0
Pull-thru
NPSChannel Islands National Park · California
Santa Rosa Island Backcountry Beach Camping
Overview Backcountry beach camping is available mid-August through December along Santa Rosa Island's extensive, beautiful, and undeveloped 55-mile coastline.
Sites33all reservable
Elev.1,004ft
Comf.Jan-Dec12 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Los Angeles3h04real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 1,004 ft, Santa Rosa Island Backcountry Beach Camping has a 12-month comfortable window (Jan-Dec). Winter nights average around 49°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 33 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Of the sites, 33 walk-in. Within about 4 miles: 4 peaks.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and cool nights. Softest on shade.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jun
Jan-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
100%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
54°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Los Angeles
138 mi
3h04
02
San Diego
247 mi
5h29
03
Fresno
249 mi
5h32
04
San Francisco
381 mi
8h28
05
Sacramento
426 mi
9h28
By drive time
Picking your site
04 · 33 SITES
Color byShow only
6 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
33
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
33
Sites
★ The standout
Site Northwest Quadrant Dispersed Camping
Northwest Quadrant Dispersed Camping · walk-in.
0
Type
Walk-in
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
14
Peaks
4
Water & Access
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.