The Channel Islands are one of the most underrated national parks, with a dramatic coastline, hidden coves, and so much incredible wildlife. Located off the coast of Ventura, California, this archipelago’s wild and rugged landscape feels surprisingly untouched, especially given its proximity to Los Angeles.
Five of the eight Channel Islands are in the national park, with Santa Cruz island being the largest and most popular to visit. It also has the most unique array of adventures to get up to, from multi-day backpacking trips to snorkeling through kelp forests. Here are 6 awesome things to do on Santa Cruz island in the Channel Island National Park, one of the best hidden gems in Southern California.
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About Santa Cruz in Channel Islands National Park
The Channel Islands are located a little over 20 miles off the coast of southern California, across the Santa Barbara Channel. As mentioned above, Santa Cruz is one of the five Channel Islands that are included in the national park, along with Anacapa, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara.
Santa Cruz is the largest Channel Island, with 96 square miles of rolling green hills and rugged mountains. It also is considered the most biodiverse of any of the islands, with over 1,000 species of plants and animals, including over 60 that are unique to the Channel Islands and 12 that are ONLY found on Santa Cruz.
Accordingly, about 75% of the island is managed by The Nature Conservancy, which helps protect the island’s biodiversity, and is not publicly accessible. The remaining quarter of the island, on its eastern corner, is managed by the national park service.
The two areas are clearly demarcated by a fence, so it’s easy to steer clear of the Nature Conservancy portion!
How to get to Santa Cruz in Channel Islands National Park
Santa Cruz is only accessible by boat. Accordingly, unless you happen to have your own boat, the only way to get here is by a ferry, operated by Island Packers.
Getting ferry tickets to Santa Cruz island
Island Packers offers daily ferries out of Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz, as well as periodic ferries to Anacapa, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel.
Roundtrip tickets to Santa Cruz cost $72 per person if you’re visiting as a day trip or $96 per person if you plan on camping overnight on the island. There are discounted tickets for children, seniors, and active military personnel.
Santa Cruz has two different anchorages (i.e., spots that you can be dropped off):
- Scorpion (also called Scorpion Cove), located on the northeastern corner of the island, or
- Prisoners Harbor, along the north central coastline.
The vast majority of visitors opt to get dropped off and picked up at Scorpion anchorage. It’s where most of the best things to do on Santa Cruz island are located, from day hikes to kayaking tours, plus it’s where its largest campground is and where the only potable water on the island is located.
Alternatively, you can get dropped off at Prisoners Harbor. This is a good option if you want to stay at the only backcountry campground on the island, called Del Norte Campground, or if you plan on backpacking across Santa Cruz island, starting from Prisoners Harbor and ending at Scorpion Cove (this is actually what we did during our visit here!).
You can purchase ferry tickets directly on Island Packers’ website (note that, if you want to get dropped off at one anchorage and picked up at another, you’ll have to call Island Packers to reserve your tickets).
We bought our tickets the week before our visit, which was mid-week in January. However, if you’re visiting on a weekend or during the busier summer months, I’d suggest buying your ferry tickets well in advance—they frequently sell out!
Parking while you’re visiting Santa Cruz island
There is plenty of parking available near Island Packers’ office in Ventura Harbor.
Parking is free Monday through Thursday, but costs about $10 per day from Friday through Sunday and on holidays.
If you’re planning on camping on Santa Cruz island, overnight parking in Ventura Harbor is only allowed in the “Whale Lot”, right by Island Packers’ office. When you check in to their office to get your ferry tickets, they’ll give you an overnight parking tag to hang from your rearview mirror. I was a bit worried something was going to happen to our SUV during our three day backpacking trip in the Channel Islands, but it was totally fine when we returned!
It is important to note that any RVs longer than 25 feet are prohibited from parking in Ventura Harbor. We live in our RV full-time, so we called Island Packers to see whether there was any way around this limitation. However, per our conversation with them, it sounds like people are regularly ticketed or even towed for parking oversized vehicles in the lot, so I’d definitely recommend that my RVer friends park elsewhere!
