Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands National Park protects five of the eight Channel Islands, which span 160 miles of the southern California coast. The sea for one nautical mile around each island is part of the park. It was established on 5 March 1980. In 2025 it counted 227,186 recreation visits, 13.5% fewer than in 2024. The park calls itself one of the least visited of America's national parks.

Every visit to the islands starts with a boat from the mainland, so the ferry schedule decides the trip. We read the figures below on 28 October 2026 on the park's own pages and alerts, Island Packers' own fare page and calendar, Recreation.gov, the kayak guide's price list and NOAA's normals.

Which Channel Islands boats are sailing this winter?

Island Packers' boats to Santa Cruz Island are the only Channel Islands sailings on its calendar this winter. On 28 October 2026 the calendar listed a Ventura Harbor day trip to Scorpion Anchorage and one to Prisoners Harbor on every date until 6 February 2027. The two exceptions were 26 November, Thanksgiving, and 25 December.

Boats to Scorpion Anchorage leave Ventura Harbor between 8 and 10 a.m. and come back between 3 and 4:30 p.m., earlier in December. On 24 December, for example, the boat leaves at 8:30 a.m. and returns at 2 p.m. Prisoners Harbor has one sailing a day, leaving between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Several sailings on 7 November and 15 January were already marked sold out.

The Island Packers pages for Anacapa, Santa Rosa and San Miguel showed no trips on the same day. Neither did the page for departures from Oxnard. The park describes boat service as year-round, so the empty pages are not proof that nothing sails. We could not confirm a winter schedule for those three islands; Island Packers answers on 805-642-1393.

Santa Barbara Island has no Island Packers landings for now. On 28 October the park's alert said its dock is closed and "not expected to be repaired in the near future". Island Packers gives no date for a return.

The sea decides each morning. Island Packers may cancel or move a departure at 5:30 a.m., posts the decision on its weather line (805-642-1393, option 4) and does not phone passengers. A weather cancellation brings a refund or a new date, but not the cost of a hotel or a hire car. The Park Service says the calmest seas often come from August to October, with a much greater chance of rough wind and water in the other months.

What does a day on Santa Cruz Island cost with no entrance fee?

A day on Santa Cruz Island costs $72 for an adult, the round-trip boat fare, because Channel Islands National Park charges no entrance fee. In the park's words, "An entrance pass is not required". It has sold no federal passes since 1 July 2015.

Channel Islands is not on the 2026 list of eleven parks with a $100 surcharge for non-residents. Visitors from abroad therefore pay what Americans pay, which is the boat. A non-resident annual pass bought only for this park would waste money; our guide to national park fees for international visitors shows where it pays off.

The fares are round trips from Ventura Harbor on Island Packers' own fare page, which carries no date; we read them on 28 October 2026. Children under 3 travel free, and members of the military pay the 55+ fare. Two adults and two children pay $248 for a Santa Cruz day trip. Camper fares are higher because of the gear and because the boat drops campers off and collects them on different days.

Parking at Ventura Harbor costs $1 an hour for the first four hours, or $10 for the day, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and major holidays. Parking at the Oxnard harbour is free. Passengers should be at the dock 45 minutes before departure.

How do Anacapa, Santa Cruz and the outer islands differ?

Santa Cruz is the largest of California's Channel Islands, at over 96 square miles, and lies about 20 miles off Ventura Harbor. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages its western 76% and the Park Service the eastern 24%. A day trip gives six to eight hours ashore, and visitors see Painted Cave, nearly a quarter of a mile long, from a boat.

Anacapa is three islets with about one square mile of land, 12 to 14 miles off the coast. East Anacapa has two miles of trail, a light station from 1932 and Arch Rock offshore. Landing is never guaranteed: passengers climb a short ladder from the boat and then about 157 stairs. Island Packers prorates the fare when the captain cannot land.

