9
Channel Islands National Park › California
› Ventura County
› Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground
› Campsite #9
Campsite #9 at Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground, Channel Islands National Park, CA
$15
Tent Site #9
| Walk-In | 6 people |
| 0 | weak |
3/4
4/16
Campsite #9 Features: Walk-In access, Back-In parking, Food Storage Locker, Picnic Table, Tent Site, No Pets Allowed
Campsite Reviews (25)
5.0 out of 5
| 5 star | | 88% |
| 4 star | | 8% |
| 3 star | | 4% |
| 2 star | | 0% |
| 1 star | | 0% |
@LukeV7C28C8765 · Camped on Oct 18, 2025 at Campsite #9
Sites are well-maintained and in a great location by the water, hikes, and vendors. The difficulty getting a spot means it's fairly private and the campground gets quiet at a good hour. The foxes are too cute!! Highly recommend a visit
@johnc3063297 · Camped on Oct 4, 2025 at Campsite #9
Thank you for the rangers for showing up with the shutdown going on. Park was looking excellent!!!
@DavidW7736336 · Camped on Jun 22, 2025 at Campsite #9
Santa Cruz and Scorpion Campground are amazing. Lovely hikesPotato Harbor, Smugglers Coveboth delightful. Although we didnt participate, there seemed like plenty of water activities availablesnorkeling, kayaking. On the trip over and back the ferry captain took us through a large pod of dolphins (hundreds of dolphins, without exaggeration).
@NicoleS4864408 · Camped on Jun 15, 2025 at Campsite #9
Campers during our stay were quiet and respectful of our space. The campground's layout is open, so it is quite easy to see when others are up. Oftentimes in situations like this, campers tend to run over each other. During this visit other campers respected boundaries while still open to polite socialization.
@josephs9140090 · Camped on Jun 6, 2025 at Campsite #9
One of the best places the US has to offer to spend a weekend!
@TheresaB676023 · Camped on May 25, 2025 at Campsite #9
Gorgeous scenery, delightful foxes, the weather was great and we would come back!
@MattS1245099 · Camped on Jul 31, 2024 at Campsite #9
The campsite is accommodated with "Fox boxes" and adequate space for tents. Not a lot of available trees if you use hammocks to sleep. Guaranteed to see a cat-sized fox unique to the island.
@kenp1414092 · Camped on Apr 5, 2024 at Campsite #9
Very fun place to relax and forget about the fast moving world we live in. Camp ground is very clean and quiet. Hiking is amazing on pristine trails.
@RaviS216F651BB · Camped on Sep 22, 2023 at Campsite #9
great island with great hiking trails with superb views!
@DanielaB28FDB8 · Camped on Sep 13, 2023 at Campsite #9
Had a great time on Santa Cruz Island. The campground was well equipped with running water and spacious toilet facilities and changing rooms. We had booked two nights and needed to switch campsites in the middle. We preferred campsite 9 over 15 but both worked really well. We much appreciated having a picnic table. We loved our hikes to Smuggler's cover and up to the Ridge. And the foxes were very entertaining. Great experience.
@AmeliaC939F80C · Camped on Jul 29, 2023 at Campsite #9
This campground and location are really nice. The park rangers are absolutely fantastic and go out of their way to answer questions and make people feel welcomed (also amazing with junior rangers). The major advantage to camping on the island is getting the whole place to yourself before and after boat arrivals. Start hiking before 9 am and the trails have few if any people on them. Sunset hikes were also amazing. The campground itself is well spaced out and pretty peaceful. The site we stayed at was well-shaded throughout the day. We also got to see our fair share of foxes, ravens and other wildlife. As a note, although you have to pack out your trash, all the pit toilets have feminine hygiene disposal boxes! The two downsides to this campground are the yellow jackets and the pit toilets. They are not kidding about the yellow jackets swarming the water! Tip: The water spigot farther into the campground has the less angry ones. The pit toilets are fine for pit toilets. The only problem we had at our site is what we fondly referred to as "poop o'clock". We got wafts of sewage smell everyday for about an hour midday. We just always made sure to be away from the site when we knew the smell was about to hit and had no problems with smelliness otherwise. The downsides definitely would not keep me from camping here again. We had an amazing experience, 10/10 would recommend!
