The Channel Islands, off the coast of Southern California, is one of the most underrated U.S. National Parks, with stunning ocean views, rugged sea cliffs, and so much unique wildlife. After all, this archipelago of eight islands is considered the “Galápagos of North America”!
If you want to explore these islands, you can, of course, visit on a day trip, but, to really dive deep into the beautiful landscapes and wildlife here, I’d recommend backpacking the Channel Islands for a few days. My husband, Justin, and I did just that on the most popular island, Santa Cruz, from Prisoners Harbor on the central part of its coastline to Scorpion Cove on the northeastern part of the island over the course of three days. If you want to have your own adventure on this beautiful island, here’s everything you need to know about backpacking the Channel Islands.
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About Santa Cruz Island
As mentioned above, the Channel Islands are a chain of eight islands off the coast of Ventura, California, five of which are part of the U.S. National Park system: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara.
Santa Cruz is the largest, the most popular, and the only island that really offers any backpacking opportunities. Beyond backpacking, there’s a ton of other things to do here—kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Accordingly, this would be our top recommendation for which island to choose as your first time visiting Channel Islands National Park.
Santa Cruz Island is divided into two sections—the eastern quarter of the island is managed by the National Park Service, while the rest of the island is managed by The Nature Conservancy, who helps conserve and protect the 1,000 species of plants and animals that live on the island (including about 60 endemic species that are only found on the Channel Islands and 12 species that are ONLY found on Santa Cruz island). The two areas are clearly separated by a fence, with all Nature Conservancy land being closed to the public.
About the Santa Cruz Island Backpacking Route
Backpacking across Santa Cruz Island is SUCH a cool experience
Since most visitors just come on a day trip, you’ll get to explore large swaths of the island all to yourself AND get to see parts of the island that few others have the opportunity to experience. In fact, we literally didn’t see any other humans for almost an entire 24 hour period while we were backpacking here, which kind of made us feel like we had Santa Cruz Island all to ourselves!
Here’s what you can expect while backpacking from Prisoners Harbor to Scorpion Cove, as listed on AllTrails:
- Length: 12.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 2,677
- Difficulty: Hard
- Dog-friendly? No, dogs are generally not permitted on Santa Cruz Island. Even service dogs require prior approval and a special health screening to help protect the island’s fragile ecosystem.
However, I’d recommend making a detour from the route listed on AllTrails to hit Potato Harbor, which is one of the most beautiful viewpoints on the island, during the second day of your hike.
If you decide to add on the trip to Potato Harbor, the stats for the hike are:
- Length: 14.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 2,785 feet
- Difficulty: Hard
Parts of the trail are challenging, like the steep climb up to High Mount, one of the tallest peaks on the eastern side of the island. But, since the mileage isn’t too long and the elevation gain is generally pretty gradual, I think this would be a totally doable option if you’re relatively new to backpacking.
How to Get to Santa Cruz Island
Given that Santa Cruz Island is approximately 25 miles off the coast of California, there are no roads that lead here. The only way to get here is by a private boat or public ferry, which is currently operated by Island Packers.
Getting ferry tickets to Santa Cruz
Island Packers, which operates out of the Ventura Harbor, offers daily ferries to Santa Cruz, weekly ferries to Anacapa Island and Santa Rosa Island, and a once-a-year ferry to San Miguel Island. Roundtrip tickets for daytrippers to Santa Cruz are currently $72 per person and roundtrip tickets for campers staying one night or longer are $96 per person (there’s discounted pricing for children, seniors, and military personnel).
Santa Cruz has two anchorages: Scorpion Cove (or, sometimes, just referred to as Scorpion), on the northeastern corner of the island, and Prisoners Harbor along the north central coastline.
To backpack across Santa Cruz Island, you can either do a thru hike from Prisoners Harbor to Scorpion Cove or vice versa. However, I’d strongly recommend doing the former, given that Scorpion Cove has the only potable water on the island—so I think it’s much nicer to arrive on Santa Cruz Island with your own water on the first day and make your way to Scorpion Cove on the second day, where you can join all the clean drinking water you can dream of!
