How to Get a Del Norte Backcountry Campsite on Santa Cruz Island
Del Norte is the only backcountry campground on Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Islands National Park. It sits in an oak grove about 700 feet above sea level, a 3.5-mile hike from the pier at Prisoners Harbor. There are four sites, for up to four people each, which Island Packers calls the smallest campground in the park. The park books them on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead.
Like all camping on the island, this is two reservations, not one: a boat seat with Island Packers, the park’s boat concessioner, and a campsite on Recreation.gov, for the same dates. What sets Del Norte apart is the walk and the water: there is no water at camp or at Prisoners Harbor, and you carry every drop 3.5 miles up the hill.
Del Norte, in one breath
- The sites: 4 primitive sites, up to 4 people each, 16 campers at most. You camp only in the designated sites.
- Where: Recreation.gov, Santa Cruz Island Del Norte Backcountry. Reservations are required; there are no walk-ups.
- Booking window: up to six months in advance.
- Cost: $15 per site per night. The boat is a separate ticket from Island Packers.
- Limits: up to 7 consecutive nights, and at most 2 sites per party per visit.
- Getting there: Island Packers from Ventura Harbor, about an hour’s crossing, landing at the pier at Prisoners Harbor. Then 3.5 miles, moderate to strenuous, to camp.
- At camp: picnic table, food storage box, and a pit toilet (bring your own toilet paper). No water. No campfires. No pets.
How booking actually works
Step 1: the boat. Recreation.gov’s notice is explicit: “Visitors are required to arrange boat transportation to the island before reserving a campsite.” The park’s backcountry page says the same, and adds that you can land at Prisoners Harbor or Scorpion Anchorage. Prisoners Harbor is the one you want: from Scorpion Anchorage it’s roughly 10 to 12 miles to Del Norte, depending on the route. You can also come by private boat.
Step 2: the site. Sites open on Recreation.gov up to six months before the night. The park asks you to specify “Santa Cruz Del Norte backcountry” when you reserve; a reservation is per site, per night, for up to four people. We found no separate backcountry permit on the park’s or Recreation.gov’s pages: the reservation is what you need. Recreation.gov keeps taking reservations right up to your arrival day, but there are no walk-ups on the island.
Step 3, unscheduled: cancellations. Recreation.gov’s standard campsite rules apply. Cancel before the day before arrival and you’re refunded minus a $10 service fee; cancel the day before or the day of, and you also lose the first night (a one-night reservation loses everything). A no-show costs $20 plus the first night. Island Packers refunds boat tickets cancelled at least 5 days ahead (14 days for holiday camper trips, per their policy). With only four sites, a single cancelled trip can be a quarter of the campground coming back.
What actually sells out (and what doesn’t)
Here’s a real snapshot of Recreation.gov’s calendar from October 9, 2026, looking at the next 60 nights, the same window BDH watches.
All four sites were booked on 17 of the next 18 Friday and Saturday nights. The one exception was that same Friday, with one site still open on the day. Sunday through Thursday, all four were booked on 14 of 42 nights, and most of those were in the first month: 10 of 20 weeknights in the next 30 days, 4 of 22 in the 30 after that.
So weekends are gone, and near-term weeknights are about a coin flip. Further out, most weeknights still had a site open on the day we looked.
Booked out for your dates? Here’s the play
1. Lock in the boat first. A campsite without a boat seat is useless, and Recreation.gov asks you to have your transportation arranged before you reserve. Pick dates the boat runs to Prisoners Harbor, then hunt for the site.
2. Watch for cancellations. With four sites, a single cancellation is a big share of the campground, and it comes back at no set time.
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Want to know when a site opens for your nights? Del Norte's four sites come back when people cancel, on no set schedule. BDH Pro watches the nights you pick, up to 60 days out, and alerts you when at least one site opens up for a night you're watching. A night released for the first time is recorded quietly; only later cancellations alert. You book it yourself on Recreation.gov, and your boat with Island Packers.
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3. Go midweek. In the snapshot, weekends were all but gone while most weeknights a month or more out still had a site.
4. Keep the stay short. Two nights are easier to fit into whatever comes back than five. You can hold up to 7 consecutive nights when it lines up.
5. Know the alternatives. On the same pier, Recreation.gov also lists a newer Prisoners Harbor Campground: six sites for up to four people each, 0.3 miles from the pier, also without water. BDH does not watch it. On the island’s east end, Scorpion Canyon is the big campground, with its own boat landing.
The mistakes that keep people out
- Booking the site without the boat. Recreation.gov asks for boat transportation first. A site with no boat seat is a $15-a-night reminder.
