Santa Rosa Island

Amazing experience. Just remember the campsite is 1.5 miles from the pier so pack lightly. The campsite is in a serene little valley and you will be visited by foxes so keep food in bear container. The water is drinkable but tastes like a swimming pool - chlorinated. Still, I'm not sure if it's worth hauling the weight of water bottles from the pier to the campsite.

Santa Rosa is an amazing place to visit! There are beautiful beaches and a variety of hiking trails around the island that vary from flat grassland to more strenuous hikes up the mountains. The views are incredible, of neighboring San Miguel and Santa Cruz islands. There are all kinds of beautiful wildflowers in the spring and summer too. The Channel Islands were never part of the mainland, and due to their isolation they have plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world.

Each campsite has a wood windbreak that includes an animal box to store all food, and a picnic table. You can put your tent or picnic table in the windbreak. There are no campfires allowed, so there's no firepit. There are nails in the windbreak to hang things from, and some people brought a hammock and string of lights and hung those up. There's good drinking water, and the bathrooms are nice and cleaned daily. Drinking water is limited to the campsite and near the dock, so you'll need to fill up before you go out on any hikes.

Besides the wind. Everything else were just perfect... but the wind...

Very nice campground and facilities. Potable water is good. The only downside is it is a very long walk to get to most sites!

Rangers were very helpful and kind! Made hiking and camping there very pleasant and safe by going over everything in detail.

Despite the remote location, I though the facilities were wonderful for camping. The shelters with food lockers and picnic tables made a great home base for long hike, and it was nice to have drinking water and real bathrooms. The island is surprising empty even when all the camp spots are full, so you can get some good quiet hikes if that's what you want.

Beautiful, secluded camping experience. Lots of amazing hikes, friendly local foxes, and the campsite is maintained really well.

We had a great experience staying at the Santa Rosa campground. We made the mistake of bringing (and carrying) fresh water. There is nice running water available! A 3 mile trek is much nicer without 8kg of water.

The campground is really nice, but it does get windy, so nail down the tents properly and use the wind shelters. The campgrounds closer to the valley were less windy in our opinion so if you can choose take the ones closest to the water.

The park rangers where very nice and helpful. And the toilets were very clean.

If you want cell phone reception: go up the hill behind the red farmhouse. It is your best bet.

There are amazingly cute foxes all over the campground. While you are eating, one comes to lure you away with its cuteness while another one sneaks in and steals food from the back. So, be careful with food lying around even for the shortest amount of time.

Every trek we did was really nice. Especially Lobo Canyon is a real must. Halfway through the trek there are some nice spots by the ocean to have a snack.

Were are definitely coming back to do the rest of the treks!

Belgium & Germany

The rangers were very nice and informative during our stay. The campground was absolutely beautiful and well kept. Not to mention, the bathrooms were the cleanest bathrooms at a campsite I have ever seen!

Santa Rosa Island is a real gem away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. It is primitive camping but the water is beautiful along with the fog that rolls over the island. We saw numerous Island Foxes and they are very healthy with beautiful red coats. Maddy the Park Ranger was very helpful and knowledgeable. Highly recommended if you want to get away from the city.