12
Channel Islands National Park › California
› Ventura County
› Santa Rosa Island Campground
› Campsite #12
Campsite #12 at Santa Rosa Island Campground, Channel Islands National Park, CA
$15
Tent Site #12
| Walk-In | 5 people |
| 0 | weak |
2/26
3/5
Campsite #12 Features: Walk-In access, Back-In parking, Food Storage Locker, Picnic Table, Tent Site
Campsite Reviews (15)
5.0 out of 5
| 5 star | | 100% |
| 4 star | | 0% |
| 3 star | | 0% |
| 2 star | | 0% |
| 1 star | | 0% |
@DanielT1A0F2AA · Camped on Jun 23, 2025 at Campsite #12
Beautiful beaches and hikes!
@BevS3595870C81 · Camped on Oct 9, 2024 at Campsite #12
Beautiful island, the hikes/trails were great. Would happily spend more time there. Also the ferry over is great fun, seeing dolphins of all kinds and even orcas!
@LindaF9023379 · Camped on Mar 3, 2024 at Campsite #12
We love Santa Rosa Island and have been going there for years now. It is wondrous to see the recovery of the island, especially the vegetation and foxes.
@AdamM2914458 · Camped on Mar 29, 2023 at Campsite #12
What an amazing place. So beautiful, so remote. Like no other place on earth!!
@RobertK4087757 · Camped on Oct 13, 2022 at Campsite #12
Beautiful place to visit.
@ColstonL3D968D · Camped on Nov 24, 2021 at Campsite #12
Had a great time at Santa Rosa. The campsite was very nice, multiple water spouts, super clean and nice bathroom with a sink, and the wind blocker was a nice luxury. We did the hike to skunk point which was ~7 miles round trip and the Lobo Canyon hike which was ~12 miles round trip. Both these hikes were gorgeous. The boat ride over is also very nice because they stop by pods of dolphins for passengers to get a nice view. Also had a whale sighting on the way back. The only real downside was that there aren't any fires allowed.
@ColstonL885 · Camped on Nov 24, 2021 at Campsite #12
Had a great time at Santa Rosa. The campsite was very nice, multiple water spouts, super clean and nice bathroom with a sink, and the wind blocker was a nice luxury. We did the hike to skunk point which was ~7 miles round trip and the Lobo Canyon hike which was ~12 miles round trip. Both these hikes were gorgeous. The boat ride over is also very nice because they stop by pods of dolphins for passengers to get a nice view. Also had a whale sighting on the way back. The only real downside was that there aren't any fires allowed.
@AngelaM714 · Camped on Nov 11, 2021 at Campsite #12
Santa Rosa Island is rugged and beautiful. The bathrooms and dish washing sink at the campgrounds are super delux (though i miss the shower :( , and the rangers are great, always helpful. It's possible to spend an entire day down at Water Canyon Beach if the wind isn't too strong or maybe hiking out to Lobo Canyon which is super interesting.
@angelam2585372 · Camped on Nov 11, 2021 at Campsite #12
Santa Rosa Island is rugged and beautiful. The bathrooms and dish washing sink at the campgrounds are super delux (though i miss the shower :( , and the rangers are great, always helpful. It's possible to spend an entire day down at Water Canyon Beach if the wind isn't too strong or maybe hiking out to Lobo Canyon which is super interesting.
@LaurelS1688358 · Camped on Oct 24, 2021 at Campsite #12
Awesome place to explore and stay.
@LaurelS363 · Camped on Oct 24, 2021 at Campsite #12
Awesome place to explore and stay.
@KatelynB396EC1 · Camped on Nov 13, 2020 at Campsite #12
Such a great weekend! The wind is no joke, but the shelter in the campground definitely helped. There are real bathrooms with running water, plus an outdoor dish-washing sink in the campground. We spent Saturday hiking to Lobo Canyon which was so beautiful and tons of fun. From the campground, my phone showed we hiked over 13 miles total so plan your time accordingly. The boat ride with Island Packers was a total highlight! We saw seals, humpback whales, a pod of dolphins, and went into Painted Cave on the way back to the mainland. The crew was super knowledgeable and taught us a ton of cool facts about the islands and the wildlife. And they sell beer on the boat! Their website says they don't allow anything hanging from your bag, but we strapped our sleeping pads and tent tightly to our packs and it wasn't an issue (avoid having loose items swinging from your bags, like shoes or water bottles). I got a little bit of service (AT&T) on the trail down to the beach from the campground. People were great about wearing masks on the boat, and social distancing on the island was very easy. Highly recommend this trip for a COVID-safe nature getaway!
@LynnL6934095 · Camped on Aug 21, 2020 at Campsite #12
The campsite was great, and I really recommend this as a summer destination. Water Canyon Beach is as beautiful as it looks in the photos. I had 2 or 3 beautiful sunny days lounging on the soft sand, and cooling off in the crystal clear water. There are fox tracks in the sand on the beach. You can follow them to see what the foxes were up to the previous night. I was there in August during a heat wave, and the water was super refreshing. I was standing in waist deep water watching the (harmless) leopard sharks swim past in the sandy spots. I didn't have my mask and snorkel, but that would have been a great idea too. If you go to the top of the campground, I think it is behind campsite #16, there is a trail that leads down to the stream at Water Canyon. There I found waist-deep pools of clear water with polywogs swimming in them, so I am sure the place is filled with frogs. It seems like it is possible to hike upstream and there was one tributary branch that looked like it was wide and passable for the hikers to explore. Beware - There are lots of foxes around this campsite and they are very crafty. They will go into your camp when you are there, but not looking. They will steal anything that is not nailed down; one of their favorites is SOCKS. "Foxes Love Soxes!" is my saying. I actually hiked around in the bushes on the edge of the campground over the edge of the hill. I found a half dozen socks, a pair of shorts, toothpaste, a teabag, sunblock, food bags and foil that had been stolen by the foxes and squirreled away beneath the chaparral for investigation.
@CarolynN602786 · Camped on Aug 12, 2020 at Campsite #12
Beautiful island! I can't speak highly enough about the experience here. It's like visiting California from about 100 years ago. We camped for 2 nights and had a wonderful time hiking, swimming, and viewing the night sky. The rangers were very helpful too.
@JanB6161427 · Camped on Aug 19, 2019 at Campsite #12
We had a great experience staying at the Santa Rosa campground. We made the mistake of bringing (and carrying) fresh water. There is nice running water available! A 3 mile trek is much nicer without 8kg of water. The campground is really nice, but it does get windy, so nail down the tents properly and use the wind shelters. The campgrounds closer to the valley were less windy in our opinion so if you can choose take the ones closest to the water.The park rangers where very nice and helpful. And the toilets were very clean. If you want cell phone reception: go up the hill behind the red farmhouse. It is your best bet. There are amazingly cute foxes all over the campground. While you are eating, one comes to lure you away with its cuteness while another one sneaks in and steals food from the back. So, be careful with food lying around even for the shortest amount of time. Every trek we did was really nice. Especially Lobo Canyon is a real must. Halfway through the trek there are some nice spots by the ocean to have a snack. Were are definitely coming back to do the rest of the treks!Belgium & Germany
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.