A Brand-New Campground Is Coming To California's Least Visited National Park

California has lots of places to choose from for a camping trip, and one more has arrived at California's least visited national park. The Prisoners Harbor tent-only campground opened on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park on August 27, 2026. It's one of three on the island, including Scorpion Canyon, a developed site, and Del Norte, a backcountry campground. Once home to Native American tribes for around 10,000 years, Prisoners Harbor is full of gorgeous wildflowers in the spring, lovely scenery, and wildlife, including the island fox and the island scrub-jay, which can only be found here.

Prisoners Harbor Campground is quieter than Scorpion Canyon, offering the ability to hike or kayak (for those with experience) between the two campgrounds. Set within the quiet oaks below Eagle Ridge, this is the first new campsite on the island in decades. It's also sheltered from the wind for a peaceful experience.

The national park, often called the "Galapagos of North America," sits off the coast of Ventura, California (the location of the main visitor center). The only way to get there is by boat, which is one reason it's the least visited national park in the state. (Only around 227,000 people ventured to the park in 2025, as opposed to the most visited, Yosemite, which hosted around 4.3 million the same year.) You can take your own boat to Santa Cruz Island, or travel via the Island Packers ferry from Ventura, which is around $96 for adults 13 and up (at the time of this writing), with discount pricing for military, seniors, and kids. Once you're there, you'll find plenty to do, like hiking, snorkeling, and relaxing on the shore. Plus, with so few yearly visitors and several islands to choose from, you're more likely to have some space to yourself.

The new Prisoners Harbor campground on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park is small, with only six sites that hold up to four people each, but the beauty of the area is unmatched. In a press release about the new campground, Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Ethan McKinley says, "It's a small, thoughtfully designed campground that's in tune with nature. Visitors will fall asleep listening to the gentle rhythm of cobblestones rolling in the surf." 

You can make reservations for a campsite now, listed as "Santa Cruz Island Prisoners Harbor" on Recreation.gov. The fee is $15 per night. You can also hike to the Scorpion Anchorage harbor on the island from the campsite. Each site offers space for a tent, a picnic table, and a storage locker to keep animals away from food. The campground is about a quarter-of-a-mile hike from where the ferry lands in Prisoners Harbor, so you don't have far to walk with all your gear and supplies.

The closest airport to the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park (in Ventura) is the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), about an hour away. If you're flying into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it's closer to two hours with traffic. Either way, it's a good idea to rent a car. If you'd rather not drive, look into the Pacific Surfliner train, which stops in Ventura. It's one of the best train journeys in the Golden State. 

The Channel Islands National Park consists of five islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara, though you can't land on the latter. While you're on Santa Cruz, you can do some hiking; surfing; birdwatching for species like the California brown pelican, Brandt's cormorants, and island scrub-jays; or take a picnic lunch. However, if water sports are your thing, there are also opportunities for diving and snorkeling, which is best on the eastern side of the island. Fishing outside of the island's marine reserve area is permitted with a valid California fishing license. 

If you visit Scorpion Anchorage, there are guided kayak tours available (though you can't rent kayaks there), as well as guided snorkeling tours. (You can rent snorkel equipment.) You can get water from Scorpion Anchorage but not at Prisoners Harbor, and food is also unavailable, so bring what you need with you. Take time to check out the visitor center at the Scorpion Ranch House, a renovated building from 1887 that now hosts exhibits and information about the island to deepen your experience. Finally, before you head out for your camping trip on Santa Cruz Island, make sure you stop by Costco for useful budget camping essentials, including food.