its clusters of three shiny leaflets. Some ticks carry disease; check your clothing and exposed skin after hiking.
• In order to help prevent wildfires, do not smoke on trails or in brush areas. Smoking is allowed only on beaches or other designated areas.
• In departing from the islands, visitors are responsible for meeting the boat concessionaire on time. Be aware of departure time by asking the ranger or concessionaire employees.
• Hantavirus is present in island deer mouse populations. This is a potentially fatal disease and some basic precautions should be taken.

Throughout the year on weekends and holidays, rangers offer a variety of free public programs at the Robert J. Largomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura.

On the islands, rangers, and volunteer naturalists offer guided hikes throughout the year. Also, every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon from Memorial Day through Labor Day, rangers conduct a live underwater video program from Anacapa Island. Visit Underwater Video Program for more information.

Education programs for students are offered throughout the year at the Robert J. Largomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura and on the islands.

Boating

Boating (excluding personal watercraft) is a unique and rewarding way to experience the pristine marine environment of Channel Islands National Park. You will find solitude and splendor. Here you will also face new challenges and may encounter unexpected dangers. Private boaters may land on all five islands within the park throughout the year.

Planning Your Trip

Refer to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Ocean Survey charts 18720, 18721, 18725, 18727, 18728, 18729, and 18756.

Due to challenging weather conditions, boating should not be attempted by the novice or anyone who is not properly trained, conditioned, and equipped. Currents, shifting swells, fog, and strong winds can change quickly in the channel. The trip to the islands also takes the boaters across some of the busiest shipping lanes in California. Ship speeds of 25 to 35 knots present a special hazard to boaters while crossing the channel.

There are no public moorings or all-weather anchorages around the islands. It is recommended that one person stay on board the boat at all times. Boaters are responsible for any damage to the resources caused by their boat.

Weather

Conditions in the Santa Barbara Channel and around the islands are variable and the ocean is unforgiving. Only experienced boaters with vessels capable of withstanding severe weather are advised to make the cross-channel passage. Boaters should monitor weather radio on VHF-FM 162.475 MHz (weather station 3) for marine forecasts and VHF-FM 162.55 MHz (weather station 1) and VHF-FM 162.40 MHz (weather station 2) for land-based observations.

Weather conditions vary considerably in the channel. The calmest winds and sea conditions often occur August through October. The other months are subject to a much greater chance for adverse wind and seas with sudden unexpected changes. High winds may occur regardless of the forecast. Forty-knot winds are not unusual for Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands. Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands have more moderate winds.

Winds are often calm in the early morning and increase during the afternoon. Generally the wind comes from the northwest, but from October through January boaters must also be prepared for strong east or Santa Ana winds.

Dense fog is common during the summer months, but may occur at any time, making chart and compass navigation mandatory. Ocean currents of considerable strength may be encountered both near and offshore from the islands. Ocean water temperatures range from the lower 50s (°F) in the winter to the upper 60s (°F) in the fall.

Safety

Float Plans: Boaters should always file a formal float plan with the harbormaster before departing. Family and/or friends should also be informed of your float plan. Names and addresses for the boaters, as well as emergency phone numbers, should be listed. Plans should also include the number of boats and boaters on the trip as well as the color, size, and type of craft used. Any survival and special emergency equipment should be listed (EPIRB, VHF, food rations, flares, etc.). The place, date, and time of departure and return should be logged as well as destination(s). This information can be invaluable for a search operation if something goes wrong. Remember to be flexible with your plans. Weather should always determine your course of action.

Shipping Lanes: Major shipping lanes lie between the islands and the mainland. Boaters should be aware of their location and use caution when crossing them. All boaters should listen to the USCG notice to mariners broadcast on VHF channel 22 since the waters in and surrounding the park are sometimes closed for military operations.

Sea Caves: Sea caves can be very dangerous—large waves or swells can fill a cave unexpectedly. Be extremely careful and wear a helmet at all times when exploring sea caves.

