Channel Islands Hiking & Backpacking: Everything You Need to Know

Since hiking the Channel Islands was my first true backpacking experience, I certainly learned a lot during my trip. That being said, I have a lot of helpful information to pass on to make your experience a little easier than mine. I also want to tell you to absolutely go for it because the Channel Islands are amazing.

To back up a little bit, the Channel Islands are a National Park off the coast of Ventura, California. There are 5 different islands that are well preserved by the National Park system. Protecting the Channel Islands’ environment allows us to experience southern California as it once was. There are tons of unique animals and plants that can be found here.

Making Reservations

Backpacking the Channel Islands is allowed year round at the Del Norte campsite on Santa Cruz Island. Del Norte is the only backcountry campground on Santa Cruz Island and is found on a vista 700 feet up, overlooking the ocean and the scenic coastline. You can make campsite reservations here by selecting “Santa Cruz Del Norte Backcountry”. The campground has 4 primitive campsites, primitive meaning there is no water and no “real” toilet. There is however a picnic table, an animal proof container and a fun “pit” style toilet.

To get here, you will also need to book a ferry (Island Packers) from Ventura to Prisoner’s Harbor.

The Ferry

Make sure to be a little early for the ferry. You will need to check in and seperate all of your water and gas canisters from the rest of your bags. They store it seperately on the ferry. The ferry is only about an hour, make sure to bring a sweatshirt as it can get chilly if you’re sitting on the outside of the boat.

The Hike

Once you arrive at Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, the Del Norte campsite is 3.5 miles away. I’ll admit that I thought this hike would be a lot easier than it was. And it actually would be, if it wasn’t for the extreme heat in August and my heavy ass backpack. So my advice? Pack light and don’t go in August.

The hike back to this campground is pretty awesome considering how remote you get to set up camp. It features a ton of ups and downs, so don’t think you’ve made past the hard part when you get up the first incline. The trails sort of roller coaster. To take your mind off of the hard work, most of the hike is overlooking the ocean and the views around sunset are absolutely incredible.

The Campsite

We got there early and had our pick of the best campsite. I can still say this is the best place I’ve ever camped.

The only bummer is there’s no fires permitted, so you can’t do the classic campfire stories or roast any mallows. You can however try your shot at astrophotography, because it doesn’t really get any darker than when you’re on an uninhabited island in the middle of the ocean.

Here’s some things you will want to make sure to pack since this campsite is primitive:

Water (pack more than you think you’ll need)
Toilet Paper
Food (obviously)
A backpacking camp stove in case you want warm food (we made tacos)
A garbage bag (you will need to pack all of your trash out)

Regulations

I know regulations are boring, but they’re important to the protection and the preservation of the National Park. So here are the most important:

Pack all of your trash out, this includes food particles and toilet paper.
Store all of your food in the animal containers
No fires
Don’t damage any living things

What I Packed

These hiking boots that I’m obsessed with
A backpacking backpack. Here’s a cheap option. Here’s a mid range option. Here’s a nice one.
A bathingsuit
ultra light sleeping pad
super light tent
sleeping bag
flip flops (to wear at the camp site)
a fast drying towel
face wipes
1 gallon of water
tortillas, rice, avocado, beans, diced tomatoes and onions (for tacos!)
1 veggie wrap
1 large bag of trail mix
a few Rx bars
toilet paper
one change of clothes
sunglasses, hat, sunscreen (there’s not a lot of cover from the sun!)
toothbrush and toothpaste
camping stove, utensils and plates

Other Things to do on Santa Cruz Island

Make sure to bring your bathing suit, because you can go swimming at the harbor before or after your backpacking trip. When we visited, you could rent snorkel gear and see leopard sharks under the pier.

There are several hiking trails on Santa Cruz. The most popular one from Prisoners Harbor is Pelican Bay. This trail can only be traveled by Island Packers passengers that are accompanied by the staff. There will be a staff member on your ferry that will be taking a group each day.

There are a few other hikes past the Del Norte campsite. We went to Chinese Harbor to try to swim but found it to be not as welcoming as we had hoped.

how cute is this little fox we found?

Other Channel Island Backpacking Options

You can also backpack on Santa Rosa Island, but the camping is limited to certain beaches between August 15-December 31. The closest beach for camping is 9 miles from the boat drop off.