Santa Rosa and San Miguel are the outer islands, and boats do not stop at either every day. A day trip leaves about three and a half hours on Santa Rosa and one to two hours on San Miguel, 55 miles off the coast of Ventura. The Park Service says an overnight visit usually needs three days and two nights on Santa Rosa and four days and three nights on San Miguel.

San Miguel was closed from 6 to 8 October 2026 while the US Navy disposed of ordnance, and reopened on 9 October. Santa Barbara Island, one square mile, lies 38 miles from the closest point of the mainland and has no Island Packers landings while its dock is closed.

Gray whales pass the islands in winter. Island Packers gives their season as December to mid-February, while the Park Service's FAQ says December to April.

What did the 2026 fire close on Santa Rosa Island?

A wildfire burned nearly 40% of Santa Rosa Island between 15 May and 4 June 2026. Day use resumed on 1 July, though burned areas stayed closed. Overnight use resumed on 14 October, at Water Canyon Campground and the backcountry beach camps in the northwest and southwest quadrants.

The park's fire-recovery page, updated on 14 October, lists what is still shut. The Torrey Pines Trail is closed, and so is Water Canyon upstream from the beach. Trails into the southeast quadrant are shut, as are the shores next to the burned area near Johnsons Lee, Ford Point and Southeast Anchorage. Beach camping in the southeast quadrant stays closed for the rest of 2026.

The trails to Carrington Point, Lobo Canyon and Black Mountain are open, but long. Day visitors usually get three to four hours ashore. That is enough for the Cherry Canyon or Coastal Trail, the beach at Water Canyon or the pier, and the old schoolhouse. Flush toilets are in the ranch area, and there are no other facilities on the island.

Island Packers' Santa Rosa page still said on 28 October that campground bookings were cancelled through 13 October. The park's conditions page from June is out of date too. The fire-recovery page governs. Island Packers runs Santa Rosa camping trips from April to November, so do not count on a winter camping trip there. The Park Service expects recovery to take several years.

What is there to buy or drink on the Channel Islands?

Nothing is for sale on the Channel Islands. The Park Service says there are no food stores or gear rental shops. Island Packers adds that no island has electricity for public use. Snacks and drinks are sold on the boat, at $2 to $8 for a snack and $9 to $11 for beer or wine.

Drinking water is available only at Scorpion on Santa Cruz Island and at the ranch area and Water Canyon on Santa Rosa. There is none on Anacapa, at Prisoners Harbor, on San Miguel or on Santa Barbara, and the park recommends a gallon per person per day. Do not rely on phone signal; Wi-Fi is sometimes available in the ranch area at Scorpion.

There is no transport ashore and bicycles are not allowed, so you reach every place on foot or by boat. Rubbish goes back to the mainland with you. Staff meet arriving visitors for a mandatory orientation. The Park Service warns that emergency help often comes from the mainland, and that weather can delay it by hours or even days.

A list of things that may not come ashore protects the islands' plants and animals. It includes pets, single-use plastic grocery bags, plants, soil, firewood and untreated wood, including hiking sticks, and cardboard boxes. Drones are prohibited.

How do you book a Channel Islands campsite and a boat for the same nights?

You book Channel Islands campsites on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead, and book the boat separately with Island Packers. A camper needs both on matching dates. Island Packers advises booking the boat first and reserving the campsite straight after, and the park asks campers to look for dates on which both are free.

A tent site costs $15 a night, a group site at Scorpion $40 and a backcountry beach site on Santa Rosa $10. Santa Cruz also has four backcountry sites at Del Norte, about 3.5 miles up the trail from Prisoners Harbor. At Scorpion a stay is limited to seven nights in a row, and Santa Rosa takes no walk-ups. Santa Barbara Island's ten sites have no boat while its dock is closed.

Weekend sites go first. On 28 October Recreation.gov showed one of Scorpion's 31 sites free on Saturday 7 November, three on 14 November and none on Thanksgiving Saturday, 28 November. Prisoners Harbor's campground returned no availability for November, so we could not confirm that it can be booked this winter.