While you can usually book most Island Packers ferry tickets online, you’ll need to call them in order to make a reservation to be dropped off at Prisoners Harbor and picked up at Scorpion Cove. When we called, the staff was super friendly and helpful!
Tickets to Santa Cruz frequently sell out weeks in advance, especially on weekends and during the busy summer season, so I’d recommend booking them as far in advance as possible to make sure you can snag tickets!
Parking while you’re visiting the Channel Islands
The Island Packers has plenty of parking around their office in what’s referred to as the “Whale Lot.” The staff at the office will give you a parking tag that allows you to park here overnight during your backpacking trip.
Parking is free here Monday through Thursday, but requires payment from Friday through Sunday and on holidays (approximately $10 USD per day).
Unfortunately, RVs that are longer than 25 feet are prohibited in Ventura Harbor. We double checked about parking our RV here, but Island Packers said that Ventura Harbor security is really strict about this limitation—so I’d definitely recommend storing your RV elsewhere!
What to expect on the ferry ride to Santa Cruz Island
The ferry departs from Ventura Harbor, crosses the Santa Barbara Channel, and generally stops to let passengers off at Scorpion anchorage first (where most travelers disembark) and then at Prisoners Harbor. The one-way ride from Ventura to Prisoners Harbor takes about two hours total.
Insider tip: You’ll need to put any fuel in a special box to minimize the risks of any fire or explosions on the boat and remove any water from your camping gear before stowing it on the boat. So I’d recommend having it at the top of your backpack or otherwise readily accessible when you arrive at Island Packers' office.
There can be pretty rough waves in this part of the Pacific, especially from November through April. We visited in late January and lucked out with pretty seas both waves, but, if you’re prone to seasickness, I’d suggest coming prepared with Dramamine.
To be honest, the ferry rides were some of the best parts of our experience in the Channel Islands.
Beyond just getting to see the beautiful cliffs, sea caves, and sea stacks along the coastline of Santa Cruz Island, we also saw a pod of common dolphins leaping around our boat and two grey whales on our way there and, on the way back, a HUGE pod of dolphins swam right alongside the bow of our ship for about 10 minutes. Pure magic!
Insider tip: Passengers start lining up for the ferry about 45 minutes before departure, with first-come, first-serve seating on the boat. If seasickness is a concern or the weather forecast is gnarly during your ferry crossing, I’d suggest showing up early so you can snag a spot inside by the window (or wherever makes you the most comfortable).
It’s not a HUGE deal, because people wind up moving around a lot once the boat starts moving, but, if it’s raining or super cold, just be aware that spots inside the ferry are on the more limited side.
Channel Islands Backpacking Itinerary
Given the mileage and elevation gain, you can do this hike as a two day backpacking trip (we actually met a trail runner, who did the entire trail in one day!). However, we did this trail as a three day hike and I’d definitely recommend it, to give you more time to explore the island, especially around the Scorpion Anchorage, which has tons of cool nearby activities, like day hikes, kayaking to sea caves, and even snorkeling!
So, here’s our recommended backpacking itinerary from Prisoners Harbor to Scorpion Cove:
Day 1
- Take the Island Packers ferry from Ventura Harbor to Prisoners Harbor anchorage
- Hike 3.0 miles from Prisoners Harbor to the Del Norte Campground along the Del Norte Trail
- Camp overnight at the Del Norte Campground (permits required from recreation.gov)
Day 2
- Hike 9.5 miles from the Del Norte Campground to Potato Harbor along the Del Norte and Montanon Trails
- Eat lunch while overlooking Potato Harbor (if you’re lucky, you might spot some sea lions here!)
- Hike the final 1.4 miles from Potato Harbor to the Scorpion Campground
- Camp overnight at the Scorpion Campground (permits required from recreation.gov)
Day 3
- Enjoy one of the activities at Scorpion Cove, like a day hike (we hiked to the Smugglers Cove trail), go on a sea kayaking tour, or a snorkeling tour in the kelp forests around the island.
- Take the ferry from Scorpion Cove back to Ventura Harbor
Camping on Santa Cruz Island
There are two campgrounds on Santa Cruz Island:
- Del Norte, which is a backcountry campground that’s only accessible by hiking, and
- The much larger Scorpion Campground, which is about 0.1 miles from Scorpion Anchorage.
