Connectivity
No community carrier report is currently published for this campground.
Community-reported service can change with terrain, weather, congestion, and carrier coverage.
Campground
SANTA BARBARA ISLAND
Channel Islands National Park, California
About this campground
Once visitors have scaled the rugged cliffs using the steep trail from the Landing Cove, they will be rewarded with a campground perched on the bluffs with magnificent coastal views.
Santa Barbara Island Campground offers 10 campsites (4 persons per site).
Santa Barbara Island may only be reached by boat.
Map
Loading map
- Latitude
- 33.479850° N
- Longitude
- 119.029892° W
Know before you arrive
Access, sites & campground features
Official facility and campsite inventory, supplemented by clearly marked community reports when the official listing does not publish the detail.
Access
- Hike-in
- Walk-inPublished approach distance: 1320 ft
- Drive-inCommunity report
Site types
- Tent sites
Features
For campers
- Toilets
- Picnic table
- Food storage
- Trash service
- Reservable
For vehicles
No vehicle features are separately published.
Official campground guide
Plan with the full campground details
Facility information, site rules, booking windows, and published rates. Source snapshot checked Oct 18, 2026.
Overview
Once visitors have scaled the rugged cliffs using the steep trail from the Landing Cove, they will be rewarded with a campground perched on the bluffs with magnificent coastal views.
Santa Barbara lies much further south than the other four northern Channel Islands and is the smallest, measuring just one square mile. The islands' native vegetation is recovering slowly with the help of the National Park Service's restoration efforts. This recovery, along with the removal of nonnative predators, has aided in the reestablishment of nesting land birds and seabirds. The island is one of the most important seabird nesting sites within the Channel Islands, with 11 nesting species, including western gulls, California brown pelicans, three species of cormorants, three species of storm-petrels, and one of the world's largest colonies of Scripps's murrelets. The rocky shores of Santa Barbara Island also provide resting and breeding areas for California sea lions, harbor seals and northern elephant seals.
Facilities
Santa Barbara Island Campground offers 10 campsites (4 persons per site). Camping is primitive and campers must bring their own food, equipment and water. Picnic table, food storage box and pit toilet are provided. Distance from landing to campground is a quarter-mile and includes a 200-foot climb. Access to the island is by Island Packers Cruises or by private boat. Due to the Island Packer boat schedule, minimum stay is generally three days.
Recreation
With five miles of hiking trails, ocean access nearby the campground and generally good weather, Santa Barbara Island offers a variety of recreational activities, including hiking, swimming, snorkeling, diving, kayaking and wildlife/wildflower viewing. Since Santa Barbara Island is a cliff island, access to the water is only at the Landing Cove via a dock. There are no other accessible beaches unless you have a watercraft. There are no services on the island, so all gear has to be brought to the island. For more information about recreational activities in the park, visit https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/index.htm .
Natural Features
Steep cliffs on this small island rise above rocky shores and give way to a grassy mesa flanked with twin peaks. The highest point, Signal Peak, is 635 feet in elevation.
Nearby Attractions
The Landing Cove near the campground is an ideal place for swimming, diving, snorkeling and kayaking, but there are no lifeguards on the island.
The island is also home to just over five miles of trails that meander over gentle slopes and low mountain tops to dramatic overlooks and magnificent coastal views. All hikers must stay on the trails for visitor safety and to protect fragile vegetation and nesting seabirds. No off-trail hiking is allowed. Portions of trails are subject to closure when pelicans are nesting from January through August.
Activities & amenities
What Recreation.gov or the campground’s official source specifically lists.
Available activities
- Water Sports
- Picnicking
- Hiking
- Interpretive Programs
- Camping
- Boating
- Birding
- Fishing
- Guided Interpretive Walks
- Information Site
- Photography
- Ranger Station
- Sailing
- Sea Kayaking
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Visitor Center
- Whale Watching
- Water Access
- Wildlife Viewing
- Wilderness
- Scuba Diving
Amenities and facility features
- Toilets
- No potable waterThe official facility record directs visitors to carry water
- Picnic tables
- Food-storage locker
- Trash service
- Beach Access
- Foot Storage Locker
- Interpretive Trails
- Picnic Area
- Ranger Station
- Trailheads
- Vault Toilets
- Visitor Center
Recreation sites
Published inventory grouped by site type. Individual sites can have stricter limits.
