Santa Rosa Island

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.

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.

My second camping trip recommendations, be prepared for wind.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 mi 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.

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.

Nice campground. Clean restrooms and nice to have running water in camp. Nice to have the shelters to protect from the wind. I recommend that you stick your entire tent inside the shelter and move your picnic table in front. Winds are pretty common. Day hikes were all fantastic. Amazing views and most in the range of 10-16 mi roundtrip. Note that there is not a lot of shade(if any) on most trails so be aware of too much sun. Helpful Park Rangers throughout my 3 night visit.

Also be aware that on departure day you may be asked to pack up earlier if the afternoon winds kick up. Originally our pickup time was 3:00pm, but rangers came into camp around 7:45am and told us we needed to be at the pier by 10:30am due to rough weather we may encounter in the afternoon trip back to Ventura. Highly recommend this trip.