You need a permit to camp in either of these campgrounds, which costs $15 per night and is reservable on recreation.gov (here’s where you book a site for Del Norte and here’s where you book for Scorpion).
We didn’t have any problem making campground reservations about a week before our trip on a weekday, but campsites regularly sell out, especially on weekends and during the busier summer season. I’d recommend checking whether there’s availability on the ferry and at the respective campgrounds for your target dates before purchasing either of them (especially the pricier ferry tickets).
Del Norte Campground
The Del Norte Campground is located about three miles east of Prisoners Harbor and is only accessible by hiking.
The campground is small, with a total of four sites, with a picnic table and an animal proof storage container at each site.
There’s also a freshly constructed pit toilet near the campground.
This campground is BEAUTIFUL, with sweeping views of the island’s coastline and beyond, the Pacific Ocean. If you’re going during the warmer months, you might want to book site #3 or #4, which are tucked under trees and get more shade. During the cooler months, I’d try to snag site #1 (which has the BEST views!) or #2, which are exposed to the sun but have unobstructed views of the water.
During our backpacking trip, we were the only ones that camped during our stay in Del Norte and it was SUCH a magical evening, eating our dinner while watching the sun set over the Pacific.
Scorpion Campground
Scorpion Campground is much larger, 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 away.
The campsite amenities are the same as Del Norte, with picnic tables and animal proof storage containers at each site. But the campground also has multiple pit toilets and something that you can’t find anywhere else on Santa Cruz—potable drinking water!
The lower campground is tucked in a grove of old-growth eucalyptus trees, with lots of shade (perfect if you’re camping in the warmer months). The upper campground is mostly exposed to the sun and has better views of the surrounding rolling green hills.
We stayed in the lower campground, which was perfectly lovely (I mistakenly thought that all of the sites in the upper campground are group sites). However, next time that we go back, I’m definitely going to try to snag a spot in the upper campground!
What to Know About Your Santa Cruz Island Backpacking Trip
You must use the provided food storage containers
It’s important that you keep your food in the provided storage containers in the campgrounds or by either of the docks. There are TONS of island foxes (which are these adorable, tiny foxes that are ONLY found on the Channel Islands!), birds, and little mice that are VERY eager to steal your food.
I know all of these critters are cute, but please remember to follow the leave no trace principles and refrain from feeding them!
There are no services on Santa Cruz
Other than potable water in the Scorpion Campground, there isn’t any kind of food or drink available on the island. You need to bring EVERYTHING you’ll need with you for the duration of your stay (be sure to check out our What to Bring on Your Channel Islands Backpacking Trip section below).
Don’t expect cell service
We intermittently had cell service when we were standing directly on the coastline, but, otherwise, didn’t have service throughout most of the island.
I’d strongly recommend downloading an offline version of the trail on AllTrails and a map of Santa Cruz Island on Google Maps. There’s a ton of offshoots along the trail, plus the path can get quite overgrown—so it’s definitely easy to get turned around if you don’t have a map here!
I’d also recommend having a satellite phone on hand, in case you run out of water or injure yourself on the trail. As mentioned above, we didn’t see ANYONE on the island for almost 24 hours, which is AWESOME if you’re seeking solitude—but not so awesome if you need help.
What to Bring on Your Channel Islands Backpacking Trip
Water
The most important thing to know about backpacking across Santa Cruz Island is that there’s only potable water at the Scorpion Campground. So, if you’re following our itinerary suggested above, you’ll need to have enough water to drink and cook your food for almost 15 miles and over 24 hours.
We brought 3 gallons of water between the two of us, which worked out fine, but we were also backpacking in January, the coolest part of the year. If you’re coming during the warmer months (July through October), I’d strongly recommend bringing at least one gallon of water per person per day,
Insider tip: Island Packers will refill your water bottles with drinking water while you’re on the ferry, so I’d suggest drinking as much water as you can while on the boat and having the crew top off your water before you disembark!
Food
As mentioned above, there’s no place to purchase food on the island, so you’ll need to bring everything you need with you.