Campfires are not allowed, and campers may use only chemical-fuel stoves. Food and rubbish go in the lockers provided, because foxes and ravens open tent zips, and the island mice have tested positive for hantavirus. Each piece of camping luggage can weigh up to 45 pounds. Since 2 September 2025 carts and wagons have not been carried to Santa Cruz.

The park asks campers to bring supplies for an extra day in case the sea stops the boat from collecting them. On Santa Rosa and San Miguel, it notes, 30-knot winds are not uncommon.

Is kayaking Scorpion's sea caves safe without a guide?

The Park Service calls sea kayaking at Channel Islands "a high risk activity" that has caused the death of park visitors. It strongly recommends paddling with one of the park's authorised guides. There are no kayak rentals on the islands, and the park does not recommend paddling the channel crossing from the mainland.

Scorpion Beach on eastern Santa Cruz is the park's main kayaking spot, and the guide there is Channel Islands Adventure Company. Its tours include kayaks, paddle jackets, helmets, wetsuits and basic instruction. The ferry is paid for on top.

The prices are from the company's own page. The Adventure tour with the $72 ferry comes to $291 for one adult, and the company says ferry tickets and tours sell out far in advance. If a tour is cancelled once you are on the island, the ferry fare is not refunded. Life jackets are required for every paddler, and helmets below cliffs and in sea caves.

Experienced paddlers can bring their own kayak on Island Packers' boat, booked only by phone, for $23 (up to 12 feet) or $31 (13 to 16 feet). The park allows 18 kayaks a day at Scorpion Anchorage. The park says only the most experienced paddlers should take on Santa Rosa and San Miguel.

What can you see at the Ventura Harbor visitor centre?

The Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor is free and, in the Park Service's words, "the only place you can visit in less than half a day". It has island exhibits, a marine-life display, a bookshop and a 25-minute film when available. It is fully accessible.

The centre opens from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and 25 December. Rangers give free talks on weekends and holidays at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and pets are not allowed inside.

A second, smaller centre, Outdoors Santa Barbara, is on the fourth floor of 113 Harbor Way in Santa Barbara. It opens from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, 25 December, 1 January and the first Friday in August.

How warm is the coast opposite the Channel Islands in winter?

NOAA keeps no climate normals for a station on any of the islands, so the nearest figures come from the mainland shore. The Park Service describes the islands themselves as having highs in the mid-60s °F and lows in the low 50s. The sea runs from the lower 50s in winter to the upper 60s in autumn.

The table gives NOAA's 1991 to 2020 average highs and lows and rainfall. Santa Barbara gets 17.25 inches of rain a year and Oxnard 12.93, most of it from December to March, and July is almost dry. The normals say nothing about the wind over the channel, which the boats depend on.

Dense fog is common in late spring and early summer. Santa Ana winds blow especially from September to April. July was the busiest month in 2025, with 28,890 visits, and October the quietest, with 10,724.

How do you get to Ventura Harbor from Los Angeles?

Ventura Harbor is about 68 miles and an hour and a half by car from Los Angeles International Airport, without traffic, by our own routing. The Park Service names Los Angeles, Burbank and Santa Barbara as the airports for the park. Island Packers' boats leave from Ventura Harbor and from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard.

The distances in the table are our own routing, without traffic, and could be checked against only one short official figure; treat them as approximate. Island Packers' Oxnard dock is about 6 miles from its Ventura office. Amtrak stops at Ventura and Oxnard, and the Park Service also lists Greyhound and local bus lines.

No flights to the islands remain. The Park Service says Channel Islands Aviation stopped flying visitors to Santa Rosa's airstrip in 2021, and private aircraft may not land in the park.

The park is on Pacific Time, and clocks go back an hour at 2 a.m. on 1 November 2026. It is one of the nine national parks in our guide to California, and with Redwood National and State Parks one of the two there with no entrance fee.

The other national parks in California are Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Redwood National and State Parks, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Yosemite National Park.