White sand dune next to a steep coastal bluff with ocean.
The trail into Water Canyon Campground. The burn scar from the 2026 wildfire is evident around the wind shelters and surrounding hillsides.
Path leading into Water Canyon Campground. Wind shelters and the surrounding hills showing burn scars from the 2026 wildfire.
Pine tree overlooking coastal marine terrace with dry grass, ocean, and white sand beach.
White sand dune next to a steep coastal bluff with ocean

Featured amenities

General Store General Store
Pet Friendly Pet Friendly
Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms

About Santa Rosa Island

Tucked away in a canyon to protect visitors from strong northwest winds, Water Canyon Campground offers exceptional island views, access to spectacular hiking opportunities and a nearby white sand beach.Located 40 nautical miles from the Channel Islands National Park visitor center in Ventura, Santa Rosa is the second largest island in California at approximately 53,000 acres in size. The island landforms support a diverse array of plant and animal species including six plant species found nowhere on earth but Santa Rosa Island. The island also hosts over 100 bird and three land mammal species, including the endemic island fox.

Available sites

15 total sites

Activities & Attractions

Nearby

Birding

Birding

Year-round
Hiking

Hiking

Year-round
Kayaking

Kayaking

Spring Summer Fall
Swimming

Swimming

Summer

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Open year round

This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.

365 Days

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

General Store General Store
Pet friendly Pet friendly
Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms
Water and Hygiene

Water and Hygiene

  • Potable Water
  • Restrooms
Cooking and Fire

Cooking and Fire

  • Picnic Table
On Site Services

On Site Services

  • General Store
  • Fish Cleaning Station
Water Access

Water Access

  • Boat Ramp / Launch
Pets and Policies

Pets and Policies

  • Pet friendly
Missing information?

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see availability.

15 Sites Available

Site
Price
⛺ 001, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 002, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 003, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 004, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 005, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 006, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 007, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 008, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 009, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 010, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 011, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 012, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 013, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 014, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent
⛺ 015, Loop: Sites 001-015 Tent

Reviews

242 reviews

Summary

AI generated

Santa Rosa Island offers a stunning natural experience with well-maintained campgrounds, including clean restrooms and modern amenities like flush toilets and running water. Visitors rave about the breathtaking hikes, beautiful beaches, and incredible wildlife sightings, such as dolphins and blue whales. While the island can be quite windy, with some trails in need of maintenance, the overall experience is rewarding for those seeking adventure and tranquility away from technology.

Based on guest feedback

4.8

Overall rating

Based on 242 reviews

Write a review
5 stars 85.5% (207)
4 stars 13.2% (32)
3 stars 0.0% (0)
2 stars 0.4% (1)
1 star 0.8% (2)

Showing 242 reviews

Kevin B

Verified

April 4, 2025 Stayed at: 002, Loop: Sites 001-015

The ranger were excellent and did a great job of answering our questions and keeping us updated as the ferry times changed given the ruff seas. the bathroom were also really clean

Helpful

Richard J

Verified

December 1, 2024 Stayed at: 007, Loop: Sites 001-015

10 out of 10 Camping place. camping area. The clouds comes in really gives a good sense of being isolated that no one knows you’re actually there,
Rest Rooms are clean, Be aware that foxes are everywhere and they will Steel food if you turn around, On the sidenote, be sure to bring a good durable tent, Mainly to protect yourself from the mosquitoes! Many of the shelters are enough separated for more privacy,
Overall, A beautiful campsite, and many things to do as well

Helpful

Deborah B

Verified

November 18, 2024 Stayed at: 009, Loop: Sites 001-015

My favorite place! The campground is beautiful. The facilities are excellent. The boat ride is great.

Helpful

Jiayue M

Verified

November 16, 2024 Stayed at: 007, Loop: Sites 001-015

very beautiful place with a lot of fox running around.

Helpful

Elizabeth A

Verified

November 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!

Helpful

Hoyt T

Verified

October 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).

Helpful

Bev S

Verified

October 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!

Helpful

Austin P

Verified

September 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

Helpful

Brian J

Verified

July 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.

Helpful

Doreen E

Verified

July 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.

Helpful

Location & Directions for Santa Rosa Island

1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001 United States

Elevation: 36 ft

Highway access

Santa Rosa Campground is accessible via US Highway 101, located approximately 20 miles to the east.

Near Channel Islands National Park

The closest entrance is: Bechers Bay Pier (Santa Rosa Island)

Approximate drive: 1.4 mi · 2 min

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: November 4, 2026

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Explore Ventura, CA

Nearby city: Santa Barbara, CA

Approx. 36 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 36 ft

Best Season: Spring, Fall

Ventura, CA

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