Tent Only Non-Electric
20 sites- Reservation type
- Non Site-Specific, Site-Specific
- Equipment
- Tent
- Maximum people
- 4
- Maximum vehicles
- 0
- Check-in
- 0:00 AM, 12:00 PM
- Check-out
- 0:00 AM, 12:00 PM
- Accessible sites
- None flagged in site inventory
Management
1 site- Reservation type
- Non Site-Specific
- Equipment
- Tent
- Maximum people
- 4
- Maximum vehicles
- 0
- Check-in
- 12:00 PM
- Check-out
- 12:00 PM
- Accessible sites
- None flagged in site inventory
Site rules, inventory & rates
Facility rules, inventory procedures, and price seasons published by the official source.
Site rules
- Allow Mid Stay Modification
- 1
- Max Concurrent Stay
- 2 campsite(s) held
- Maximum stay
- 7 nights
- Max Simultaneous Reservations
- 5 reservations
- Max Transaction Reservations
- 2 reservations per transaction
- Reservation cutoff
- 0 day(s) prior to arrival
- Maximum published occupancy
- 4 people per site
- Check-in
- 0:00 AM, 12:00 PM
- Check-out
- 0:00 AM, 12:00 PM
- Food storage
- The current official campground record does not publish a campground-specific food-storage rule. Check posted rules before leaving food, trash, toiletries, or scented items unattended.
- Fire and stove use
- SANTA BARBARA ISLAND's official facility record states: No campfires or charcoal fires.
- Pets
- SANTA BARBARA ISLAND's official facility record does not publish a campground-specific pet allowance; verify the current Channel Islands National Park pet boundary before arrival.
Inventory window
Recreation.gov publishes a rolling booking window. The dates below are the official snapshot captured for this catalog build.
- Currently bookable through
- Dec 31, 2026
- Next release
- Oct 18, 2027, 11:00 PM PDT
- Next book-through date
- Dec 31, 2026
- Group sites bookable through
- Dec 31, 2026
Published seasons & rates
| Season | Site type | Nightly rate | Additional person | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak SeasonJan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $15 | — | — |
| Peak SeasonJan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028 | Tent Only Non-Electric | $15 | — | — |
Important facility notices
Read these with current closure and fire notices before departure.
- Santa Barbara Island may only be reached by boat. Visitors are required to arrange boat transportation to the island before reserving a campsite. Contact the park's authorized concessioner Island Packers or use your own private boat .
- Camping reservations are required prior to arriving on the island. There are NO walk-ups at this facility.
- One party or group may reserve a maximum of 2 individual sites per visit. There are 10 individual campsites. Max 4 people per site.
- Upon arrival, meet ranger at beach, landing dock or campground. However, park staff is not always available on the island. Please have confirmation letter, receipt, or campsite number with you.
- Hike In Distance to Site: 1/4 mile. Visitors must carry all their own gear.
- Primitive camping. Tent camping only, no electricity/water/sewer site hook-ups at this campground. Bring low profile tents and extra food for weather delays. No shelter or shade. Picnic table, food storage box, vault toilet provided. Must bring your own water. No stores or services.
- Quiet time is enforced at 10:00 pm. Check-in and check-out times are at 11:00 a.m.
- Proper food and trash storage is required. Food/Trash storage lockers are provided at each site. Recommend hard-sided container (i.e. action packer) to further protect food/garbage from animals.
- Visitors are required to pack out what they pack in, including garbage.
- No campfires or charcoal fires. Only enclosed gas camp stoves are allowed.
- Smoking is only allowed on the dock.
- Avoid contact with deer mice. Hantavirus has been found in island deer mice. For more information visit: https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/hantavirus.htm .
- To help prevent the introduction of nonnative species the following items may not be brought to the park: pets; live or potted plants; soil; cut flowers; firewood or any untreated, unfinished wood (including hiking sticks); corrugated boxes; tools or equipment with attached soil; motorized vehicles; bicycles; and single-use plastic grocery bags. Prior to departure, visitors are required to use pest-proof packing materials, inspect and clean their gear and shoes of all soil, seeds, and insects. Learn more about biosecurity and watch the required video at Protect Your Park Through Biosecurity .
- No fishing in marine reserves. California fishing license and ocean enhancement sticker required to fish outside marine reserves.
- Kayakers: ocean conditions can rapidly change, requiring expert abilities. Ocean kayaking is an inherently dangerous activity. Always check weather and do not kayak beyond your experience level.
- Since Santa Barbara Island is a cliff island, access to the water is only at the Landing Cove via a dock. There are no other accessible beaches unless you have a watercraft.
- No off- trail hiking is allowed. Portions of trails are subject to closure when pelicans are nesting from January through August.
Getting there & contact
Official directions
Boat transportation can be arranged with Island Packers from Ventura Harbor. To park headquarters in Ventura, California: Highway 101, exit Victoria or Seaward to Ventura Harbor.
Facility contact
805-658-5730