Channel Islands
Stop 25 of 51 on the loop. Stay in Ventura CA, give it 2 nights, and plan the day around Boat to Santa Cruz Island.
- State
- CA
- Stay in
- Ventura CA
- Nights on this route
- 2
- Month on this route
- May
- Don't miss
- Boat to Santa Cruz Island
- Getting here
- 208 mi from Twentynine Palms CA, about 4 h 10 min.
- Next stop
- Pinnacles, 227 mi, about 4 h 34 min.
About the Park
Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth and helped preserve a place where visitors can experience coastal southern California as it once was.
Description from the National Park Service.
Where to Stay
On this route you sleep in Ventura CA, where the crossing leaves from. Gateway towns have more lodging, groceries and fuel than the park itself. If you want an in-park lodge instead, the busiest parks book up as early as 13 months out.
Entrance Fees
The NPS lists no entrance fee for this park. Tours, ferries, parking or campgrounds may still cost money.
An $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers entry at every national park; on a trip like this it pays for itself after three parks. Fees from the NPS, checked 2026-10-18.
Nearby Parks
- Sequoia about 151 mi as the crow flies
- Kings Canyon about 171 mi as the crow flies
- Joshua Tree about 182 mi as the crow flies
Official site: https://www.nps.gov/chis/. Route data checked 2026-10-19.