Channel Islands National Park

Year Established: 1980
Annual Visitors: 319,200
Size: 249,354 Acres
State: California

Best Time to Visit Channel Islands National Park

June to October

If you are planning to visit more national parks, check out our complete list of all US National Parks.

Best Experiences in Channel Islands National Park

• Kayak Santa Cruz Island
• Inspiration Point Hike
• Arch Rock Hike

A Brief History

Five ecologically rich islands make up Channel Islands National Park, which is off the coast of Southern California. On Anacapa Island, you can walk to a lighthouse from 1932 and Inspiration Point on top of a cliff.

One of the many sea caves on Santa Cruz Island is the huge Painted Cave. Rare Torrey pines grow on Santa Rosa Island. At Point Bennett on San Miguel Island, there are a lot of seals. Seabirds come to the southernmost part of Santa Barbara Island to nest.

Channel Islands RV Camping

If you are looking for nearby RV camping options for Channel Islands National Park or in California, consider checking out our other post:

• Best RV Parks in California
• Best RV Resorts in California

Visitor Information

Fees

There is no fee or reservation required to visit this park.

Contacting Channel Islands National Park

Visitor Centers

Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center

This small Visitor Center has a lot in it. On the main floor, there are displays, many of which can be touched, and information about the Channel Islands. There is also a good video that gives an overview, a small gift shop, and an information desk with helpful staff. On the third floor, there is a place to look at two sides of the Visitor Center through a telescope. (There are both stairs and an elevator up to the third floor.) On the marina side, there is a nice deck with seating and a small but interesting botanical garden with labels for all the native plants. They also sold some of the plants that grow naturally there.

Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center

The Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center (OSBVC) gives visitors a lot of information about National Park, National Marine Sanctuary, the Los Padres National Forest, and the city of Santa Barbara. The visitor center is in the busy Waterfront area of Santa Barbara’s working harbor. It has one of the best views of the city, the beaches, the harbor, the mountains, the wharf, and the islands. Visitors can get free brochures and other information about the forest, park, sanctuary, and city of Santa Barbara, and their are friendly volunteers to answer questions.

Visitor Center Anacapa Island

This Mission Revival style building used to be the historic Coast Guard general services building, which was a workshop and garage. It is now a small visitor center with displays about the natural and cultural resources from Anacapa island and the original lead-crystal Fresnel lens from the lighthouse.