Landing Permits and Procedures

There are no landing permits required for the islands administered by the National Park Service (NPS). However, a landing permit is required to land on The Nature Conservancy (TNC) property on Santa Cruz Island.

There are closed and restricted areas on each island. Please note that rocks or islets on or near any of the islands are closed year-round to any landing and pets are not allowed in the park.

It is recommended that boaters contact the park ranger on each island before landing for an orientation, information on daily events, island safety, landing instructions, weather conditions, or camping check-in. Park rangers occasionally monitor VHF Channel 16. Channel 16 is a hailing frequency only, and rangers will instruct you to switch to another channel upon contact. If you cannot hail the park ranger on the island on which you plan to land, try contacting one of the other island rangers on a neighboring island, as island canyons and mountains sometimes obscure radio transmission.

Boaters may land according to the following procedures

Santa Barbara Island: A permit is not required to land or hike on Santa Barbara Island. Access to the island is permitted only at the landing cove. The landing dock is available for unloading purposes only. No craft, including kayaks and inflatables, should be left moored to the dock. Please lift your inflatables up to the upper landing.

Anacapa Island: A permit is not required to and or hike on East Anacapa Island or at Frenchys Cove. West Anacapa (except Frenchys Cove) is a protected research natural area and is closed to visitors. Visitors are allowed on Middle Anacapa by permit only and when accompanied by a park ranger.

The moorings near the landing cove at East Anacapa Island are reserved for use by the NPS, the USCG, and the park concessionaire only. Private boaters must anchor a reasonable distance from these moorings. This is not an all-weather anchorage. It is recommended that one person stay on board the boat at all times. The landing dock is available for unloading purposes only. No craft, including kayaks and inflatables, should be left moored to the dock. Please lift your inflatables and kayaks up to the lower landing.

Santa Cruz Island: Boaters may land on the eastern 24% of Santa Cruz Island without a permit. This area is owned by the NPS and is east of the property line between Prisoners Harbor and Valley Anchorage. No buoys are available at any landing area. Buoys are reserved for the NPS and the USCG. A pier is available at Scorpion Anchorage and Prisoners Harbor. Due to surf and swell conditions, boaters should use extreme caution when making surf-landings at any beach, especially Smugglers Cove and those beaches facing south and southeast between San Pedro Point and Sandstone Point.

A permit to land on the other 76% of Santa Cruz Island is required from TNC. A fee is charged and no overnight island use is permitted.

Santa Rosa Island: Boaters may land along coastline and on beaches without a permit for day-use only. Beaches between and including Skunk Point and East Point are closed from March 1st to September 15th in order to protect the threatened snowy plover. The beaches around Sandy Point are closed year-round. A pier is available at Bechers Bay. However, boaters may not use the mooring buoys in Bechers Bay. They are reserved for the NPS, the Coast Guard, and the park concessionaire.

San Miguel Island: Overnight anchorages are restricted to Cuyler Harbor and Tyler Bight. Visitors may land only on the beach at Cuyler Harbor. Visitors may walk the beach at Cuyler Harbor and hike up Nidever Canyon to the ranger station. To hike beyond the ranger station, visitors must be escorted by a ranger and have a permit.

Fishing

To fish in Channel Islands National Park, possession of a valid California state fishing license is required and all California Department of Fish and Game Regulations apply. In addition, twelve Marine Protected Areas surround the islands where special resource protection regulations apply.

Whale Watching

Island Packers, one of the park concessionaires, offers whale watching during the year. Other whale watch operators are located in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Channel Islands Harbors as well as down in the Los Angeles area.

The waters surrounding Channel Islands National Park are home to many diverse and beautiful species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). About one third of the cetacean species found worldwide can be seen right here in our own backyard, the Santa Barbara Channel. The 27 species sighted in the channel include Gray, Blue, Humpback, Minke, Sperm, and Pilot Whales; Orcas; Dall’s Porpoise; and Risso’s, Pacific White-sided, Common, and Bottlenose Dolphins.