What to expect on the ferry to Santa Cruz island
From Ventura Harbor, the ferry crosses the Santa Barbara Channel, first stops at Scorpion anchorage to drop off most of its passengers, and then makes a second stop at Prisoners Harbor. It typically takes about an hour and 20 minutes for the ferry to get to Scorpion anchorage and about two hours to get to Prisoners Harbor.
There can be pretty rough waves in the Santa Barbara Channel, especially from November through April. It’s actually not uncommon for ferries to even be cancelled if the waves may make navigating the ferry too dangerous.
For what it’s worth, during our visit in January, we got pretty lucky with incredibly calm seas on both our inbound and return ferries, but having some Dramamine on hand is definitely a good idea, especially if you’re prone to sea sickness.
Beyond the potentially choppy waves, we LOVED our ferry rides and thought they were one of the highlights of our trip to the Channel Islands. You get to see stunning views of Santa Cruz’s coastline along the way and, with any luck, tons of wildlife. We had common dolphins swimming alongside the bow of our boat for over ten minutes AND watched two grey whales migrate past us as they made their way down to the warm lagoons of Baja, Mexico. Absolutely magical!
Insider tip: I’d suggest showing up to Island Packers about an hour early, so that you can get in line and have your pick of where to sit on the boat. For example, if it’s cold or raining, there’s a limited amount of seating inside of the ferry, so you’ll have a better chance of snagging one of those seats.
If you can’t show up early for whatever reason, not to worry—most people get up and walk around during the ferry ride, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding a comfortable spot somewhere on the boat.
Things to do on Santa Cruz in Channel Islands National Park
Okay, with all of the logistics out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff—what to do on Santa Cruz in the Channel Islands!
1. Hiking
There are 17 hiking trails that cover over 20 miles on Santa Cruz island, most of which depart right from Scorpion Anchorage.
Here are just a few of our favorites:
Cavern Point Loop
If you’re short on time or just in the mood for an easier hike, the Cavern Point Loop Trail is a must do, climbing up to the edge of the island’s coastal bluffs, with incredible views of the dramatic cliffsides and the ocean below.
I’d suggest hiking the trail counterclockwise, walking through the Lower Scorpion Campground first. Not only does this give you an excellent opportunity to drop off your camping gear, if you happen to be staying the night here, but you’ll also avoid having to climb up some seriously steep stairs.
- Length: 1.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 288 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trail map
Potato Harbor
If we only had time to do one day hike from Scorpion Anchorage, we’d recommend heading to Potato Harbor, which is the most popular day hike on Santa Cruz and, in our opinion, the most beautiful spot on the island.
The trail follows along the island’s northern edge, with gorgeous views of the rugged coastline and the Pacific Ocean almost the entire way. The endpoint overlooks a stunning cove, with dramatic white cliffs and sparkling turquoise waters. It seriously looks like something you’d see on one of the Grecian islands—just with LOTS of sea lions barking off in the distance!
- Length: 5.3 miles
- Elevation gain: 629 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trail map
Smugglers Cove
This trail climbs up a series of rolling green hills, with beautiful ocean views and, in the distance, Anacapa Island. You’ll end up hiking downhill to a rocky beach, tucked along the eastern coastline of the island, with some great tide pooling opportunities at low tide.
We did this trail as a day hike, after backpacking across Santa Cruz island, and really enjoyed getting to explore the eastern part of the island.
- Length: 7.7 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,400 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trail map
Montañon Ridge Loop
If you’re looking for more of a challenge, consider hiking this trail, which leads up to one of the tallest mountains on the eastern side of the islands.
We hiked this trail as part of our backpacking trip across Santa Cruz Island and thought it was so cool to see how the landscape changed from the grassy hillsides to more arid, rugged terrain the further up you climb. At the top, there’s absolutely jaw-dropping views in every direction around the island.
- Length: 8.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,686 feet
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Trail map
2. Camping
Most people just visit on a day trip, but, in our opinion, one of the best things to do on Santa Cruz island is to go camping.
There are two campgrounds on the island, Scorpion and Del Norte Campgrounds.
