Santa Cruz Del Norte Backcountry

My entire experience on Santa Cruz felt magical. I was in heaven there, especially having my paddleboard with me. It was a tough climb to Del Norte after hiking to Pelican Bay. I recommend having a campground closer to the beach at Prisoners. And perhaps another backcountry camp mid island.

Wonderful place away from it all. Pleasent hike from prisoners harbour.

Absolutely spectacular and worth the extra burden of carrying days worth of water and food if you are able.

Overall/Recommendations: This side of the island was absolutely awe-inspiring and, in my opinion, more beautiful/interesting than Scorpion's Bay (aside from the kelp forests). Would recommend spending at least two-nights out here since it takes time to get around to each of the points of interest (especially with tight time constraints due to limiting ferry schedule). To lighten the load you can leave some food/water/extras near Prisoners Harbor in the provided bear boxes for night 1 then grab it on the way back up from a day trip to Pelican Bay or Prisonors Harbor (however, be sure to keep all your belongings clearly together, we did have one of 1L water bottles taken by a day-tripper--which could have been disasterous had we not overpacked water and were traveling to Scorpions Bay, where the sole water source is available). The hike to Pelican Bay was the most beautiful hike and we missed the diversity of plant species and landscapes as we traveled East to Scorpions Bay. This was a very tough hike with the heavy burden of about a 1.5gal of water under the hot sun with very sparse shade.

Camp site: 01 had incredible impeccable views of the islands northern coastline especially at sunset. You are a little more secluded from the other sites so it really feels like you have it all to yourself. Picnic table and bear boxes are very handy. Didnt have any trouble with animals/rodents/insects. Only issue is there is no shade... better to avoid hanging around during the hottest part of the day and retreat to the water. Also the vault toilet/outhouse was.... honestly noxious. I couldnt even step foot in there, despite it being quite spacious and relatively clean.

We had the whole campground to ourselves, it was peaceful and the views were unbeatable.

Beautiful views, nice campground. Awesome location for day hikes.

We had sites 2 and 3. 2 is very exposed with great ocean views. 3 is shady and protected. I’m not sure how often the bathroom is serviced, it was pretty gross.

Nice, functional campsite - can't say much for the views as it was fogged in the entire time we were there. The leveled pads at each site are nice but a bit small for multiple tents, especially if your tent isn't freestanding and needs to be staked out. Some of the dirt is heavily compacted and it's difficult to drive stakes in - there are NO rocks around this area to use as improvised stake hammers. The picnic tables were nice to have. Watch out for mosquitos at dawn and dusk! The fox boxes are large and if empty you can probably squeeze most of two people's gear in there.

Did the ~13 mile through hike from Scorpion Harbor. Warning to those doing the same, your pacing will be much slower than you think due to the unmaintaned / overgrown state of the trail. The Island Packer boats all arrive at Scorpion by around 11a/12p but that's on the late side to be starting this hike - including breaks we barely made it to the campground before nightfall at around 8pm (and you really don't want to be hiking this trail in the dark). Fortunately most of the stream crossings were dried up at this time of year or else the going would be even more difficult. Wear long pants, long sleeves and long socks: you'll be shoving your way through brush for a good part of the hike. Bring extra socks to change out if the ones you're wearing get tangled up with organic debris! Trekking poles are near impossibile to use effectively for parts of it. Bring more water than you think you'll need and don't forget to reapply sunscreen!

Second time camping here—one of the most special and singular spots in SoCal. Love the hike in—beautiful, invigorating, but not back-breaking. The solitude of only 4 campsites, all well cared for, offers an unparalleled escape. Can't wait to return.

Gorgeous campsite, no water so bring your own.

I wish this website had more info about the rules/expectations for the site and of the island itself.
Website omits info about water and "backcountry" camping. Its not true backcountry camping, you can only post at campsites. There is no potable water at Del Norte. There is also nowhere to filter water. Pack all your own water. Bear boxes provided at site.

Beautiful location otherwise, Rangers brief you upon arrival. Have fun