Santa Rosa Island

Loved this campground! The sites were clean and flat, the restrooms were clean and well stocked. There can be a lot of wind. Bring as low of profile tent as you can. It will help if the wind is going in the swirls. I also didn't put my rain fly on. Which helped with the noise. It is a bit of a walk from the ferry, so be prepared. I'll be back for sure.

Can’t wait to go back! Campsite and bathrooms were clean and stocked. This is my new favorite place to camp. The 1.25 mile hike to get there was mostly flat and easy with only a small incline at the end. Very close to a beautiful beach. The only slightly negative I have is that the water didn’t taste great. But having potable water right at the campsite that I didn’t have to hike in was a huge bonus. I also appreciated the wind shelter as it helped shield our tents from the wind and we had a dry place to be when it rained.

My second visit to Santa Rosa-what an amazing place. And I went to San Miguel for two days before Santa Rosa-what an incredible contrast between the two islands.

Santa Rosa is a beautiful place well worth the added time and effort to arrive there. The campground is small with clean flush toilets and potable water. Because a limited number of people are there, we hiked for most of every day without seeing anyone. Be prepared for wind and, if you aren't travelling light, bring a folding wagon for the hike from the pier to the campsite. The rangers will often let you throw gear in the bed of their truck and transport it for you, but probably can't count on this.

Bring a hammock to pitch in the wind shelters!

This was an amazing trip.

Loved that there were very few camping areas so that the island did not seem at all crowded!
The facilities were well taken care of, the bathroom was the cleanest camping bathroom ever!
Hiking information and volunteer ranger conversations were readily available.
We loved it, thank you for making the island available.

A wonderful place and very windy. The shelters at Water Canyon are welcome and work partially to shelter your tent from the wind. Great water and flush toilet with sink in the camp, very welcome and make it in easy place to stay. It is also a quick and relatively flat walk from the pier. We saw 100's of leopard sharks in the shallows on the beach near the pier from above, an amazing sight.

I had an amazing time on Santa Rosa Island! This was my first real solo "backpacking" trip, and I could not have imagined a better place to be. I would recommend the Torrey Pines trail and especially the Lobo Canyon trail (challenging but well worth the effort). There is a gorgeous white sand beach about 10 minutes from the campground. The island is beautiful, rugged, raw, and captivating! I saw 5 foxes in 2 days, and each encounter was a real treat. Have no fear -- the foxes are totally not aggressive at all. It is VERY windy on the island, but the wind structures at the campground do help block the wind and provide some shade. I wish i had brought a thin wind breaker with a hood. Also, the structure has nails and wires attached, which make it great to hang and organize camp items, like the packs. There is also a fox box, which is quite large and definitely helps with camp storage and organization. There is a restroom facility which has actually very nice furnishings. There was a sink for washing dishes, but a ranger took that out of service. Very importantly, there is drinking water access at the campground. The other campers were very friendly, hospitable, and easy-going, no issues at all when I went solo. I hope i can go there again and spend more time there!!!

The 4-days stay on Santa Rosa was the most amazing camping experience I have ever made. The island is much larger than I initially imagined it to be, and the different hiking trails (e.g. Lobo Canyon, Carrington Point and Skunk Point/East Point) offer completely different landscapes with their own unique ecosystems. It makes it feel like you hop to a completely new island. Also, due to the limited amount of camping spots, these hikes are experienced as if you were practically alone on the whole island. This gives such a feeling of serenity.