Both of them require permits ($15 per campsite per night), which you can pick up on recreation.gov (you can go here for permits to Scorpion and here for permits to Del Norte). Like the ferry tickets, I’d suggest trying to buy them well in advance of your visit, especially if you’re visiting on a weekend or during the busier summer months, as the campgrounds often completely book out.
Regardless of which campground you stay at on Santa Cruz island, there are no services on the island, so you have to bring everything you need (e.g., tent, food, water, fuel) for the duration of your stay.
Scorpion Campground
This is, by far, the biggest campground on the island, with a lower loop with 22 sites and an upper loop with 9 sites. The lower loop is just a short walk from the Scorpion Anchorage, while the upper loop is about half a mile further.
The amenities are pretty basic here, with each site coming with a picnic table and a food storage locker, plus a handful of vault toilets and a spigot with potable water (the only spot on Santa Cruz you can find any!),
This is a popular choice for visitors that want to stay overnight to explore Scorpion Cove a bit more deeply. For example, this is a great place to use as your base camp if you want to go on a kayaking tour AND do a longer day hike in the area, which you likely wouldn’t be able to squeeze into just a day trip, given the ferry’s schedule.
You can also incorporate the Scorpion Campground into a longer backpacking trip across the island, starting from Prisoners Harbor. For example, we stayed at Scorpion Campground on the second (and last) night of our backpacking trip across Santa Cruz island, which started at Prisoners Harbor.
Del Norte Campground
This is a small backcountry campground, meaning the only way you can get here is by hiking (three miles from Prisoners Harbor anchorage, to be exact!). There are only four sites here—sites #1 and 2 have spectacular views of the surrounding bay and water, while #3 and 4 are tucked in the treeline.
Again, each campsite has a picnic table and a food storage locker, plus a surprisingly nice vault toilet.
If you’re looking to dip your toes into backpacking, hiking from Prisoners Harbor to Del Norte would be an awesome first backpacking trip, given the short distance, moderate elevation gain, and incredible views!
Or, if you’re up for more of a challenge, you can follow a similar route to what we did, starting from Prisoners Harbor and staying at Del Norte your first night and then hiking across the island to Scorpion Campground on your second day.
There is no potable water at Del Norte (the only potable water source is at Scorpion Campground), so it’s important to bring enough water for drinking and cooking for the duration of your stay (or until you get to Scorpion Campground).
For context, during our backpacking trip here, we brought three gallons of water to sustain us for the approximately 30 hours and 15 miles of hiking until we reached Scorpion Harbor—and it was the perfect amount! However, we visited during January, one of the coolest months on the island, so, if we were visiting during a warmer period, we would have brought at least one gallon per person per day.
3. Snorkeling and scuba diving
Did you know that Santa Cruz island has some of the best snorkeling in California? In fact, Jacques Cousteau, the iconic oceanographer and explorer, named it one of the world’s top 10 cold water dive sites!
The Channel Islands are known for their impressive kelp forests, with some species of kelp stretching up to 150 feet high from the ocean floor. Due to the shelter and nutrients that kelp provide and the unique mixing of currents here, the Channel Islands have some of the most biodiverse waters on the planet, with over 1,000 plant and animal species, ranging from spiny lobsters to sea lions, thriving within its kelp forests. One of the crew members on our Island Packers ferry even told us he had recently spotted an 18 foot great white shark here!
And Santa Cruz has some of the most incredible sites out of all the Channel Islands, with Scorpion Cove being consistently ranked as THE best snorkeling and dive site.
Cold water snorkeling requires a 7mm wetsuit (here’s an option for men and women), as well as a snorkeling mask and fins. If you have all of the appropriate gear, you can simply enter the water right from the beach and swim out a few yards to explore the kelp forests.
However, I’d generally recommend going on a guided tour, where you can borrow all the necessary gear from the operator and, more importantly, go out with a knowledgeable guide into the ocean to keep you safe from currents or any marine life that might be dangerous. Currently, the Channel Islands Adventure Company is the approved concessionaire to offer tours in the Channel Islands and has a couple different snorkeling options to choose from.
If you’re a diver, there are few local operators, like Spectre, that offer dive trips to both Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands.
