How to Plan the Perfect Channel Islands Day Trip (Santa Cruz Island)

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How to Get to the Channel Islands

As mentioned, there are five islands within Channel Islands National Park: 

• Anacapa Island 
• Santa Cruz Island 
• Santa Rosa Island
• San Miguel Island 
• Santa Barbara Island 

The islands are accessible via boat. Island Packers is the company that is approved to operate boat excursions to these five islands. Boats depart from both Oxnard and Ventura, depending on which trip you take. 

Island Packers operates trips to Santa Cruz Island year-round, five to seven days per week. These boat rides depart out of Ventura Harbor. 

There are trips available to two harbors on Santa Cruz Island: Prisoners Harbor and Scorpion Anchorage. If you follow my itinerary below, you’ll book a trip to Scorpion Anchorage. 

The ride to Scorpion Anchorage is around an hour to an hour and a half long, depending on conditions. They’ll also slow down or stop the boat when encountering marine life, which can make the ride a bit longer (but it’s well worth it!). We saw sea lions, dolphins, and a humpback whale during our rides!

Note: if you decide to do a kayak and/or snorkeling excursion with Channel Islands Adventure Company, you can either purchase your boat ticket with them when booking your excursion, or separately through Island Packers. 

I chose to book the ferry tickets on my own through Island Packers just so I had total control of the return time, but it’s ultimately up to you! 

Where to Stay When Visiting the Channel Islands

There isn’t any sort of lodging within Channel Islands National Park. Unless you’re planning on camping on Santa Cruz Island (or one of the other four islands), you’ll need to stay on the mainland. 

Some people choose to visit the Channel Islands as a day trip from Los Angeles. Since I took the first boat ride out (and had to be at the harbor at 7am), I opted to stay overnight the night before to preserve my energy!

For ease, I recommend staying in Ventura. This is especially helpful if you’re taking an early morning boat ride. I recommend the Ventura Beach Marriott, which is where I stayed. It’s less than a 10-minute drive from Ventura Harbor. 

Alternatively, consider staying in Santa Barbara. This is a nice option if you’re planning on visiting the Channel Islands during a Santa Barbara trip. Just note that it’s about a 35 to 55-minute drive to Ventura Harbor from Downtown Santa Barbara, depending on traffic. 

Arrive at Ventura Harbor & Board the Boat

You’ll need to arrive at the Island Packers Ventura Harbor location about an hour before your scheduled boat departure. This is the timing that Channel Islands Adventure Company requests, although be sure to read the emails sent to you in case procedures have changed.

This allows enough time for you to check in, get your physical boat tickets, go through a quick orientation with Channel Islands Adventure Company (if you’re doing a tour), and line up to board the boat. 

You will have some extra time to kill while you wait. If needed, there is a coffee shop (Freedom Coffee) located in the same building as Island Packers. In addition to coffee and tea, they have some snacks and light breakfast items if you need a bite to eat. You can also purchase snacks, medications (like motion sickness medication), and souvenirs from the Island Packers office. 

Soon enough, you’ll board your boat! There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. 

One small detail to note: if the boat ride departs late or takes a bit longer than expected, don’t worry about it impacting your tour. Island Packers and Channel Islands Adventure Company work closely together, so they are able to adapt when the boat is running a bit behind schedule! 

Land at Santa Cruz Island & Start Your Kayak (or Snorkel!) Tour

Once you arrive at Scorpion Anchorage, you’ll do another quick orientation with Channel Islands Adventure Company. Next, they lead you to their base, where you can store anything you brought that you don’t need on the water. You’ll gear up, then head out to the beach to do a crash course in kayaking before launching! 

Since I wanted to leave time for hiking, I chose to do the shorter kayak excursion (called the Discovery Sea Caves Kayak Tour). The whole experience was about two and a half hours, with one to one and a half hours on the water. 

I did feel like the shorter tour gave ample time to enjoy the experience and see a lot of the coast. We went inside around four to five sea caves (so incredibly cool!), and even had a sea lion pop up to say hi! Our guide Michelle was also great and super knowledgeable – about kayaking, marine life, and the history of the land!  

The water was crystal clear, so I’m sure a snorkel tour would be amazing if that’s more your speed. I hope to do it on my next visit!

