Santa Cruz Island--Sauces Canyon

Santa Cruz Island--Sauces Canyon

Santa Cruz Island Official Website

About this location

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About Santa Cruz Island

See all hotspots at Santa Cruz Island

At over 96 square miles in size, Santa Cruz Island is the largest island in the Northern Channel Islands chain. It contains two rugged mountain ranges, a large central valley, deep canyons with year-round springs and streams, and 77 miles of coastal cliffs, giant sea caves, pristine tidepools, and expansive beaches. The protection and preservation of Santa Cruz Island is divided between The Nature Conservancy (restricted access) and the National Park Service. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the western 76 percent of the island, while the eastern 24 percent is owned and managed by the National Park Service. This is the easiest island to get to, has the best weather, and offers the most recreational activities.

A visitor center is located in the historic Scorpion ranch house. There are no other visitor centers on the island. Several trails and roads traverse eastern Santa Cruz Island, providing visitors with spectacular hiking opportunities. These trails and roads range from the maintained, relatively flat, signed trails of Scorpion Valley to the unmaintained, rugged, mountainous paths of the Montañon range. Plant communities of Santa Cruz Island include chaparral, oak woodland, Bishop pine forest, grassland, and coastal sage scrub.

Common access to Santa Cruz Island is through boat transportation. Trips are offered year-round. Travel time is about one hour to make the 20-mile trip from Ventura Harbor. Trips are either to Scorpion Anchorage or Prisoners Harbor. A landing pier is available at both locations. At Scorpion Anchorage, picnic tables are available at the beach and near the ranch area. At Prisoners Harbor, tables are located near the beach. Day-trippers who board an Island Packers boat from Ventura Harbor and land at Scorpion Anchorage will typically have about five hours on Santa Cruz Island. Hikers have a choice of three trails, which can be combined to fashion hikes of various lengths: Cavern Point, Potato Harbor, and Smugglers Cove. While visitors may explore the national park property on Santa Cruz Island, no hiking is allowed beyond the national park boundary onto The Nature Conservancy property (marked by a fence line).

Short or long overnight camping is available. There is currently one established campground at Scorpion Canyon. No camping is allowed on The Nature Conservancy's western 76 percent of Santa Cruz Island. Limited backcountry camping is available at Del Norte Campground. See the National Park Service website for information on camping.

Important Note to eBirders:

The ferry crossing from Ventura Harbor passes through two counties. The mid-way point is the line separating Ventura and Santa Barbara County. eBirders should submit checklists from Ventura Harbor to the mid-way point as being within Ventura County (using the Santa Barbara Channel--east channel (VEN Co.) hotspot) and a separate list from the mid-way point to Santa Cruz Island as being within Santa Barbara County with the reverse on the return trip. This will prevent long traveling counts and will tie species closer to the locations where they were observed. For more information on offshore hotspots see the group entry on Santa Barbara Offshore Waters.

Content from Santa Cruz Island Official Website and Jamie Chavez

Santa Cruz Island - The Nature Conservancy-managed area in the west, and the National Park Service-managed area in the east