When we’re backpacking, we usually eat dehydrated meals, like this option and this option, given they’re lightweight, won’t get crushed in our bags, and are shelf-stable.
Trekking poles
Parts of this trail are STEEP (up to a 28% grade while climbing up to High Mount), which feels even harder with around 30 extra pounds strapped to your back.
I’d strongly recommend using trekking poles, which makes climbing a bit easier on your knees and helps transfer some of the extra weight of your backpacking gear.
Sunscreen
Even though we hiked here in January, the sun felt INTENSE—I can’t imagine how strong the UV must feel during the warmer months! Definitely pack plenty of sunscreen, as well as sunglasses and a hat.
Telephoto lens
If you’re a photographer, Santa Cruz Island is an absolute DREAM, between the untouched landscapes and the abundant wildlife. Most of the wildlife here tend to be smaller, like the island foxes (which are about one third smaller than a normal gray fox that you’d see on the mainland) or the Island scrub jay, which is the only bird in North America that’s only found on a single island!
Accordingly, while it’s not going to help you lighten your load, I’d suggest packing along your telephoto lens if you’re a photographer. We packed our Sony a7iii and our 60-600mm lens and are SO glad that we did!
Motion sickness medication
For the boat ride over
Backpacking gear
I saved this for last as, if you’ve been backpacking before, you probably know all of the necessary gear you need.
If not, here’s a list of things that we pack along on all of our backcountry camping trips:
- Backpacks (his and hers)
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Inflatable pillow
- Tent and footprint
- Burner
- Fuel
- Lighter
- Cook kit
- Camping sporks
- Powdered coffee (if you’re a coffee lover, like us!)
- WAG bags (if you need to poop along the trail where there aren’t toilets), plus extra toilet paper and plastic baggies to pack out any used toilet paper
- Battery pack and charging cables for your phone, headlamp, or any other electronics
- Headlamp
When to Go Backpacking on the Channel Islands
One of the best things about the Channel Islands is that they enjoy a Mediterranean-type climate all year round, with cool, mild winters and warmer, dry summers. So there’s really no bad time to go backpacking here!
Although winter (January through March) is the rainiest part of the year, we think it’s a great time to backpack in Santa Cruz Island. As mentioned above, we went in January and it was GORGEOUS, with lush, green hillsides, blooming wildflowers, and moderate temperatures.
August through October is another great time to go backpacking, with warmer and drier weather. The waves are calm, which is great for kayaking, plus the water’s visibility improves, making this a great time to go snorkeling and scuba diving. Just be prepared for the landscape here to be much more brown than in our photos.
I would consider avoiding the island from May through July, when much of Santa Cruz is taken over by THOUSANDS of nesting seagulls. I’ve read reviews from other campers who have said the gulls are noisy, smelly, and are even known to dive bomb visitors to protect their nests!
Our Experience Backpacking the Channel Islands
Here’s what our experience was like hiking across Santa Cruz Island.
Ferry ride from Ventura Harbor to Prisoners Harbor
We got ferry tickets to Santa Cruz Island for 8:45 AM on a weekday.
Our boarding process was honestly a little confusing (and, given that our ferry was mostly empty. I imagine it may be even more chaotic on weekends or busier timeframes!).
Island Packers’ emails had some scary language that indicated that campers that were not ready to go with plenty of time to spare would be left at the harbor. So, we got to their offices super early (around 7:15 AM), which turned out to be WAY too much time, given that their offices don’t open until 8 AM and boarding didn’t actually start until around 8:30 AM or so.
After checking in once they opened, it was a bit unclear who to give our backpacking gear, fuel, and extra water to, and where to line up for the boat.
Even though it was a bit confusing, the Island Packers crew was super kind and patient and eventually helped us get everything squared away. I’d just recommend letting one of the crew members know that you’re a camper and you have geat that needs to be loaded on the boat as soon as you can and they’ll help you out!
Beyond our slightly disorganized loading experience, the ferry to Santa Cruz was one of the highlights of our visit to the Channel Islands, with common dolphins leaping around our boat and two grey whales that slowly swam past us down to the warm and shallow lagoons of Baja California.
