About Santa Rosa Island
Number of accommodations: 15
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Birding
Hiking
Kayaking
Swimming
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Rates, Sites & Availability
15 Sites Available
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Site Details
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15 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (223)
What Guests Are Saying
Santa Rosa Island offers a stunning natural environment with exceptional views, diverse hiking trails, and well-maintained campgrounds featuring clean facilities, including flush toilets and potable water. Many visitors appreciate the tranquility and beauty of the island, noting the abundance of wildlife and wildflowers. While there are challenges such as windy conditions and some trail maintenance issues, the overall experience is highly regarded, making it a memorable destination for camping and outdoor activities.
What Guests Are Saying
Santa Rosa Island offers a stunning natural environment with exceptional views, diverse hiking trails, and well-maintained campgrounds featuring clean facilities, including flush toilets and potable water. Many visitors appreciate the tranquility and beauty of the island, noting the abundance of wildlife and wildflowers. While there are challenges such as windy conditions and some trail maintenance issues, the overall experience is highly regarded, making it a memorable destination for camping and outdoor activities.
Review Summary
Jiayue M
VerifiedNovember 16, 2024 • Stayed at: 007, Loop: Sites 001-015
very beautiful place with a lot of fox running around.
Elizabeth A
VerifiedNovember 2, 2024 • Stayed at: 003, Loop: Sites 001-015
Saw so many dolphins and whales on the boat ride over! We also lucked out and got perfect weather while we were on the island. Hiking to Carrington Point was definitely a highlight because we got some beautiful views and saw sea lions!
Hoyt T
VerifiedOctober 23, 2024 • Stayed at: 009, Loop: Sites 001-015
I was there 4 nights and half or more of the sites in the campground were vacant the whole time. I wanted to have two campground spaces but they were not available on recreation.gov, I was lucky to get one. I'm not sure why NPS and Recreation.gov allow this to happen but it has been that way as long as I have been traveling to Channel Islands (4 years).
Bev S
VerifiedOctober 18, 2024 • Stayed at: 012, Loop: Sites 001-015
Beautiful island, the hikes/trails were great. Would happily spend more time there. Also the ferry over is great fun, seeing dolphins of all kinds and even orcas!
Austin P
VerifiedSeptember 23, 2024 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: Sites 001-015
Santa Rosa is amazing - the trek from the pier to the campsite is tough - bring a collapsible wagon - but the island is calm and beautiful. I've been 3 times and will go back
Brian J
VerifiedJuly 17, 2024 • Stayed at: 004, Loop: Sites 001-015
Love camping here. But there are some issues. We stayed from Monday to Friday. The paper towels in the restroom were gone by Wednesday, and neither restroom was serviced during our visit. The toilet paper is worse than the public toilet mega-roll I expected. It was thin, and perhaps more importantly, rather abrasive. My rear was sore by Wednesday, so I switched to my own TP from home.
Bring back the shower! I was told it is now a storage closet.
Doreen E
VerifiedJuly 16, 2024 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: Sites 001-015
My partner and I camped at Santa Rosa Island in mid June for three nights. Island Packers was our transport out and back. Reliable and professional, I recommend this company for boat transport. We always pick up our motion sickness tablets when we check in just to be on the safe side. Sometimes the channel can be rough to cross. Our island campsite (15) was perfect for us. Potable water is available at a sink adjacent to the restroom building(yes, there are two flush toilets!) and dispersed facets at the campground. The quality of the water taste and smell seems to have improved since drought years. The weather was foggy in the am burning off by midday. We didn't experience high winds at all. The island can be VERY windy. There was a lot of water running in Water Canyon creek, enough to fill small pools to cool off in at the end of the day!
The Cherry Canyon trail was going off with lupine, poppy, paintbrush, campion, gentian, California buttercup and many others! The bluffs at the top of CCT provide a picnic table for a lunch stop and nice panoramic views. Torrey Pines trail was equally impressive with wildflower. The stand-outs being Clarkia, California buttercup, Dudleya, wolly sunflower and the beautiful Fairy Lantern, to name a few. Given its elevation, on a clear day the Torrey Pines trail will reward hikers with expansive views of the coast and Santa Cruz Island.