@takaooB3F342D4 · Camped on Apr 30, 2023 at Campsite #9
nice fox.
@ShirleyS228134 · Camped on Apr 2, 2023 at Campsite #9
The rangers and staff members were beyond amazing. Every volunteer was so knowledgeable and every ranger was so helpful. It was an amazing experience
@Francisco2B0FA · Camped on Mar 11, 2023 at Campsite #9
Santa Cruz Island has become a yearly pilgrimage with friends and family to unwind. Its a relatively easy place to feel exceptionally far away fromIt all. The boat here is an adventure before you even land on the shore. Camping area is mostly shaded with easy access to two water faucets. Highly recommend a guided sea cave kayaking tour, accessible to most ages (I take my currently 10 year old niece every year). Hike to smugglers cove is worth the effort. Potato harbor is easy to get to. Was here March 12 and there was a decent amount of wild flowers. Great pics!
@Katherine76321 · Camped on Feb 10, 2023 at Campsite #9
The campground was excellent. The rangers did a great job keeping everyone informed about the boat changes/ cancellations. The nightly movies were welcome and overall we really enjoyed our time on the island and at the campground despite some crazy weather.
@AlfonsoG1EC9FC · Camped on Oct 23, 2022 at Campsite #9
Well maintained island. Thank you!
@HaileyL8973240 · Camped on Jul 10, 2022 at Campsite #9
I had an incredible time. Beautiful and varied scenery, lots to see in a small space. Loved that I got the nps app and downloaded offline info about the island before hand, read about it when not hiking. Loved hiking to smugglers cove to tide pool and swim, that beach is sandy and if youre up for a strenuous hike its well worth checking out, I had a different experience there than the scorpion beach and the hike itself has lots of cool views! Loved it, lots to see, and very relaxing :)
@DeborahH212620 · Camped on Apr 8, 2022 at Campsite #9
Bathrooms were pretty clean, and they provided hand sanitizer. Campground was awesome. Plenty of room for each campsite and beautiful views a short hike away.
@MariaD6106413 · Camped on Apr 5, 2022 at Campsite #9
When hiking Smugglers cove.. prepare to stay longer at the beach.. bring snacks, swim suit, really nice place to just spend the afternoon..
@CobdenSABAD3E7 · Camped on Mar 28, 2022 at Campsite #9
Taking advantage of in climate weather reduced the crowds for two days. The trails were well groomed and provided beautiful views. Lower Scorpion Bay campground was well maintained and relaxing.
@KenR7711474 · Camped on Nov 4, 2021 at Campsite #9
We took our son here for his 10th birthday! We spent the night at Scorpion Campground. The facilities were clean and well taken care of. The Island Foxes are crafty. Be sure to lock up your food, even if you're only gone for a moment. One of those foxes grabbed my son's sandwich. Oh well. We also did the hike to Smugglers Cove. Very strenuous hike. Round trip took us about 3 1/2 hours, including a short break at the Cove. I would highly recommend spending time on Santa Cruz Island, even for a day trip.
@KenR799 · Camped on Nov 4, 2021 at Campsite #9
We took our son here for his 10th birthday! We spent the night at Scorpion Campground. The facilities were clean and well taken care of. The Island Foxes are crafty. Be sure to lock up your food, even if you're only gone for a moment. One of those foxes grabbed my son's sandwich. Oh well. We also did the hike to Smugglers Cove. Very strenuous hike. Round trip took us about 3 1/2 hours, including a short break at the Cove. I would highly recommend spending time on Santa Cruz Island, even for a day trip.
@KatherineR452 · Camped on Sep 21, 2021 at Campsite #9
Quiet, remote, beautiful bring everything you need or do without. Hikes amazing. Exceeded expectations!!
@KatherineD2D10 · Camped on Sep 21, 2021 at Campsite #9
Quiet, remote, beautiful bring everything you need or do without. Hikes amazing. Exceeded expectations!!
@SavvasY63684BF · Camped on Jun 18, 2021 at Campsite #9
Truly magnificent
map icon in the lower right corner.
*Earn our 
Show your commitment in keeping our forests healthy and protecting our public lands by earning the Leave No Trace badge.