It was also SUCH a stunning cruise, especially the half hour or so between the Scorpion Anchorage, where we dropped most of the passengers off, and Prisoners Harbor. This entire section had jaw-dropping views of the island’s coastline, rugged sea stacks and towering cliffs toward Prisoners Harbor—and it felt EXTRA special, since we were one of the only passengers remaining on the ferry!
In total, it took us a little over two hours to sail from Ventura Harbor to our dock.
Prisoners Harbor to Del Norte Campground
Once we made it to Prisoners Harbor, we disembarked (by climbing up a short ladder, which isn’t something we’ve seen before!) to the dock, repacked all of our fuel and water into our gear, and had a quick lunch at the nearby picnic tables.
From there, we started the climb up to Del Norte campground, which gains about 700 feet of elevation in about 3 miles. While the climb is pretty gradual, there’s virtually no shade along the trail, so it felt pretty toasty, even in the mild weather we had in January.
As we hiked near Del Norte Campground, we saw our first (of many!) island fox, who seemed to have ABSOLUTELY no fear of us humans, as he hopped along the trail right in front of us.
After enjoying watching him for a bit, we reached Del Norte Campground, realized that we had the whole campsite to ourselves for the night, and set up our tent in our glorious Campsite #1. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening, chatting, taking in the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, and making a tasty dinner.
Del Norte Campground to Scorpion Cove
We woke up early enough to have our coffee while watching the pinky glow of sunrise light up the sky over the ocean, before packing up our campsite and continuing on our hike.
To be honest, today’s hike was LONG (almost 12 miles!), with constantly rolling hills that gradually climb up towards a ridgeline of some of the tallest mountains on Santa Cruz Island.
Besides the mileage, most of the hike is pretty mellow, with CONSTANT views of the coastline, meadows of wildflowers, and the surrounding green hills to keep you distracted. However, the climb up to High Mount (about 8.5 miles into the trail) is steep and rocky, with some areas with sketchy drop-offs. I am SUPER glad I had trekking poles with me during this section, so I’d suggest packing them along for extra traction and support during this part of the trail.
After we successfully climbed up to High Mount (the highest point along the trail), we made a detour from the route listed on AllTrails, taking the Montañon Ridge Trail down to Potato Harbor. Hiking along this route is absolutely gorgeous, with the views of the ocean getting better and better as you descend down the hill.
Even though this was the first place we saw other humans on the trail since the boat let us off at Prisoners Harbor, we absolutely LOVED it. It seriously looks like something you’d see on the Cyclade Islands, with steep rocky cliffsides and impossibly turquoise water. I think the only thing that makes Potato Harbor feel distinctly Californian are the cacophony of sea lions, barking off in the distance!
From Potato Harbor, we hiked the last one and a half mile down to the Scorpion Campground, where we GLADLY took off our heavy packs and set up our campsite. The shade in the lower campground was very welcome and we had almost this entire portion of the campground all to ourselves!
This is the larger campground that sees a LOT more foot traffic and, accordingly, the island foxes here have absolutely no shame. There was one little guy that came right up to the opening of our tent and peered in to see if there was any food he could snag from us (again, friendly reminder not to feed the foxes, no matter how cute they are!).
Exploring Scorpion Cove
On our final day on Santa Cruz Island, we decided to hike the Smugglers Cove Trail to a beautiful beach on the eastern side of the island. To be honest, we didn’t make it all the way to the beach (we were pretty pooped from the previous two days and were nervous about being late to our return ferry!), but still enjoyed the panoramic views of the beautiful ocean and rolling green hills along the trail.
After returning from our hike, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the historic Scorpion Ranch and lazily sitting out on the dock, watching sea lions, seals, and TONS of sea birds around us.
Scorpion Cove to Ventura Harbor
We boarded the ferry back to Ventura around 3 PM.
The ride back was somehow even MORE magical than our boat ride there, with a pod of dolphins swimming right alongside our bow for a loooong time. We also spotted a couple of sea lions swimming around Ventura Harbor as we pulled in—the perfect sendoff to an incredible few days spent in the Channel Islands!
There you have it—everything you need to know about backpacking in the Channel Islands! Do you have any questions about planning a trip to Santa Cruz island? Let us know in the comments below!
