Santa Cruz Island is one of the hidden treasures of southern california. It isn't often that an island 3 times the size of manhattan sits untouched within miles of a major city. Most people in Southern California haven't heard of it and almost no one has visited.

I stayed at the santa cruz campground over the july 4th holiday in 2002 and even on that busy weekend, it wasn't full. The island is expensive to get to through island packers and the campground is barren with little to separate campsites and a long hike from the beach with your belongings. Pit toilets but at least there is now running water and park service people on the island to answer questions.

The rustic camping is balanced by the feeling of the only 30 odd campsites on a huge island with the greatest concentration of seacaves in the United States if not the world.

If you don't own one, rent kayaks next to the dock at Chanel Island Harbor and they will take them on and off the boat for you... more