- Underestimating the hike. The shortest route follows a gravel road out of Prisoners Harbor for 1.5 miles with 600 feet of gain, a road vehicles still use daily, then a trail for 1.8 miles that winds up and down two canyons, then 0.2 miles to camp. The longer, road-only route is 5 miles and climbs 1,200 feet over its first 4. The park says this is for experienced, well-conditioned backpackers only.
- Forgetting the creek. In winter and spring there’s a wet crossing at Cañada del Puerto, right at Prisoners Harbor, through fast-moving water the park says can be two feet deep or more.
- Counting on stream water. The park says streams might run in winter and early spring in a wet year; Island Packers says most years they don’t. Plan on carrying all of it: the park recommends a gallon per person per day.
- Overpacking for the boat. Island Packers allows no single item over 45 pounds and 60 pounds of gear per person, not counting water. No wagons, and coolers no bigger than 60 quarts. The park notes that gear goes up ladders at most landing areas.
- Bringing the wrong things. Pets, bicycles, firewood, and any untreated wood, including wooden hiking sticks, are not allowed on the islands.
- Leaving zippers unsecured. Island foxes and ravens can open zippers, and island mice carry hantavirus. Keep the tent zipped, clip bags shut, and store food and trash in the box at your site.
- Wandering off the park. Past the park boundary, a fence line between Prisoners Harbor and Valley Anchorage, is The Nature Conservancy’s land, and hiking onto it is not allowed.
- Planning a campfire. No fires, including charcoal. Cook on an enclosed gas stove.
What we can’t tell you: a cancelled boat
If Island Packers cancels your crossing for weather, the decision can come as early as 5:30 a.m. on the day (11:30 a.m. for afternoon trips), they won’t phone you, and their policy offers a full refund or rescheduling of the boat ticket. They also say they do not cover costs associated with accommodations. Neither the park nor Recreation.gov publishes a specific rule for what happens to your campsite reservation in that case. Don’t assume a refund: contact Recreation.gov.
The same goes the other way. From November through May, Island Packers asks campers to confirm the pickup schedule hasn’t changed before leaving camp for the day, and they may pick up as much as a day early. The park advises supplies for an extra day in case the boat can’t come at all.
You’ve got the site. Now build the pack.
This is a backpacking trip with a boat at the start. Water is the heavy part: about 8 pounds a gallon, a gallon per person per day, carried 3.5 miles uphill. Island Packers doesn’t count water toward the 60-pound limit, but your back does. Add a low-profile tent, an extra day of food, and layers for wind and fog in any season. That’s what the BigDirtyHikes pack builder is for: build your Del Norte pack, watch the weight total as you add gear, and reuse your gear closet trip after trip.
Official sources (bookmark these)
Everything above is checked against these, except the snapshot, which is our own reading of Recreation.gov’s calendar. If we ever disagree with them, they’re right and we’re wrong. Tell us and we’ll fix it.
- Recreation.gov: Santa Cruz Island Del Norte Backcountry. Live availability, site rules, fees, and the boat-first notice.
- NPS: Backcountry camping on Santa Cruz Island. The routes from Prisoners Harbor, the creek crossing, water, and camp rules.
- NPS: Camping in Channel Islands National Park. The six-month window, gear limits, and food storage.
- Island Packers: Del Norte Campground, Prisoners Harbor. The park’s boat concessioner: camper transport to Prisoners Harbor and their own policies.
Why trust this guide
Untangling how Recreation.gov actually releases, holds and returns inventory is the whole of what we do here. If a date or a number on this page is ever wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it fast. Accuracy is the entire point.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance can I reserve Del Norte Campground? Up to six months in advance on Recreation.gov. Recreation.gov asks you to arrange your boat transportation with Island Packers before you reserve the campsite, so look for dates where both are available.
How much does it cost to camp at Del Norte? $15 per site per night, for up to 4 people. A party can hold at most 2 of the 4 sites. The boat to Santa Cruz Island is a separate ticket from Island Packers.
How far is Del Norte Campground from the boat landing? 3.5 miles from the pier at Prisoners Harbor by the shortest route, rated moderate to strenuous, or 5 miles by the road-only route. From Scorpion Anchorage it’s roughly 10 to 12 miles, depending on the route.
Is there water at Del Norte Campground? No. There is no water at the campground or at Prisoners Harbor. The park recommends a gallon per person per day, and you carry it all in.
Do I need a backcountry permit as well as the reservation? We found no separate permit on the park’s or Recreation.gov’s pages. You need a Recreation.gov reservation for the site and a boat to the island. There are no walk-ups.
Everything is booked for my dates. Am I done? Not necessarily. Sites come back when people cancel, and with only four sites a single cancellation is a big share of the campground. Recreation.gov takes reservations up to your arrival day. You still need a boat seat for the same dates.