After a quick lunch, we head out on a surprisingly strenuous up-and-down trail (carrying our water supply) toward the Del Norte Campground, which lies at the top of one of the islands peaks. No need to cross the road to start on the other side. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Your email address will not be published. Try this 20.1-km point-to-point trail near Santa Barbara, California. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We can do it! Prisoners Harbor is one of the main anchorages in Channel Islands National Park and the closest to Santa Cruz Island making it a popular destination for kayakers. Love the river access and beautiful trees in fall. I brought about 5 liters of water in the springtime and was enough for me until I reached Scorpions where there was potable water. boat ride to prisoners stopped at scorpion first so took longer than the boat ride back which was about an hour I believe. Why should you want to visit these remote undeveloped islands? I formerly head the sports department at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Alternatively, you may use, Channel Islands National Park Travel Forum, Channel Islands National Park Vacation Rentals, Channel Islands National Park Attractions, http://www.tripadvisor.com/help/how_to_edit_your_posts. A little long, and some unsteady rocks. Scorpion Anchorage is our MOST POPULAR year round sea cave kayaking tour. parts of the trail were moist due to the mist. Check out Prisoners Harbor! Spend time exploring the island, snorkeling, relaxing on the beach, and more. Mostly shady under beautiful holly oaks and occasional views of the surrounding scrub hills, greener than usual. I dont think we can do this!. It takes about 2 hours to kayak from Prisoners Harbor to Scorpion Anchorage. We were heading across nearly 22 miles of the Pacific toward Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. Calm, peaceful, and very easy. Scorpion Anchorage to Prisoner's Harbor Backpacking2 days15 mi(one-way) Itinerary Trailhead directions Scorpion Anchorage 11.9 mi 2,600 ft gain Del Norte Campground 3.1 mi 400 ft gain Prisoner's Harbor Reservations This trip requires aSanta Cruz Del Norte Campground. Be aware of weather conditions and bring extra food. We are looking for a full day of hiking and scenic views. Are you spending time in San Diego? There are no other visitor centers on the island. And then it turned out they were closing the main anchorage Scorpion Harbor in late 2019 due to the construction of a new pier. To get back, head town the trail on the right (Potato Harbor Road). It is a little easier at some points, but I'd say just as steep and even boring after a while being more inland and on a dirt road. the weather was helpful because it was foggy and not to hot. We crossed the River 6 times to get to our destination recommend extra shoes/or just be prepared to get your feet/up to ankles wet. The Channel Islands are home to over 2,000 plant and animal species, of which 145 are found nowhere else in the world. You will see the museum ahead of you and a small sign on the right that says Cavern Pt Loop Trail. Such as French, German, Germany, Portugal, Portuguese, Sweden, Swedish, Spain, Spanish, UK etc Swell, wind and, on one occasion, the smell from Bird S**t Rock (78) have encouraged me to find another spot for the night. At Prisoners Harbor, tables are located near the beach. But before going ahead with my plan of self-destruction, I decided to get Wendys opinion. Park day fee is $3 to park. Scorpion Canyon Loop Trail is a nice hike through and up the canyon with different views of the island, the nearby Anacapa Island, and the ocean. IG - @kylerampone. Bring more water than you think. Its our best chance to get to Prisoners Harbor, I say, hoping to avoid the afternoon ocean swells that ruined todays kayak. At this point we were in danger of being blown into the rocks to the east. Did it with two kids 4 and 8 and they loved it. Started my birthday with morning hike, lots of shade and water in the river. ROUTE: Strong winds start blowing southeast at around 11 AM on the north side of the island, so leave for any long kayaking trip early in the morning. MHiked backwards scorpion to Del norte. anchorage and it can be difficult to get close enough to the shore to get out of the westerly wind. Great trail with the sound of running water the whole way. KAYAK RENTAL: The Channel Islands Kayak Center in Ventura sits next to Island Packers, and they rents kayaks for $35/day for single kayaks and $55/day for double kayaks. As a reminder, as of November 1st, the Scorpion Anchorage Pier was closed for repairs prohibiting guests to visit the Scorpion Anchorage area except for from December 21st to January 5th during the holidays.. Our other favorite activities at Prisoner's Harbor on Santa Cruz Island . There is potable water on Santa Cruz Island in the Scorpion campground where you can refill your water bottle. We loved it! It is unclear how Scorpion was named; it may be the shape of the valley or the fact that there are small scorpions present. The National Park ranger tried to stop us when she saw our kayak loaded with all of our camping gear, Natalie says, She told us that we cant camp on any other beaches! A day trip to Channel Islands National Park, Santa Cruz Island, is a perfect way to spend a vacation day. The Island Packers boats leave from Ventura Harbor in California and take about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz. From Scorpion Anchorage hikers can venture out to Smugglers Cove Beach and Potato Harbor Overlook (no beach access). We visited in September and had hot weather in the 80s. Along the way kayakers will pass by sea caves rocky reefs and kelp forests. The water was choppy and the workers passed out barf bags which made me laugh, but I definitely felt nauseous and thought about grabbing one. Half day sail charter on the luxury yacht Sancerre, ASA 103 Coastal Cruising Skipper training at Sail Channel Islands, ASA 104 Bareboat training/Intermediate Coastal Cruising, ASA 106 Advanced Coastal Cruising Bareboat Coaching, Sailing Books (mostly American Sailing