Est. 1980 | California | 249,561 acres

A mere eleven miles from the coast of California, the five islands of Channel Islands National Park stand as a sanctuary against the hustle of mainland life in more ways than one. Whether protecting the nesting sites of 20,000 western gulls or preserving the habitat of the endemic island fox or simply offering a secluded getaway for island hopping visitors, Channel Islands exists as a testimony to a more peaceful pace of California life.

Even though the two visitor centers are conveniently located in the cities of Santa Barbara and Ventura, the park’s primitive islands are only accessible by boat and contain no overland transportation. Anacapa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, and San Miguel Island form a chain east to west (respectively) from the mainland coast each about 3–4 miles apart. Santa Barabara Island, the odd one out, lies roughly 40 miles alone southeast of Anacapa.

Though all five islands share a similar climate and ecosystem, they each carry unique features. Isolated from the other four, Santa Barbara Island is the smallest island covering only one square mile with grassy mesas and steep sea cliffs. Anacapa Island, the closest island to the California’s coastline, is broken into three small islets known for massive seabird colonies, rock arches and kelp forests. Santa Cruz, the largest of the islands, is famous for its endemic island foxes, historic ranches, and the world’s largest sea cave. Continuing west, Santa Rosa Island is lined with rolling hills, sand dunes and gentle beaches. And farthest out, San Miguel Island bears the brunt of the sea weather sustaining nutrient-rich waters and incredible marine biodiversity, including seals and sea lions.

Must-see highlights in Channel Islands

Best time to visit Channel Islands

Channel Islands boasts a “Mediterranean” climate all year long with temperatures averaging 50ºF–60ºF, but the weather can vary greatly day to day and island to island. While this makes travel plans difficult, it also gives the islands their iconic character and intrigue, so be flexible with the possibility of shifting plans. Generally speaking, spring and summer are the best times to visit, affording the most stable conditions to reach the islands, but each season brings unique conditions and a new cast of wildlife.

• Spring (March to May): Spring is defined by warming temperatures creating strong winds and dense fog, especially in the late spring as the heat of summer approaches. Water temperature ranges from the mid-50s to low-60s (ºF). During years with normal rainfall, the brilliant yellow flowers of the giant coreopsis begin blooming in late-January, peaking in March and tapering off in May. Western gulls descend upon Anacapa in the tens of thousands to begin nesting in April. Meanwhile fox pups are born over on Santa Cruz.
• Summer (June to August): Summer is the busiest season as fog diminishes, winds calm, and seas relax near the end of summer and continue through October. The heat of summer dries out the vegetation of spring creating brown fields and slopes. Blue whale and humpback whales can be seen along the coasts during late summer.
• Fall (September to November): The best chance for warm weather, calm winds, and gentle seas continues. Water temperatures reach into the 70s (ºF) at the onset of fall and underwater visibility is usually at its best during these calm-ocean days, making this the best time for watersports such as kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. However, strong east winds can come as early as October with the changing of seasons. Northern elephant seals begin gathering at breeding sites along the islands preparing for a new generation of pups in the winter.
• Winter (December to February): Temperatures begin to cool as winter storms begin growing more frequent. The park receives the most rainfall between December and March; yet, not everything is gloom and doom in the winter. Sunny, clear days can occur between storms and gray whales migrating to the islands can be seen in December and through to April. Vegetation can also begin blooming in February as a new year brings another spring.

How long should I visit Channel Islands?

Most people only visit a small portion of Channel Islands at a time, usually on day cruises to one of the islands. Anacapa and Santa Cruz are the most popular destinations affording up to half a day to explore the islands. However, all five islands offer primitive overnight campgrounds allowing visitors to extend their stay on the islands. All in all, though it can be visited in a single day, Channel Islands is really best explored in 2–3 days, with perhaps a quick day trip to Anacapa and an overnight stay on Santa Cruz, or vice versa. Located farther out, the other islands (Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) are not entirely practical to visit without preplanned arrangements.

Getting to Channel Islands

Arriving at Channel Islands is not an easy undertaking. Out of state visitors must catch a plane, car, and ferry to reach the park. Thankfully for those arriving by plane, Channel Islands National Park is conveniently located near major California travel destinations. Because of its sheer size, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will be your best bet for flight options and pricing, but Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) are decent smaller alternatives. Though farthest away, LAX is only 70 miles from Ventura, the location for the main visitor center.

