Santa Rosa Island

Park was absolutley beautiful and unique. Employees were so knowledgeable and helpful!

Beautiful views, great sunrises. Highly recommend Carrington Point- a less traveled hike that ended with NW views of the island, seals, and pelicans!

My partner and I booked this trip last minute for Thanksgiving week. Be sure to take your Dramamine because it is a 2-3hr ride over. When we got off the boat we were welcomed by a ranger who informed us of information about our campsite and the island. There was as a volunteer ranger that did an orientation for those doing backcountry camping.

The walk to the campsite was 1.3 mi all flat except the minor hill to get up and into the canyon. The wind structures were extremely helpful and the grounds are very well kept. There are only 15 campsite so all have great sunrise/sunset views, just depends on how close you want to be to the bathrooms. One note, you are staying in a canyon and your voices do echo and carry. Please be mindful of others. We were pleasantly surprised to find (2) nice bathrooms with sinks and flush toilets.

The crows and foxes are no joke. My partner and I turned our backs for a minute and a fox grabbed our trash bag. Always have someone watching your food & trash.

Key tips:
- The maps on the island are not good, purchase the National Geographic map of the islands at REI or the gift shop before you get on the boat. It'll run you about $15.
- Lobo Canyon is a must do if you have the time.
- Torrey Pines & Cherry Canyon Trails are also both worth it if you're going for a day.
- East Point Hike is flat but far and there is no shade. Bring lots of water, hat & sunscreen.
- There isn't a lot of shade on this island, be prepared with water, a hat & sunscreen.

Had a great time at Santa Rosa. The campsite was very nice, multiple water spouts, super clean and nice bathroom with a sink, and the wind blocker was a nice luxury. We did the hike to skunk point which was ~7 mi round trip and the Lobo Canyon hike which was ~12 mi round trip. Both these hikes were gorgeous. The boat ride over is also very nice because they stop by pods of dolphins for passengers to get a nice view. Also had a whale sighting on the way back. The only real downside was that there aren't any fires allowed.

Bucket list!

I loved my stay at Water Canyon campground. Shout out to Ranger Dylan Moe who was also extremely helpful when we encountered a problem setting up our tent!

Stunningly beautiful! Very knowledgeable and helpful rangers and volunteers. Incredibly well maintained bathrooms.
Best camping and hiking experience we’ve had.

Such a beautiful place. Wildflowers everywhere. It feels like going back in time. This island is consistently windy, very windy. Be prepared for that and your in for an excellent time.

During our 7 hour drive to Ventura where we planned to spend the night before we took the ferry to Santa Rosa, we received an email letting us know that it was highly likely that our return ferry from the island would be canceled due to ocean conditions. Since we had plans to fly home the day after our scheduled ferry we canceled the entire trip. Thus, we never made it to Santa Rosa. Very disappointing.

It was absolutely an incredible experience! I have never been so remote yet had such nice facilities to use! There is plenty on water around the campground and the bathrooms have solar panel powered lighting and running water. Incredible!

The island itself one of the most beautiful places to travel to in this Earth. The rolling hills dotted with Torrey pines along a blue cove where grey whales were periodically surfacing for air was honestly the closest I have ever come to heaven. I would be content spending my life exploring every canyon, cove, and climb on that island. I can't wait to make it back out!