Important safety tip: The water within Scorpion Cove is usually (but not always!) calm and protected. However, the farther you swim away from shore, you’re getting closer to the Santa Barbara Channel, which has extremely strong—and dangerous—currents.
If you decide to go without a tour, you absolutely NEED to have a snorkeling buddy here. You should also try to go snorkeling in the morning, when the tides are generally calmer, and err on the side of caution when it comes to waves and currents.
4. Kayaking
One of Santa Cruz’s unique claims to fame is its many sea arches and sea caves, thanks to the island’s volcanic origins. In fact, the island has 114 mapped sea caves, earning it the title of having the highest density of sea caves on the planet!
Accordingly, kayaking here is absolutely EPIC, offering you the opportunity to explore incredible rock formations along Santa Cruz’s coastline and, with any luck, spot wildlife, like sea lions or dolphins, in the crystal clear waters below.
The most common way to kayak around Santa Cruz island is to book a tour through Channel Islands Adventure Company, which departs directly from Scorpion Cove (you still have to book a ferry ticket if you go on one of these tours). There are a variety of options that you can book through them, ranging from a beginner-friendly tour to a more challenging one, with up to four hours of paddling through kelp forests and sea caves.
Alternatively, if you’re experienced, you can pay to reserve a spot for your own kayak on their ferry and go paddling on your own. You can either bring your own vessel, if it meets Island Packers’ requirements, or rent one from Channel Islands Kayak Center, located on the mainland.
There are no kayak rental facilities on Santa Cruz island.
We REALLY wanted to go on a kayaking tour but, unfortunately, we didn’t have room in our budget during this visit. We definitely plan on coming back to the Channel Islands and can’t wait to explore Santa Cruz by water next time!
5. Explore Scorpion Ranch
Santa Cruz was not always protected by the National Park Service or The Nature Conservancy and actually was used by white settlers as a ranch for sheep and cattle (all the way up until the 1980s!). The island had many advantages to ranchers over the mainland, including a lack of predators and an enormous free fence—the ocean!
Scorpion Ranch, which dates back to the late 1800s, once housed an impressive array of buildings, including a garden store, bakery, blacksmith shop, and carpenter shop.
Today, you can see a few of the remaining remnants of the island’s ranching history, including the Scorpion Ranch house, which once served as the residence for the ranch hands that tended to the crops and sheep on the island. The house was rehabilitated in 2004 and turned into a visitor center in 2008. We really enjoyed perusing the exhibits, which highlighted the Indigenous people who call the Channel Islands their ancestral home and Santa Cruz’s unique biodiversity.
Beyond Scorpion Ranch house, there’s also a handful of other buildings left standing, like the blacksmith shop, and an array of rusting antique farming equipment and vehicles on display outside.
As you might guess, Scorpion Ranch is RIGHT by the Scorpion anchorage and doesn’t take too terribly long to explore. However, I’d definitely recommend saving about half an hour to mosey around here and learn a bit more about the island’s natural and human history.
6. Wildlife spotting
Last, but definitely not least, the Channel Islands are frequently referred to as the “Galapagos of North America”—so, of course, they’re an epic place to spot wildlife!
You have a few choices as to how you can try to spot the Channel Island’s adorable (and unique) critters.
On land
Santa Cruz’s most famous endemic species are the island fox, which has evolved to be about one-third smaller than a gray fox you’d find on the mainland, and the island scrubjay, which is the only bird in all of North America that’s found on a single island.
While we saw island foxes all around the island, your best bet to see one is at the Scorpion Campground. We saw TONS of these little guys skulking around, hoping to steal food scraps from us (as a friendly reminder, please follow the leave no trace principles and do not feed them!!). They really have no shame—one fox came RIGHT up to the open door of our tent!
We also spotted an island scrubjay in the Scorpion Campground, persistently trying to swipe some of our leftovers. If you’re an avid birder and prefer to go with a guide, Island Packers also occasionally offers an island scrubjay and pelagic bird tour.
By water
If you’re more interested in spotting marine life than landing on Santa Cruz, Island Packers also offers a few different cruises to see animals out on the water.