This diversity of cetacean species offers a great opportunity to whale watch year-round. The most common sightings are of Gray Whales from mid- to late-December through mid-March, Blue and Humpback Whales during the summer, and Common Dolphins throughout the entire year. Whales and dolphins can be seen either from shore or from a boat. The best shore viewing is from a high spot on a point that juts out into the ocean. Some examples include Point Dume in Malibu, the Palos Verdes Peninsula near Los Angeles, and Point Loma in San Diego. The park visitor center has a tower with telescopes, which can be used for whale watching as well as island viewing. Watching in the early morning hours, before the wind causes whitecaps on the water’s surface, will provide you with the best opportunity to see whales from shore.

Closer viewing of whales is possible from public whale watching boats or private boats. Whales have been known to approach boats quite closely.

However, many whales are on the endangered species list and should be treated with special care. All whales are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act; it is illegal to disturb or harm any marine mammal. Boaters who use private craft to watch whales must remember to stay at least 100 yards away from whales. Boaters who frighten or interrupt the whales’ activities by approaching too close could drive the whales away from food or young calves. Please remember that whales are wild animals and can be unpredictable.

Whale Habits

Whether you are watching from shore or in a boat, here are a few distinctive habits to look for.

Spouts
Your first indication of a whale will probably be its spout or “blow.” It will be visible for many miles on a calm day, and an explosive “whoosh” of exhalation may be heard up to 1/2 mile away. The spout is mainly condensation created as the whale’s warm, humid breath expands and cools in the sea air.

Breaching
No one knows why whales perform this most spectacular of their behaviors. It may be part of the courtship display, a signal, an effort to dislodge parasites, an expression of stress, or just for fun. When breaching, three quarters or more of the whale’s body bursts forth from the water, pivots onto its side or back, and falls back with an enormous splash.

Diving
Diving is preceded by whales thrusting their tail flukes out of the water. Typically, whales make a series of shallow dives, followed by a deep dive.

Footprints
Ripples caused by the vertical thrusts of the tail as the whale dives are called “footprints.”

Spyhopping
Whales and dolphins are believed to have reasonable vision in air as well as water. On occasion, a whale will extend its head vertically from the sea. Supported by thrusting flukes, the whale’s head can rise 8-10 feet above the surface, sometimes turning slowly for thirty seconds or more before slipping back underwater.

Seal and Sea Lion Viewing

Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary provide habitat for breeding populations of four species of pinnipeds or seals and sea lions (California Sea Lions, Northern Fur Seals, Harbor Seals and Northern Elephant Seals). These species may be viewed during a channel crossing or from various locations on the islands, including:

• Anacapa Island: California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals
• Santa Cruz Island: California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals
• Santa Rosa Island: California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Northern Elephant Seals
• Santa Miguel Island: California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Northern Elephant Seals, Northern Fur Seals, Guadalupe Fur Seals (rare)

  The Rookeries on San Miguel Island

  Walking to Point Bennett on the western tip of San Miguel Island requires some stamina, for it is a fifteen-mile roundtrip hike. About halfway across the island, however, there is something that will help spur you on and encourage your feet to keep moving. That something is a sound—faint at first, but gradually getting louder and louder. The noise is a sort of rumble, low and rolling. What can be making this strange sound?

  As you come over the rise at Point Bennett you find your answer. There are thousands of elephant seals on the beach—flipping up sand over their huge torpedo-shaped bodies, moving like globs of JELLO over the sand, and carving out territories to call their own. The originators of the noise that you have been listening to are the gigantic males with their long proboscises that gives the species its name. You are witnessing a timeless ritual of which sound is just a small part.

  The elephant seal is one of four species of pinniped (or “wing or feather-footed”) marine mammals that are commonly sighted around Point Bennett. Other species include California Sea Lions, Northern Fur Seals, and Harbor Seals. At one time, two other species were found here in abundance—Steller or Northern, Sea Lions and Guadalupe Fur Seals. While Steller Sea Lions have not been seen since the 1980s, a few Steller Sea Lions and Guadalupe Fur Seals are occasionally sighted.