Association), Directions to Sail Channel Islands and Capt. We did find some emergency water left by other hikers (thank you!) The other option is you could bring your own kayak or rent a kayak from Channel Islands Kayak Center for the day and pay a fee to Island Packers to transport it for you. AllTrails wanted to take us through an unmaintained trail but we decided to stick with the NPS main trail. However kayaking in cold water [], If youre someone who likes to be on the water you may be wondering if you can use a kayak paddle for [], 2023All Sports FAQAll rights reserved, Powered byWPDesigned with the Customizr theme. The swell frequently creeps around the corner in the Island Packers. Over all worth it would not recommend kayaking after this hike. The maximum number of people that can camp at Scorpion Anchorage is 30. Very good trail, good weather. There are two Island Packers [], Taking a whale watching cruise off the coast of Southern California is exhilarating and gives you a high likelihood of seeing gray whales up close, but its fun to watch [], Channel Islands National Park protects five rugged windswept islands off the central coast of California. Little Scorpion is a fraction of a mile east. The high winds almost drove us insane, and the water carry sucks, but overall very worth it. Wildlife can be spotted at both locations and will vary depending on the time of day and season. At Scorpion Anchorage, picnic tables are available at the beach and near the ranch area. Once you enter you go right to the farthest parking section to find the trail head. The name of the island that Prisoners Harbor is located on is Santa Cruz Island. This is it! A little bit of tidal rush, a biggish wave, maybe just the wake off a tourist boat can ram you into the ceiling. Theres not really an end point - this trail kind of ends abruptly and there are other trails that continue. On the way down the trail, near the campground, we saw a few island foxes. I normally don't care for gaiters but this would be an exception. Boats land at either Prisoners Harbor or Scorpion Anchorage, a short walk from historic Scorpion Ranch. I recommend purchasing your own snorkel gear ahead of the trip and bringing it with you so you can snorkel off the rock beach at Scorpion Anchorage. Occasionally, abrupt wind shifts (though not necessarily Santa Anas) will suddenly make your secondary anchor the primary. Prisoners Harbor is located midway along the North shore of Santa Cruz Island. When we intend to spend only a few hours, we prefer to drop a single hook just shoreward of the charted 13 ft. rock (just left of the S in Scorpion on the chart) in 20-25 feet of water but will accept a spot almost anywhere along the beach and will anchor to within 100 yards west of Bird S***t, rock(78 rock) if we have to. The nightmare that Ive been worrying about for days is materializing before my eyes. We got there about 30 minutes before and still had plenty of time to check in and wait before boarding the boat. Approaching the ridge was probably the most difficult and treacherous part for someone backpacking (~0.2 miles) with steep cliffs, rocky, unstable trail. Fortunately for us, our friend Rex was able to blast out there in his Whaler a few days later and pick it up. We are looking for a full day of hiking and scenic views. Definitely 13.3-13.5 mi, not 12.5. There is no cell service in this area. Two of us completed weekend of 5/30. But remember, for a yacht on a single hook, this is, at best a fair weather anchorage. Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links for products and services I recommend. The other is Prisoner's Harbor near the Conservancy border. This post has been removed at the author's request. Beautiful hike and super green right now with the recent rains! Be sure to pack food and water for your time on the island. If I did it again the only thing I would change is to bring gaiters. Channel Islands Adventure Company offers kayak tours from 1 hour to 5 hours long where you can explore the sea caves, and in the longer tour even make it to Potato Harbor. Very peaceful lots of nature though if you want to cross the river be prepared to get a little wet. The Ultimate Weekend in Death Valley National Park, Yellowstone National Park Weekend Itinerary, Joshua Tree National Park Weekend Getaway, Channel Islands Adventure Company website, 20 Gift Ideas for People Who Love to Travel, 10-Day Costa Rica Itinerary: From Hot Springs to Cloud Forests, 16 Top Destinations in the Southwest US You Must See, 10-Day American Southwest Road Trip Itinerary, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve Guide: Best Hikes and Views. We saw only 2 other people the whole time we were on the trail and there were lots of animal tracks and scat. Round trip tickets cost an obscene $79 (plus $28 per kayak transported), proving that a world with boat transportation monopolies is a bad world indeed. The Island Fox can be spotted at both locations along with the Island Scrub-Jay. Lets just do it. She wrote that she thought we should just ignore the warnings and hypothetical cargo-space problem and just continue with my original plan. Del Norte and Scorpion Campground via Del Norte and Montaon Trail, https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/backcountry-beach-camping-on-santa-cruz-island.htm. Good facilities as well. The mixed sand and cobblestone Scorpion Beach is a world-class destination because of easy beach access, clear ocean waters, a spectacular shoreline with sea caves to explore, nearby camping, numerous trails, and year-round Island Packers boat transportation. Do this hike one way by getting dropped off by the ferry at prisoners. The main trail from Del Norte Camp to Scorpion Anchorage is in pretty good condition. We only saw 2 others on the trail. We didnt do the whole thing this is definitely longer than 3.6 miles. Scorpion Anchorage is one of two landing locations on Santa Cruz Island. Lots of grass with sharp needle like pointers that I was constantly reaching down to pull out. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. 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