#SCORPION SANTA CRUZ ISLAND INSTALL#

One evening as we sat around the campfire (now forbidden), half a dozen wild horses came barreling through the campground. When I first camped on Santa Cruz in 1997, the park service had just finished acquiring the last of the land from the Gherini family, which had operated ranches for decades.įeral sheep and pigs roamed the territory, nibbling at meager patches of grass. I now realize this is true of islands, too. You may have heard it said that you can never step twice into the same river. The rumble of a kayak being dragged across the pebbled beach. The rustle of wind rushing through the eucalyptus trees, a non-native grove that shades the campground. (But thanks to two webcams, you can spy on its growing bald eagle population.)īefore I carted my gear to the Scorpion Canyon Campground, a flat journey of about three-quarters of a mile, I stopped to listen for a minute. Three-quarters of the island, owned and run by the Nature Conservancy, is generally closed to the public. The campground has picnic tables, potable water and pit toilets, but you’ll haul your trash home. More visitors come just for the day, but there are 31 individual and group campsites, all overseen by the NPS, which owns the eastern quarter of Santa Cruz. The only cellphone reception is on the pier, and that is iffy, depending upon your carrier. The island visitor center, which the National Park Service opened in 2009, is housed in an 1883 ranch building between the Scorpion beach and campground. When the boat draws up to the short metal pier at Scorpion Anchorage, you see rugged cliffs and waves smashing into sea caves wind ripples across hills covered with native and non-native grasses. Not bad for $59 round trip (or $79 if you’re camping).

For a transcendent minute or two, the cold ocean seemed to be boiling with sea creatures, the dolphins eager to sidle as close to the boat as they could get. On the way, you may spot one or two dolphins, or perhaps, as I did, 200 leaping, squeaking, splashing dolphins and two or three kinds of seabirds. No matter when you visit, chances are it will be by a boat ride from Ventura, typically about 75 minutes. 5 for holiday season visitors, but the pier and campground will close again until the project is complete, perhaps by mid-2020.

#SCORPION SANTA CRUZ ISLAND INSTALL#

1, rangers will close the Scorpion Anchorage pier and campground to install a new pier, which is expected to take six months or more. It’s a great time to visit the east end of Santa Cruz Island.įor the latest information and status of the Channel Islands National Park, go to there’s an incentive to visit soon. Other island native plants and trees are beginning to bloom as well. Wildflower season has begun on the island with the amazing bright yellow blooms of the giant Coreopsis know as tree sunflowers coming to life. Scorpion Anchorage is the most visited destination in the park, with about 65,000 people coming ashore each year to enjoy recreational activities such as hiking, picnicking, camping, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Crews are on-site to take care of any damaged trees and limbs and the park is expecting the campground to reopen in March. The Lower Loop campground is undergoing tree and limb removal of damaged trees in the area. This area from Scorpion Valley to Smugglers Cove is open for hiking, as long as hikers stay on the marked trail, to help island flora to revegetate.Ĭamping is now open as well in Scorpion Canyon but currently limited to tent sites in the Upper Loop. Private boaters may not use the lift as it requires park staff to operate the lift.Ī fire broke out above Scorpion Canyon last fall, scorching about 1,400 acres. The Island Packer ferryboats are authorized to use the new lift ramp to land passengers. Now boaters may use one of two ladders on the pier to drop off and pick up visitors. Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the five islands that make up the national park-Anacapa, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel islands-it is the most visited as well.ĭuring construction of the pier, neither ferryboats nor private craft were allowed to anchor at Scorpion or go ashore.

VENTURA-Construction of a new pier at Scorpion Anchorage is finished and is accessible again for all who want to visit.Ĭonstruction of a new pier caused this popular spot to remain closed for visitation for 18 months, but it is now accessible by personal craft or the Island Packer ferryboats. Scorpion Anchorage is once again welcoming visitors to the east end of Santa Cruz Island.

Scorpion santa cruz island