For example, they offer whale watching tours of the Santa Barbara Channel. In the summertime, these tours typically focus on the area around Santa Rosa (not Santa Cruz), where you have a good chance of spotting blue and humpback whales feeding. In the wintertime, the tours will instead focus on finding grey whales that are migrating through the Channel.
Alternatively, they occasionally offer a pelagic bird tour around Santa Cruz and the other northern Channel Islands.
What to know about visiting Santa Cruz in Channel Islands National Park
There’s no entrance fee
Unlike most national parks, the Channel Islands are actually totally free to visit! Of course, you do need to purchase a ferry ticket and any tours that you want to do but… every bit helps, right?
Dogs are not allowed
Dogs are not allowed on Santa Cruz island. Even service dogs need to receive prior approval and a health screening from the National Park Service to help protect the island’s unique biodiversity and ecosystem.
There are no services on the island
Island Packers sells some light snacks and drinks onboard, but, once you get to Santa Cruz, there are no services of any kind, other than the potable water spigot at Scorpion Campground.
So, make sure you pack enough to last the duration of your trip. We each brought one of these comically enormous Nalgene bottles, as well as an extra gallon of water, which lasted for the duration of our backpacking trip on the island.
Additionally, while we occasionally got cell service when we were right along the shoreline, we didn’t have service on the vast majority of the island.
Accordingly, I’d suggest downloading offline maps of any trails that you want to hike on AllTrails ahead of time and, if you’re going camping or on any of the more remote hikes, consider bringing a satellite communication device with you, in case you get injured or otherwise run into trouble on the trail.
During our backpacking trip across Santa Cruz, we didn’t see another human for over 24 hours, as we hiked from Prisoners Harbor to Potato Harbor. That’s awesome if you’re seeking solitude, but not so awesome if you need help.
Store your food
Whether you’re a daytripper or a camper, make sure you store your food in the provided storage lockers to keep animals from getting into them.
This is not only to protect your food, but also to protect the animals. They’re not intended to eat our food and can become reliant on humans feeding them for survival.
Bring sun protection
We were surprised by how intense the sun felt here, especially given that we were visiting in January. So be sure to bring sun protection, including sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses—there’s limited shade on the island and the reflecting sun off the water can make it feel even more intense!
When to visit Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park
There’s really no bad time to visit Santa Cruz island, given that it enjoys a Mediterranean-esque temperature all year round, with moderate winters and warmer summers.
In our opinion, though, the best two times to visit are in the wintertime and early fall.
January through March is the rainiest time of the year, which can be dicey. But, if you luck out with clear skies, you’ll be rewarded with rolling green hills, meadows of wildflowers, and temperatures that are perfect for hiking. As mentioned above, we went in January and couldn’t have asked for better weather!
August through October is a bit warmer and drier, plus this timeframe is known for bringing calm seas. Accordingly, this is the best period of time for snorkeling or kayaking, with incredible water clarity and less chop to contend with. However, the landscape will look much drier and browner than in our photos.
The only timeframe I’d recommend avoiding is from May through July, which is the foggiest time of the year AND when thousands of nesting seagulls descend on Santa Cruz island, who are known to be noisy, smelly, and aggressive with visitors.
Where to stay when exploring Santa Cruz Island
The only place to stay on Santa Cruz island is the two campgrounds, discussed in the Camping section above.
If you, instead, want to visit the Channel Islands as part of a daytrip, I’d suggest staying near Ventura Harbor. Luckily enough, there are actually a handful of hotels located within the harbor and walking distance from Island Packers’ dock.
Check out:
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites Ventura Harbor: This updated hotel offers convenient amenities, like a fridge and microwave, in each room; complimentary breakfast; access to a pool and hot tub at a neighboring hotel; and stunning views of the harbor.
- Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor: If you can look past the slightly dated interior, this hotel has a lot to love, including rooms with balconies that directly overlook the harbor, plus an onsite pool, hot tub, and restaurant and bar.
There you have it—the very best things to do on Santa Cruz island, one of our favorite places in California! Do you have any questions about visiting this unique place? Let us know in the comments below!