If you want to do an extended excursion, they do offer longer kayak tours, as well as combo snorkel and kayak tours. These are great choices if you’re okay with skipping the hike!

Whether you prefer snorkeling or kayaking (or both!), I do highly recommend you book a tour out on the water. The hike was great, but the kayak tour is what made the trip for me. 

Being on the water gives you an incredible view of the sea caves, the water, and the marine life that you don’t get from hiking alone. You really get to experience what makes these islands such special places to visit in SoCal! 

Take a Break for Lunch (& Watch for Island Foxes!)

After your tour, take a beat and find a place to enjoy lunch! I recommend walking up to the Scorpion Canyon Campground (which is super close to the Channel Islands Adventure Company base) and finding an empty table to eat lunch under the eucalyptus trees. 

While you’re there, be sure to keep an eye out for the unbelievably cute island foxes! You might see them on other parts of the island, but they particularly like to hang out by the campground. 

Stop by the Santa Cruz Island Visitor Center

Before you start the hike, if you’d like, you can do a quick pop inside the visitor center. 

It’s small, but it’s a great spot to stop by if you want to learn more about the Chumash people who are native to the area, the history of Santa Cruz and how it has been protected and restored, and the plants and animals that you’ll find on the island. 

Scorpion Anchorage Campground | Old Ranching Tools Near the Visitors Center

Hike the Cavern Point Loop

Next, it’s time to hike the Cavern Point Loop Trail. The trailhead is right by the Santa Cruz Island Visitor Center.

This trail is just under two miles long, but you can add a bit more mileage if you want…more on that in a second. It’s rated as easy, but I’ll note there is a decently steep incline for the first third mile of the hike! 

Once you go up that incline, you get really beautiful views of the coastline from above. It’s especially gorgeous once you get to the Cavern Point lookout, which is about 0.8 miles into the trail. 

If you’d like to hike a bit more, you can hike a portion of the Potato Harbor Trail, which connects to the Cavern Point Loop Trail. 

During my trip, I hiked about a half of a mile of the trail before turning around and continuing the rest of the Cavern Point Loop Trail. If you have the time and energy, it’s worth it to get even more coastal views!

Relax at the Beach Before Your Return Boat 

After your hike, you can relax at the beach while you wait for your boat back to the mainland! It’s a fairly rocky beach, but you can still find an area to lay out a towel and chill out after a day of exploring the island. 

Additional Things to do on Santa Cruz Island & the Surrounding Islands

There are definitely more ways to explore during your day trip to the Channel Islands! If you’re interested in additional things to do in the area, here are a few ideas:

• Do a Longer Hike: A longer day hike is a great option if you opt out of doing a guided tour on the water. Take a look at Montañon Ridge Loop (hard, 8.8 miles), or do the full Potato Harbor Trail (moderate, 5.3 miles). 
• Visit Prisoners Harbor: As mentioned above, there are also boat rides that go out to Prisoners Harbor, which is further west on the island. It’s not as popular as Scorpion Anchorage, but is a particularly great spot for experienced hikers looking to explore more trails on the island. The Pelican Bay Trail is a popular choice. 
• Book a Non-Landing Boat Trip: You can also explore the islands by boat, without actually landing! Island Packers offers a variety of non-landing trips, including whale and marine life watching trips, birding trips, and cruises around Anacapa Island. 

Final Tips & Things to Keep in Mind for Your Visit

To wrap things up, here are a few final things you should keep in mind as you’re planning your Channel Islands trip: 

• Book all tickets in advance! Ferry and excursion tickets do book out early, especially during peak season and on weekends. I booked about 6 weeks in advance for my summer weekend visit, and there were some ferry times and excursions that were already sold out.  
• For the boat ride, the trip status is confirmed the day of your trip. You’ll have to call in the morning to confirm any delays or cancellations. Of course, there hopefully won’t be any hiccups, but weather and other factors may impact the trip. 
• Read all confirmation emails carefully. Emails from both Island Packers and Channel Islands Adventure Company are super detailed, and contain essential information for a successful and smooth trip! 
• Bathrooms and changing stalls are available at Scorpion Anchorage. 
• Cell service is very limited on Santa Cruz Island.
• You need to bring all trash back to the mainland. I recommend bringing a paper or plastic bag with you to carry any trash.