Campsite #20 at Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground, Channel Islands National Park, CA

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Tent Site #20

11 reviews
Walk-In 6 people
0 no signal
20
5/14
8/7
Campsite #20 Features: Walk-In access, Back-In parking, Food Storage Locker, Picnic Table, Tent Site, No Pets Allowed

Campsite Reviews (11)

5.0 out of 5

5 star
82%
4 star
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3 star
9%
2 star
9%
1 star
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@JessicaM144623 · Camped on Apr 27, 2025 at Campsite #20
Campground is rustic but so worth it. Water and bathrooms were close (but not too close). The valley provided shelter but it was still the windiest night Ive ever experienced. Ravens were in the lookout so zip your car keys. Saw lots of foxes. Most hikes are in/out of the campground; its the perfect base. Great trip, must do it at least once.
@ShanonS21C9240 · Camped on Oct 31, 2023 at Campsite #20
This was a beautiful campground. One needs to take into consideration that nature rules here. And the bullies for ravens, screaming foxes at night and swarm of yellow jackets around the only water source really remind you of this. But the tips to get water from the menacing yellow jacket spigot worked. Move slow. Dont panic. And dont splash the water. It was a true character building exercise so that you dont want to miss out on.
@Alexv7794422 · Camped on Aug 6, 2023 at Campsite #20
This was our first time camping at a national park, let alone island camping. Upon arrival, the large group next to us invaded our campsite space on numerous levels. They set up two tents right on the edge of our campsite, put their stuff in our fox box, hung their hammock on the other side of our campsite so we were pretty much boxed in. Their kids were yelling & screaming day & night compared to the group of other kids who made no noise. We had to ask the ranger to move a site down just to feel like we had any kind of space. Definitely taught us what NOT to do and what campsite number to reserve next time for any kind of peace & quiet.
@AliciaK660 · Camped on Jan 17, 2022 at Campsite #20
The campground is a short walk away from where the ferry drops you off. Each site has a "fox" box and a picnic table. There is a lot of tree and wind coverage as the site is in a valley. Great campground :)
@YejiY825 · Camped on Nov 24, 2021 at Campsite #20
We had a great time! We were on the island for two nights, starting out at Scorpion and hiking over to Del Norte for the second night. Campsites were fairly apart from each other, we had easy access to potable water, and clean "outhouses". It was a lot of fun hanging by the beach and also watching small island foxes sniffing for food and attempting to get into the fox bins at any possible second! (Make sure to keep those fox bins closed at all times!) Did some hiking around the available trails near Scorpion which are self explanatory and has amazing views. In case you decide to do something similar to us, (Scorpion to Del Norte), we barely made it each with 2 liter bladders and 64oz bottles. I would recommend bringing an extra water reservoir for the trip over to Del Norte.
@TylerF314 · Camped on Sep 20, 2021 at Campsite #20
Very cool park that gets overlooked. I have been to 26 national parks all over the country, including Hawaii and Alaska. Possibly the best 24 hours that I spent in a national park. Saw whales on the ferry, pod of hundreds of dolphins. Unique plant and animal life on the island. The water was cold but I highly recommend snorkeling the kelp forests and be sure to rent a kayak and bring it with you to explore sea caves. I also highly recommend walking around the island in the moonlight if possible.
@CarlS349 · Camped on Aug 20, 2021 at Campsite #20
Had a wonderful time camping!
@ClementL903 · Camped on Aug 16, 2021 at Campsite #20
Nice canopy of trees (albeit Eucalyptus) over the lower campground to give good shade on most campsites. Potable water is available so can reduce what to carry. Vault toilets ok/clean enough. Campsites are relatively close to each other, but everyone is mostly aware of that and behave accordingly. Campground can get a little bit windy at times and obviously there is no view, so it's really just a place to come back to rest/cook/sleep etc, thus the 3 stars as far as the campground itself is concerned.
@KhonnieL624 · Camped on Apr 18, 2021 at Campsite #20
Excellent two nights at this campground! The sites were very spaced out that it felt humongous for only two people. Plenty of clean vault toilets around the campground and near Scorpion beach. We were able to hike Smugglers Cove and the Potato Harbor/Canyon Point during our stay here. Absolutely beautiful. Can’t wait to come back!
@TravisW335 · Camped on Apr 11, 2021 at Campsite #20
One of our Favorite National Parks to date! The hiking was so much fun ans the sights were beautiful!
@JenniferH850 · Camped on Mar 26, 2021 at Campsite #20
So beautiful!

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