Santa Rosa Island

Someone told us that the bathrooms on Santa Rosa are, "...the finest in all the National Parks." And I can now confirm that is accurate. We visited in April and our first night at the campsite was lovely, but the next two were incredibly windy. That's not the campsite's fault, obviously, just the natural state of a Pacific Island in April. The windbreaks at the campsite helped, but not much they could do about swirling 30mph winds. Everything inside the tent (including us) was covered in sand in the mornings.

My second camping trip recommendations, be prepared for wind.

The weather was warmer and less windy in April than it had been when we tried over the summer, perhaps because we enjoyed the less typical Easterly winds which are warmer than the Westerly ocean winds. This was unexpected, but shows that the weather is more variable day-to-day than month-to-month. Also unexpected was the dryness and hotness. The creek by the camp site was quite low, and there were few fish. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere we went in the spring and the hiking was glorious. The sand dunes and the cliffs along the beach remain impressive, even if the water is too cold to enjoy swimming. In whatever season, the island remains stunningly beautiful, but a difficult place to be comfortable. It is either too hot or too cold, and most of the time too windy. This is not a casual hang-out place to party. It is a tough and rugged landscape for adventurers and scientists to explore.

Absolutely beautiful. Starting with the whale and dolphin viewing on the ride over and back, to one of the most beautiful stretches of beach rivaling beach destinations around the world. The campground and bathrooms were spotless.

Thank you Channel Island National Park providing us with such an incredible camping opportunity, with some luxuries, on Santa Rosa Island. The campsites are well maintained, having access to running water is invaluable, and the inclusion of a flushing toilet with a sink was surprising and welcomed.

Rangers are awesome. The experience is challenging. An excellent space to teach self reliance and environmental stewardship to your children; and have fun too!

Santa Rosa is beautiful! Thus hiking there is amazing. The Lobo Canyon trail was a highlight for me. But it's also extremely windy, at least in March. The first night, we barely slept and we had to exit the tent a few times to reinstall the pegs. The following nights, we knew what would happen, so we made sure that the pegs were firmly put in the ground.

Be prepared for some wind! Overall it was a great trip but it was really windy. Depending on how strong the winds are, having some extra paracord to secure the tent to the wind shelters might be helpful. Other than that, it was a great time! The hiking was beautiful and the trails were adequately marked. Most of the hikes were totally doable within a day, which made it even more appealing.

This is a beautiful location, surrounded by wildflowers in March. The small shelters are very efficient in protecting against the wind, the toilet is very clean and people were mindful keeping it this way. Everything is made so you are comfortable and have everything you need.

There are numerous day hikes that take you to exceptionally scenic parts of the island, with remote beaches, expansive views and enchanting canyons.
I was on the island Wednesday through Sunday. The weather was excellent all days except Saturday, when the wind picked up with 40 mph gusts. I recommend rescheduling your trip if the forecast is Windy for the island. I did a 14 mile hike on the windy day, and it was definitely a challenge. Nevertheless, saw plenty of wildlife that didn’t seem to mind the wind, like foxes and elephant seals.
Wildflowers were abundant, despite below average rainfall.