Santa Rosa Island

The campsite was great, and I really recommend this as a summer destination. Water Canyon Beach is as beautiful as it looks in the photos. I had 2 or 3 beautiful sunny days lounging on the soft sand, and cooling off in the crystal clear water. There are fox tracks in the sand on the beach. You can follow them to see what the foxes were up to the previous night. I was there in August during a heat wave, and the water was super refreshing. I was standing in waist deep water watching the (harmless) leopard sharks swim past in the sandy spots. I didn't have my mask and snorkel, but that would have been a great idea too.

If you go to the top of the campground, I think it is behind campsite #16, there is a trail that leads down to the stream at Water Canyon. There I found waist-deep pools of clear water with polywogs swimming in them, so I am sure the place is filled with frogs. It seems like it is possible to hike upstream and there was one tributary branch that looked like it was wide and passable for the hikers to explore.

Beware - There are lots of foxes around this campsite and they are very crafty. They will go into your camp when you are there, but not looking. They will steal anything that is not nailed down; one of their favorites is SOCKS. "Foxes Love Soxes!" is my saying. I actually hiked around in the bushes on the edge of the campground over the edge of the hill. I found a half dozen socks, a pair of shorts, toothpaste, a teabag, sunblock, food bags and foil that had been stolen by the foxes and squirreled away beneath the chaparral for investigation.

All maps of this island are garbage, and there are maybe 6 signs total on the island. That being said, it was amazing. Ford Point can get "crowded" but is a safer bet to avoid elephant seals at La Jolla Vieja beach. If you go past ford point, it's easy to feel like you're the only people on the island and the views are incredible. The campground is also spectacular; both views and amenities. Have everything figured out before you get there though. We didn't see a ranger once in 3 days.

Great camground! Clean toilets, running water, great views.

The island is beautiful. The wind breaks are really needed in the campground. It is a great place for hiking. Unlike Santa Cruz, it is not a great place for kayaking. Just getting there by Island Packers is a wonderful part of the trip.

I really enjoyed the hiking to East Point and Lobo Canyon. Those two involve long hiking but worth it.
* For the East Point Hike:
If you can time the low tide period with your hiking, you can walk along the sand bar which is stretched far out to the sea. But this is only allowed during the off season. It will add a couple of miles more to your already long hike. But totally worth it.

* For the Lobo Canyon Hike:
Even after you reached the shore after hiking through the canyon, do not stop there. You can still hike a couple of miles more along the coast to the west. The scenery is best along the coast.

Beautiful and secluded. A perfect escape from the world.

Such a great weekend! The wind is no joke, but the shelter in the campground definitely helped. There are real bathrooms with running water, plus an outdoor dish-washing sink in the campground. We spent Saturday hiking to Lobo Canyon which was so beautiful and tons of fun. From the campground, my phone showed we hiked over 13 mi total so plan your time accordingly. The boat ride with Island Packers was a total highlight! We saw seals, humpback whales, a pod of dolphins, and went into Painted Cave on the way back to the mainland. The crew was super knowledgeable and taught us a ton of cool facts about the islands and the wildlife. And they sell beer on the boat! Their website says they don't allow anything hanging from your bag, but we strapped our sleeping pads and tent tightly to our packs and it wasn't an issue (avoid having loose items swinging from your bags, like shoes or water bottles). I got a little bit of service (AT&T) on the trail down to the beach from the campground. People were great about wearing masks on the boat, and social distancing on the island was very easy. Highly recommend this trip for a COVID-safe nature getaway!

Awesome

The only way this island could be better is if there was a Starbucks on every beach... haha. Rustic, scenic, tranquil and most importantly... almost no people.

Epic! Very windy and dusty (at least in the Fall). Foxes will come right up to your campsite!