Santa Rosa Island

Santa Rosa Island at Easter 2024 was wonderful. The rains held off until evening. The wildlife, when you have time for long day hikes, is outstanding. The emptiness and space and history..

We love Santa Rosa Island and have been going there for years now. It is wondrous to see the recovery of the island, especially the vegetation and foxes.

Best restroom I've ever seen in a national park. Also the Island looks like a meadow out of heaven.

Loved the isolation and the wildlife, will definitely go back.

Wonderful, well-maintained campsite with a variety of trailheads accessible from camp.

Facilities were top notch and well maintained, especially for a remote island! Easy access to water at several spots in the campground and the bathrooms were well cared for. Wind shelters provided a nice break when the gusts came through. Food storage "fox boxes" are a little small for more than 2 people in a site, so work to consolidate food and minimize trash.

Island packers were very helpful, the views were beautiful, it does get pretty windy at night. No showers but very well kept bathrooms, also Torrey pines is a must.

Was a very nice trip, great weather, did lots of hiking, had some luck fishing, even saw whales during the cruise back. Here are three improvements I would like to suggest 1) When the group of day travelers go to the island, the bathroom capacity is too small for the crowds, and the wait gets to be very long. 2) I would like to see if more picnic tables might be placed in various locations around the island to give hikers a nice place to rest 3) In the campground, I wonder if perhaps a shower could be set up. This should not have a direct water tap there, but instead it might just have a washing enclosure and a drain so that campers could bring their own bucket of water from an outside tap and wash themselves, so that water would not be wasted. Thank you.

The shelters at Water Canyon were a godsend! Winds were constant at 10 - 15 mph, often higher. The lockboxes were also very welcome, as the Island Foxes can be a bit bold in mooching for food.

Access to potable water became a real thing over the course of my stay.

Absolutely loved this trip! Probably my favorite National Park experience so far! There is water on the island that you can drink and the bathrooms at the camp site have flushing toilets and sinks to wash your hands. I would highly recommend using a collapsible wagon if you're taking a cooler! Campsite is beautifully upkept and all the trails are very well maintained. Lobo canyon was absolutely beautiful and a great day hike, definitely take lots of water. We hiked out there and had lunch on the shore side. Be prepared for some wind! 10/10 will definitely be going again.