Channel Islands National Park
National Park · CA
Park Closure · Parts of Santa Rosa Island Closed During Wildfire Recovery
Santa Rosa Island is open to limited day use. Burned areas remain closed and overnight use is prohibited. Water Canyon Campground is currently closed, but will reopen October 14, as will backcountry beach camping in northwest and southwest quadrants. Click the more link for additional information.
More informationPark Closure · San Miguel Island closed October 6–8
Visitors are prohibited from coming ashore on San Miguel Island October 6–8. During this closure the US Navy will dispose of suspected explosive ordnance. The island will re-open to visitors on October 9, 2026. Mariners should monitor Marine Channel 16 for information about waters surrounding San Miguel Island.
1 noticefrom the National Park Service
Information · Santa Barbara Island Dock Closed; Landings Restricted to Adjacent Rocky Ledge
Santa Barbara Island is open to public access, but landings are restricted to the rocky ledge adjacent to the dock. The dock is closed and is not expected to be repaired in the near future due to the severe winter storm damage.
More informationChannel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth and helped preserve a place where visitors can experience coastal southern California as it once was.
- NPS site
- nps.gov/chis
- Location
- Channel Islands National Park (33.987, -119.911)
Track your visit to Channel Islands National Park
NP Tracker keeps a record of every National Park Service unit you visit — all 430-plus of them. Log visits with dates and photos, collect passport stamps, plan trips, and watch your map fill in. It's free.
Passport stamp locations
- Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center
- San Miguel Island Ranger and Visitor Contact Station
- Santa Barbara Island Visitor Center
- Santa Rosa Island Visitor Contact Station
- Schoolhouse (Visitor Contact Station)
- Scorpion Ranch Visitor Center on Santa Cruz Island
- Visitor Center Anacapa Island
- Visitor Contact and Ranger Station and National Park Service History
Hours
Channel Islands National Parktoday: All Day
- Sat Oct 3All Day
- Sun Oct 4All Day
- Mon Oct 5All Day
- Tue Oct 6All Day
- Wed Oct 7All Day
- Thu Oct 8All Day
- Fri Oct 9All Day
The park is open 24 hours a day. Services and facilities have separate hours. Please see descriptions of those facilities elsewhere.
Hours are retrieved from the National Park Service and can change without notice — check the official site before you go.
Visitor centers
7
- Channel Islands National Park Visitor Centertoday: 8:30AM - 5:00PMDirections
- Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Centertoday: 10:30AM - 4:30PMDirections
- San Miguel Island Ranger and Visitor Contact Stationtoday: 8:30AM - 5:00PMDirections
- Santa Barbara Island Visitor Centertoday: 8:30AM - 5:00PMDirections
Self-guided tours
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Anacapa Island: Self-Guided Tour1–3 hours · 9 stops
There are two possible routes for this tour. Both routes begin at the visitor center. You may take the lower trail located in front of the buildings, which leads to Cathedral Cove. Or you may take the upper trail located behind the buildings, which leads to Pinniped Point. Both routes cover the same information. For variety, we recommend you take the opposite route back.
Mainland Visitor Center: Native Plant Garden Tour—Guide to Island Chumash Plant Usage30–60 minutes · 7 stops
The Native Plant Garden includes some of the important plants used by the island Chumash. Each trail station includes a brief discussion of these plants and the uses made of them by the Chumash. Stations along the trail are marked by numbered tiles and decorated with a brown Chumash symbol.
Mainland Visitor Center: Native Plant Garden Tour—Guide to Island Plant Adaptations30–60 minutes · 9 stops
A fascinating variety of plants can be found in California’s Channel Islands National Park. The distance and isolation of the islands from the mainland has allowed plants and animals to develop into unique island forms. Trail stops describing these unique plants and adaptations are marked by numbered posts and decorated with a leaf shape.
San Miguel Island: Self-Guided Tour
Entrance fees
No entrance fee.