With boats being the only mode of transportation to and from the islands, options are extremely limited. And without a private vessel, Island Packers, the park’s only authorized concessionaire is your only option for getting to the islands. Additionally, as an another layer of complexity, the volatile weather can make docking impossible on rough seas so day cruises can potentially get delayed and canceled. Because ferries can reach capacity during high visitation periods do not plan to book a last minute trip. Advanced planning is highly recommended.

Conveniently, Island Packers has two locations along the mainland, departing from Oxnard Harbor and Ventura Harbor. The Oxnard location only ferries people to Anacapa, while the Ventura location services Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel. Unfortunately, in 2015, the landing dock on Santa Barbara island received severe damage making it inaccessible to Island Packers. Private vessels are permitted to attempt docking, but no commercial ferries are scheduled to reach the island until further notice. Each voyage to the islands can take anywhere from an hour for the nearby Anacapa Island up to 4 hours for the farther San Miguel Island. Ferries also run between Anacapa and Santa Cruz to allow visitors the joy of experiencing two islands in one day.

Where to stay in Channel Islands

Lodging—There are no lodges or services within the park on the islands—only primitive dry campsites. However, with top California destinations all along the coast, hotels and over night accommodations are not hard to come by. Unlike other parks, this is perhaps the easiest travel factor to secure when visiting Channel Islands.

Campgrounds—Anyone with an itch for adventure, will soon find camping on the islands is a bucket list opportunity. Channel Islands offers a primitive campground on each of the 5 islands. Because transportation to the islands reaches capacity before the campgrounds, secure passage aboard a ferry before booking a campground. When booking simply reserve an outbound and return journey on separate days. Campgrounds are located at least half a mile from landing docks, so treat this like a backpacking trip with all your gear easily portable. With extremely limited services on the islands, all campgrounds require campers to bring water (suggested 1 gallon per person per day), except those staying at Scorpion Canyon Campground and Water Canyon Campground. Potable drinking water is available at these campgrounds.

• Anacapa Island Campground—Anacapa Island, 7 sites (tent only), open year-round, steep 0.5 miles from dock
• Scorpion Canyon Campground—Santa Cruz Island, 31 sites (tent only), open year-round, flat 0.5 miles from dock
• Water Canyon Campground—Santa Rosa Island, 15 sites (tent only), open year-round, flat 1.5 miles from dock
• San Miguel Island Campground—San Miguel Island, 9 sites (tent only), open year-round, steep 1 mile from dock
• Santa Barbara Island Campground—Santa Barbara Island, 10 sites (tent only), open year-round, steep 0.25 miles from dock

When should I book?

Transportation to the islands is easily the limiting factor when it comes to booking a trip to Channel Islands. Without a ferry ride, your trip to the park is non-existent. Consider first securing your ferry rides to and from the island before booking activities, lodging, camping, or airfare. During peak seasons (May–August) book at least 2–3 weeks in advance. Off season can afford shorter lead-times, so a week in advance is fairly practical. However, best airline prices are usually found 1–3 months in advance. In general it is wise to book as early as possible. Campgrounds allow reservations up to 6 months in advance.

How much should I budget?

A 2–3 day trip to Channel Islands booked 4 months in advance can cost roughly $500–$1000 depending on your required needs. Here is a range of what to expect:

Roundtrip Airfare to Los Angeles	$100–$300
Car Rental	$40–$100/day (not including taxes/fees)
Hotel	$150–$300/night (not including taxes/fees)
Campgrounds	$15/night
Meals	$10–$20/meal
Entrance Fee	Free

Packing list for Channel Islands

Each park requires different gear for its unique characteristics. For Channel Islands National Park, we wouldn’t want to be caught without hiking shoes, extra water/food, sunscreen, sunglasses, wide-brimmed hat, water shoes or sturdy sandals, and a rain coat.

Want to learn more? Check out our detailed trip report for a peek into our trip to Channel Islands.

For more detailed information on Channel Islands National Park, visit the official park website.