How to Get a Campsite at Scorpion Canyon, Santa Cruz Island
Scorpion Canyon Campground is on the east end of Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park, a flat walk from the pier at Scorpion Anchorage. Santa Cruz Island can only be reached by boat, and the campground has no stores or services. There are 25 individual sites, each for up to six people, and the park books them on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead.
The part that trips people up is that this is two reservations, not one. You need a seat on the park’s boat concessioner, Island Packers, and a campsite on Recreation.gov, for the same dates. Recreation.gov’s own notice says to arrange the boat before you reserve the site. So when a campsite opens up, it’s only useful to you if a boat seat exists for those dates too.
Scorpion Canyon, in one breath
- The sites: 25 individual sites, up to 6 people and 3 tents each. Sites 1 to 22 are in the Lower Loop, closest to the pier; sites 23 to 25 are in the Upper Loop, above the six group sites.
- Where: Recreation.gov, Scorpion Canyon Campground. 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. A party of 12 or fewer can hold at most 2 individual sites; 13 or more must use the group sites.
- Getting there: Island Packers from Ventura Harbor, about an hour’s crossing, landing at a pier. Then a flat half mile to about a mile to your site.
- At camp: picnic table, food storage box, toilets, and drinking water. No campfires. No pets.
How booking actually works
Step 1: the boat. Island Packers is the park’s authorized boat concessioner, and Recreation.gov’s notice is explicit: “Visitors are required to arrange boat transportation to the island before reserving a campsite.” The park’s advice is to find dates on which both boat tickets and a campsite are available, and to book early.
Step 2: the site. Sites open on Recreation.gov up to six months before the night. Recreation.gov keeps taking reservations right up to your arrival day, but you must have one before you get on the boat: 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 for campers who cancel at least 5 days ahead (14 days for holiday periods, per their policy). So a trip that falls apart has every reason to cancel early, and those sites come back onto the calendar at no set time.
In the week before we opened alerts on this campground, we saw cancellations come back in runs: three times, a block of five to eight nights reappeared at once, the shape of a single multi-night trip being cancelled.
What actually sells out (and what doesn’t)
We watch this campground continuously, so here’s a real snapshot from September 15, 2026, looking at the next 60 nights.
Both loops were full on 28 of those 60 nights. The Upper Loop’s three sites were full on every Friday and Saturday night, and on 29 of 43 weeknights. The Lower Loop’s 22 sites were full on 15 of 17 Friday and Saturday nights, and on 17 of 43 weeknights.
So weekends are mostly gone, and even a lot of weeknights were full at both loops. When a Lower Loop site does open, it’s closer to the pier.
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. If your dates are flexible, pick them from the boat schedule and then hunt for the site.
2. Watch for cancellations. Sites come back at no set time, often several nights at once when a multi-night trip cancels.
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Want to know when a site opens for your nights? Scorpion Canyon's sites come back when people cancel, on no set schedule, and often several nights at a time. BDH Pro watches the loop and nights you pick, up to 60 days out, and alerts you when a site opens up. You book it yourself on Recreation.gov, and your boat with Island Packers.
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3. Take either loop. The Lower Loop has 22 sites and was full on fewer nights than the Upper Loop’s three. Watch both.
4. Go midweek. In the snapshot, weeknights opened up far more often than Fridays and Saturdays at both loops.
5. Stay flexible on length. A shorter stay is easier to fit into whatever comes back. You can hold up to 7 consecutive nights when it lines up.
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.
- Showing up without a reservation. There are no walk-ups. Reservations are required before you reach the island.
- Bringing a party of 13 to individual sites. Thirteen or more must use the group sites, and a party of 12 or fewer can hold at most two individual sites.
- 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 of the islands’ landing areas.
- Packing only for the planned days. The park advises bringing supplies for an extra day in case the boat can’t pick you up in rough seas. Island Packers may also come as much as a day early for camper pickup.
- Leaving zippers unsecured. Island foxes and ravens can open zippers. Clip them shut with safety pins, twist ties, paper clips or small carabiners, and keep food and trash in the storage box at your site.
- Ignoring the yellow jackets. Recreation.gov warns anyone allergic to yellow jacket venom to consider a different campground in summer and early fall.
- Planning a campfire. No campfires or charcoal fires. Cook on a gas stove.
What we can’t tell you: a cancelled boat
If Island Packers cancels your crossing for weather, their policy offers a full refund or rescheduling of the boat ticket, and says 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.
You’ve got the site. Now build the pack.
The boat caps your gear at 60 pounds per person with no single item over 45, the park asks for low-profile tents and extra food for weather delays, and fog can roll in any season. That’s what the BigDirtyHikes pack builder is for: build your Santa Cruz Island 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 and the cancellation runs, which are our own data. If we ever disagree with them, they’re right and we’re wrong. Tell us and we’ll fix it.
- Recreation.gov: Scorpion Canyon Campground. Live availability, site rules, fees, and the boat-first notice.
- NPS: Camping in Channel Islands National Park. The six-month window, gear limits, food storage, and what to bring for weather delays.
- NPS: Things to do on Santa Cruz Island. Boat travel time, the pier landing, and the walk to camp.
- Island Packers: Scorpion Anchorage camping. The park’s boat concessioner: camper transport, the loop layout, 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 Scorpion Canyon 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 Scorpion Canyon? $15 per site per night, for up to 6 people and 3 tents. The boat to Santa Cruz Island is a separate ticket from Island Packers.
How far is Scorpion Canyon Campground from the boat landing? A flat half mile to about a mile from the pier at Scorpion Anchorage, depending on the site. Site 1 is closest to the pier; sites 23 to 25 sit in the Upper Loop, above the group sites.
Is there water at Scorpion Canyon Campground? Yes. Drinking water, a picnic table, a food storage box and toilets are provided. There are no stores or services, and campfires are not allowed.
What happens to my campsite if my boat is cancelled for weather? Island Packers offers a full refund or rescheduling of the boat ticket and says it does not cover accommodation costs. Neither the park nor Recreation.gov publishes a specific rule for the campsite in that case, so contact Recreation.gov rather than assuming a refund.
Everything is booked for my dates. Am I done? Not necessarily. Sites come back when people cancel, often several nights at once when a multi-night trip is cancelled, and Recreation.gov takes reservations up to your arrival day. You still need a boat seat for the same dates.