  Nevertheless, not only are more species sighted at this remote spot than at anywhere else on the planet, but this gathering represents one of the largest congregations of wildlife in the world. Staggering populations of over 70,000 California Sea Lions, 5,000 Northern Fur Seals, 50,000 Northern Elephant Seals and 1,100 Harbor Seals breed and pup on the island each year.

  The diversity of pinnipeds is part of a larger picture of biological diversity found in the Santa Barbara Channel. San Miguel Island lies in an area of water that overlaps two currents—a cold current moving down the Pacific coast from Alaska and a warm current moving up the Pacific coast from Mexico. Those two currents meet and intermingle not only water, but many of the species associated with corresponding cold and warm currents.

  Islands also bring diversity by providing shelf areas where sunlight can penetrate the water, and plants, such as the giant bladder kelp, can grow. The dense kelp forests around the islands provide food and shelter for many varieties of plants and animals. Diversity is also linked to upwelling conditions that exist near San Miguel Island. Upwelling sucks cold nutrient-rich water that normally lies at the bottom of the ocean to the surface, providing food for hundreds of species.

  Finally, the isolation of the islands also plays a role. A beach all to themselves with no disturbance from people must be very enticing for seals and sea lions. Therefore, the Santa Barbara Channel, the islands, and Point Bennett, specifically, provide all the necessary ingredients that the they need—wide sandy beaches, plenty of food, and others of their kind.

  Rangers lead guided walks out to Point Bennett during the summer months.

  Bird Watching

  The Channel Islands support a rich variety of birds, distinct in many ways from the birds of the adjacent mainland. The islands offer protected habitat in an increasingly disturbed southern California environment.

  They are important nesting areas for seabirds; the particular association of northern and southern species found here is not duplicated anywhere else in the world. The islands support large numbers of Western Gulls, Cassin's Auklets, Brandt's Cormorants, and the only nesting population of Brown Pelicans along the west coast of the United States. Also, the islands support the world's largest population of Xantus' Murrelets.

  The land birds on the islands are also a distinctive group—they represent a unique selection of the birds that live across the Channel on the California mainland. Ten of the 40 land bird species that commonly nest on the park islands are represented by endemic species or subspecies—forms that occur only on the islands and nowhere else. Of this group, the Island Scrub Jay is the only bird that is endemic on the species level.

  Viewing Seabirds

  While some seabird species may be viewed from the islands, the park boat concessionaires will search for seabirds on the boat trip out to the islands. In addition, local chapters of the Audubon Society occasionally sponsor boats trips around the islands to view seabirds.

  Viewing Land Birds and Shore Birds

  The larger islands of Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa offer more types of habitats and therefore, more variety of land birds. Many birdwatchers will visit Prisoners Harbor (easiest viewing opportunity) or Scorpion Ranch on Santa Cruz Island to view the Island Scrub Jay.

  Due to limited beach access on some islands, shore bird viewing is best done on Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, or San Miguel Islands.

  Wildflower Viewing

  The park support a wide variety of vascular plants—over 775 plants (including subspecies, varieties, and forms) are currently known. Each island is floristically unique due to a complex interplay of factors, including distance from the mainland and from adjacent neighbors, size of the island, local climate, maximum elevation, and topographic diversity.

  During a normal year of rainfall, the islands are green and wildflowers reach peak bloom around late winter and spring. Generally, the blooming begins and ends earlier the farther east and south the islands are located.

  The brilliant Yellow Coreopsis Flowers usually peak between late January through March. The best viewing of these flowers occurs on Santa Barbara, Anacapa, and San Miguel Islands.

Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands and their surrounding one mile of ocean. Each of the islands is a fascinating world unto itself. They are miniature versions of the California that many visitors may have thought was lost long ago.