We did have fox visitors sniffing around the campsite every day in the early evening like clockwork and noted that they were looking for easy food and marking trails. I was sad to see folks leaving food out at their campsites. It's better for all if the fox hunt and eat naturally. The island offers something for birders too, both inland and at the beach. Aside from plant and animal life in abundance, Santa Rosa Island is rich in geological wonder.
It is such a privilege to spend time exploring this extraordinary place. Each year I return and fall in love again.
Geiste V
VerifiedJuly 10, 2024 • Stayed at: 004, Loop: Sites 001-015
Beautiful island! Windy as expected but we had a blast with our little friend group. Will be back!
Richard S
VerifiedJuly 8, 2024 • Stayed at: 013, Loop: Sites 001-015
Great experience!
Justin H
VerifiedJune 5, 2024 • Stayed at: 014, Loop: Sites 001-015
Beautiful island, lots of great hiking. Lobo Canyon and the Torrey Pines were gorgeous. NPS staff was friendly and informative. Bathrooms were clean and are legit flushable toilets, not pits like most NP bathrooms. Island Packers also does a great job and run a tight ship!
Location Santa Rosa Island
Address:
1901 Spinnaker Drive
Ventura, CA, 93001
United States
Santa Rosa Campground is accessible via US Highway 101, located approximately 20 miles to the east.
Latitude & Longitude: 33.9911 / -120.048
Elevation: 36 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
11AM
Check out time
11AM
General
- Santa Rosa Island may only be reached by boat. Visitors are required to arrange transportation to the island before reserving a campsite. Contact Island Packers the park's authorized concessioner or bring your own private boat.
- Camping reservations are required prior to arriving on the island. There are NO walk-ups at this facility.
- One party or group may reserve a maximum of 2 individual sites per visit. There are 15 individual campsites. Max 5 people per site.
- A party or group of 46 or more may not reserve any sites through recreation.gov and must contact the park to obtain a special use permit: https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/management/special-use-permit.htm.
- Upon arrival, meet ranger at beach, landing dock or campground. However, park staff is not always immediately available on the island. Please have confirmation letter, receipt, or campsite number with you.
- 1.5 mile from the pier to campground. Visitors must carry all their own gear.
- Primitive camping. Tent camping only, no electricity/water/sewer site hook-ups at this campground. Bring low profile tents and extra food for weather delays. Partial shade from wind shelter (8' tall, 10' deep, 14' wide at front, 8' wide at back). Picnic table, food storage box, and drinking water provided. No stores or services.
- Proper food and trash storage is required. Food/trash storage lockers are provided at each site. Recommend hard-sided container (i.e., action packer) to further protect food/garbage from animals.
- Visitors are required to pack out what they pack in, including garbage.
- No campfires or charcoal fires. Only enclosed gas camp stoves are allowed.
- Smoking is only allowed on beach area at Bechers Bay.
- Avoid contact with deer mice. Hantavirus has been found in island deer mice. For more information visit: https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/hantavirus.htm.
- To help prevent the introduction of nonnative species the following items may not be brought to the park: pets; live or potted plants; soil; cut flowers; firewood or any untreated, unfinished wood (including hiking sticks); corrugated boxes; tools or equipment with attached soil; motorized vehicles; bicycles; and single-use plastic grocery bags. Prior to departure, visitors are required to use pest-proof packing materials, inspect and clean their gear and shoes of all soil, seeds, and insects. Learn more about biosecurity and watch the required video at Protect Your Park Through Biosecurity.
- No fishing in marine reserves. California fishing license and ocean enhancement required to fish within Channel Islands National Park.
- Watersports: Due to the strong, persistent wind, swimming, snorkeling, diving, and kayaking are limited and recommended for the experienced visitor only. Ocean conditions can rapidly change, requiring expert abilities. Ocean kayaking is an inherently dangerous activity. Always check weather and do not kayak beyond your experience level.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026
