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Channel Islands National Park  ·  Ventura, CA

Island campsites by boat.
No walk-ups. No exceptions.

The Channel Islands sit 25 miles offshore and gate every site behind a reservation and a ferry ticket. CampWatch monitors every cancellation on Recreation.gov and emails you the moment a site opens.

No password  ·  No spam  ·  Cancel anytime
5
Islands with camping
25
Scorpion sites
6 mo.
Booking window
Boat only
Island access
Why it's hard to book

A ferry schedule and 25 campsites stand between you and this place.

There are no roads, no drive-in options, and no walk-ups — every campsite across all five Channel Islands is reservation-required year-round. Scorpion Canyon on Santa Cruz Island, the most popular destination, offers just 25 individual sites and 6 group sites total.

Getting there means booking a round-trip Island Packers ferry from Ventura — roughly $84 per adult — on a limited departure schedule. Miss the cancellation window and you're waiting six months. Every reservation lives on Recreation.gov, where open sites vanish in a single page refresh.

CampWatch monitors Recreation.gov continuously across every island campground and emails you the moment a site opens in your date range. No refreshing, no luck required.

How it works

Three steps to your campsite

01
Enter your email
We send a one-time login link. No password needed — ever.
02
Set your dates
Pick Channel Islands, enter your check-in and check-out dates, and choose your match preference.
03
Get alerted instantly
We monitor Recreation.gov around the clock. You get an email the moment a site opens.
Park details

Channel Islands National Park at a glance

Location
25 mi off Ventura, CA
Campgrounds
Scorpion (Santa Cruz) + Santa Rosa, Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara
Sites
25 + 6 group at Scorpion
Nightly fee
$15
Best months
Apr–May, Sep–Nov
Access
Boat only (Island Packers, ~$84 RT)
Pets
Not allowed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

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CampWatch is an independent notification service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Recreation.gov, the National Park Service, or the U.S. federal government.
This service monitors publicly available availability data and sends alerts only — it does not make or hold reservations on your behalf. Availability information may be delayed or inaccurate; always confirm directly on Recreation.gov before making travel plans.

Your email address is collected solely to deliver campsite alerts and is never sold or shared with third parties. By using this service you agree to these terms.