Santa Rosa Island Campground

Primitive camping is available (15 sites; $15 per night per site; reservations required). Wind shelter, picnic table, food storage box, toilet, and potable water are provided. Distance from landing to campground is 1.5 miles from the pier and .25 miles from the airstrip.

Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04

Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04

Advanced camping reservations are required for all of the park's campgrounds. There are no entrance fees to visit the park. However, a reservation fee of $15.00 per site-per night is charged for camping on the islands. For Santa Rosa Island, this fee covers up to five people. Reservations can be made by calling (877) 444-6777 or through http://www.recreation.gov/.

Drinking water

Yes - year round

Food storage lockers

Yes - year round

Host on site

Yes - year round

Toilets

Flush Toilets - year round

Amphitheater

No

Camp store

No

Cell reception

No

Dump station

No

Firewood for sale

No

Ice for sale

No

Internet

No

Laundry

No

Showers

None

Trash & recycling

No

Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04

RVs

Not allowed

Trailers

Not allowed

Access roads

No Roads

Classification

Primitive Camping Areas

Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04

Santa Rosa Island Campground is only accessible by boat or plane. Visit our island transportation webpage for more information: http://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/island-transportation.htm The hike to the campground is 1.5 miles from the boat landing and .25 miles from the airstrip.

Campers should be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. Sturdy, low-profile tents, stakes, and line for securing tents to ground or table. Fog can occur on the islands during any season producing cool, damp conditions. Overexposure to the wind and sun can be a serious problem. Visitors are advised to bring supplies for an extra day in case boats are unable to pick up campers due to sea conditions. Current weather: http://channelislands.noaa.gov/news/kiosk.html

You are standing in the campground, near the wide mouth of a canyon. The campground is in a field of grass, nestled between two hills dotted with scrubby shrubs. At the southern edge of the campground is a creek that runs at the base of the canyon. A distant view of the ocean can be seen beyond the mouth of the canyon. At the lowest part of the campground, if you are facing up-canyon, the restroom building is on your right. A short cement sidewalk leads up toward this single-story wooden building with a gabled, or simple peaked, roof. The roof has two solar panels on the roof. One is a solar hot water panel—a grey metal box, about one foot high, with two pipes attached, one with a spigot. The other is a photovoltaic panel, only about 2 inches high. The building has reddish brown, horizontal, wood plank siding. A shallow porch, with railings, wraps around two sides of the building, covered by a roof overhand, supported by posts and beams. You can access the porch two ways. On the building’s left side is a handicapped accessible ramp. The front side of the building has stairs with railings and five risers. On the ground next to the stairs is a metal box with two thick brushes that face inward. On the front side, the porch has a bulletin board on the wall, flanked by doors for two unisex restrooms. On the side of the porch is a large deep sink, with an adjacent wide wooden counter with a backboard, that overhangs and slants down toward the sink. From the restroom location, you can see fifteen shelters—three-sided wooden structures with grey shingled roofs. Each structure is shaped like a hexagon that has been cut in half, open on the side that faces the ocean. Each wall surface of the exterior of these shelters has a solid sheet of tan-colored siding. The interior walls are unfinished open frame construction. Mounted to one interior side wall is a metal box, about one foot high by two feet wide by one foot deep. Metal pegs and hooks on the walls are used to hang clothing and gear. A translucent fiberglass panel at the top of the back wall provides some natural light. Each shelter site has a picnic table located in or near the shelter. Tents are pitched in or near the shelters as well. The shelter sites are about 40 feet apart from each other. At the edge of the campground, on the downhill side, is a water station. This is a two and a half foot tall wooden post, with a pipe running up it to a faucet on top. Surrounding it on the ground is a wooden frame filled with rocks. The post has a water faucet, a small metal box screwed into its side. A wooden plaque with a sign that reads, Please help protect our wildlife. Please do not rinse dishes, brush teeth, or use soap at the water faucets. Please wash dishes at the large sink next to bathroom. Thank you.

• Anacapa Island Campground
  7 sites
• Prisoners Harbor Campground
• San Miguel Island Campground
  9 sites
• Santa Barbara Island Campground
  10 sites
• Santa Cruz Island Del Norte Backcountry Campground
  4 sites
• Santa Cruz Island Scorpion Canyon Campground
  31 sites
• Santa Rosa Island Backcountry Beach Camping
  30 sites