Plan Your Visit

Channel Islands National Park provides a variety of recreational opportunities and a break from the congestion and clamor of urban life. The park consists of five remote islands and the mile of ocean surrounding each one. That means decisions about where to go, what to do, and how to get here require careful planning.

The mainland visitor center in Ventura Harbor is an easy-to-reach showcase of the islands. It is a great place to start and a way to explore the park without needing to take a boat. It is also the only place you can visit in less than half a day. Trips to park islands generally take a whole day or more.

To plan your visit to a park island, first consider how you will travel. Do you or a friend own a boat?

• If so, learn how to visit via private boat.
• If not, you will need to purchase a ticket on an Island Packers boat.

Next, consider how much time you will spend on-island. If you are traveling on an Island Packers boat, this is where you can go with different amounts of time:

• Less than a full day. You may be able to visit Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island, though your choice of date will be limited. You will have very little time to explore on either island. Most of your time (2-3 hours, total) will be on a boat in the vibrant Santa Barbara Channel.
• A full day. You would have 6-8 hours to explore Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island. A day trip to Santa Rosa or San Miguel Island is possible, but long boat rides mean you will have very little time to explore either island. You would have about 3.5 hours on Santa Rosa or 1-2 hours on San Miguel.
• Overnight. A one-night stay (camping only) is possible on Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island.
• More than one night. A multi-night stay (camping only) is possible on most park islands. Stays of two or more nights are possible on Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island. Island Packers boats do not stop at Santa Rosa or San Miguel Island every day. Overnight trips to Santa Rosa usually require at least three days and two nights. Overnight trips to San Miguel Island usually require at least four days and three nights.

Island Packers boats do not currently land at Santa Barbara Island.

It is very difficult to visit more than one island during a single trip. If you would like to do so on Island Packers boats, please call them at 805-642-1393 to discuss options.

Some Island Packers cruises do not land on park islands, but do spend time near the islands and in park waters. For more information on these cruises, visit the Island Packers website.

 

Basic information

Directions and Transportation

Eating and Sleeping

Places To Go

Things to Do

Calendar

Safety

Accessibility

Limiting Your Impact

 

NPS

Plan Like a Ranger

Here are ten tips for a successful trip to Channel Islands National Park:

1. Arrive with a basic itinerary for your visit.
   If, like most visitors, you travel on Island Packers, your time in the park will be limited by boat schedules. Knowing what you would like to do allows you to make the most of your time.
2. Book transportation (and campsites) early.
   Island Packers boats are often full during summer months. Booking early improves your odds of finding transportation for everyone in your group on the day of your choice to the island of your choice. If you would like to camp, book transportation and a campsite at the same time to ensure both are available.
3. Bring all the food, water, and clothing you need for your visit.
   There are no stores or restaurants on park islands. If you forget something or accidentally leave it in your car on the mainland, you will most likely have to go without it during your visit. Drinking water is only available at Scorpion Harbor on Santa Cruz Island and near Bechers Bay on Santa Rosa Island.
4. Do not rely on cell service or internet during your visit.
   Unless you are on a hillside with a view of the mainland, you are unlikely to have cell service on park islands. Wifi is sometimes available in the ranch area at Scorpion Harbor on Santa Cruz Island.
5. Use the park app to navigate during your visit.
   Download data for offline use before you leave the mainland. You can use the app to bookmark locations you'd like to visit within the park. You can also use it to locate yourself while hiking, even when you do not have cell service.
6. Safety first! Make wise decisions while on remote islands.
   Emergency help takes time to arrive, and is often coming from the mainland. Weather can delay a response by hours or even days. Make sure you understand the risk of activities you undertake, have the gear you need and know how to use it, and consider your physical and mental readiness before proceeding.
7. Leave pets at home.
   Pets are not allowed on park islands or inside the visitor center on the mainland. Service Animals require special health screening prior to coming ashore on Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, and San Miguel Island. Environmental conditions—ladders, colonies of nesting seabirds, etc.—can be challenging for service animals.
8. Check the accessibility of your planned activities.
   Moving between boats and islands is often the most challenging part of visiting if you have a mobility impairment. Some piers are easier to use than others. Once ashore, people with disabilities will find many accessible activities in the park, even on remote islands.
9. Know how you can protect this unique environment during your visit.
   Wildfires and accidental introduction of invasive species can be extinction-level events in this park. The islands have never been connected to the mainland, which means some wildlife evolved separately and are found nowhere else on earth. This is their only home! Chemical-fuel cooking stoves are the only fires allowed and pre-arrival biosecurity checks are critical.
10. Park staff are here to help.
    Call or drop by the mainland visitor center for trip planning advice. When you arrive on a park island, staff will meet you for a mandatory orientation. They can answer questions immediately afterward.

"Plan Like a Ranger" before visiting any national park site using the National Park Service Trip Planning Guide.

 

Duration:

24 minutes, 9 seconds

 

Welcome from the Superintendent

The park staff and I wish to welcome you to Channel Islands National Park, one of North America's magnificent treasures. Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart, the park encompasses five of the eight California Channel Islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. The park bridges two biogeographical provinces and in a remarkably small place, harbors the biologic diversity of nearly 2,500 miles of the North American coast. The Channel Islands are home to over 2,000 plant and animal species, of which 145 are found nowhere else in the world.

Like the Galapagos Islands of South America, isolation has allowed evolution to proceed independently on the islands. Marine life ranges from microscopic plankton to the blue whale, the largest animal to live on Earth. Archeological and cultural resources span a period of more than 13,000 years of human habitation.

The protection of these fragile island resources was ensured when Congress, in the act that created Channel Islands National Park in 1980, established a long-term ecological monitoring program to gather information on the current health of resources and predict future conditions. This information provides park and natural resource managers with useful products for recreation planning, conservation and restoration programs, and early identification of critical issues.

The islands were set aside by Congress not only to preserve these resources, but also to provide for your enjoyment. If you visit the park, you will be one of a very select group. Few people actually see this park because it is not easy to get to-you can't drive to the islands. A short but exciting ocean voyage or a commercial flight in a small airplane is required. The park is one of the least visited of all of America's national parks. The relatively light visitation enhances the islands' feeling of solitude and assists in the protection of fragile resources. In establishing the park, Congress recognized the value of solitude by allowing for low intensity, limited entry visitation. So a visit to this national park will always provide a marked contrast to the bustle of southern California most people experience. It will always be a place where you can step back in time and experience coastal southern California the way it once was.

We are delighted you are interested in this marvelous place. Thanks for making the effort! We hope our park website encourages you to safely explore and discover Channel Islands National Park while taking care to protect and keep these beautiful and fragile islands unimpaired for future generations.

Ethan McKinley
Superintendent