Santa Cruz Del Norte Backcountry (npsrecgovdata) — Hotel in Ventura

Del Norte camp is a true back country camp. Reservations should be made as far in advance as possible with the National Park Service, as it books out quickly on the weekends.

It's a 3+ mile hike up to the camp from Prisoner's Harbor. The NPS website says it is "strenuous" and they're not lying. It's not the length of the hike, but the up/down, with an final altitude of around 800 feet, combined with the narrow, loose footing and all the water you will need to pack in that's the problem.

The Navy Road hike SW of the camp still has some climbing, but is a wider, two-track dirt road with less up and down. It's longer but easier, and with better views as it runs along the ridge.

The camp itself is really nice. Site one is the prime view location, with site two not far behind. Sites three and four have shade and more seclusion from oak trees.

The tent sites are level and hard. The recycled plastic picnic tables are great! The wildlife boxes are really useful at keeping the critters out of your stuff.

The most prominent wildlife here are the island foxes and island scrub jays. The foxes make the rounds through the camp about three times a day looking for scraps and the jays are there all day, in their animated and comical glory. Although it's tempting, don't feed the animals.

Despite an excellent 2-day camping experience, I ding the camp one full star. That's for two reasons... One, the "restroom" is pretty disgusting. I camp almost every month and this one is at the very bottom of the list. Two is the whole water situation. The NPS makes it clear that there is no water available on the island. That's actually a lie. I counted four large water tanks as I hiked around and crossed water pipes, some with signs identifying them as such. At least two of the tanks were newer and functional. I also crossed a spring-fed stream on the hike. The rangers and workers who spend time here have water.

Rather than force everyone to pack 2 gallons of water to the campsite, it would be nice to simply install a water tap a short hike from the camp. It would vastly improve the experience, as well as make it safer...

This is hands down the nicest campsite I have ever backpacked to. The view is breathtaking. Campsite one has an amazing view and campsite four has it's own beautiful privacy oak. There are no bad campsites here though. There are secure food boxes to keep out the creatures at each campsite along with a very nice picnic table and a flattened area for your tent. There are a few things to be aware of - the hike up to Del Norte campground from Prisoner's Harbor has some serious inclines. It's not that difficult, but it's not a casual hike, either. I wouldn't want to be stuck towing a cooler up and down those hills. Another thing to be aware of is that the pit toilet has no roof. This is pretty great in good weather (and there's plenty of privacy), but if it's raining...well, let's hope you have a poncho. Lastly, the animals (especially the foxes) are not impressed with you at all. This is really cool because you're treated as just another creature not to be feared. It also means you need to be ever vigilant about food around your campsite. Anything left unattended will be stolen by the campsite's resident fox, who patrols regularly. And she is not shy about going right back after you shoo her. The ravens won't give you much trouble, but they'll keep a close eye on you. The scrub jays are hilarious to watch. All in all, it is very very worth the trip and I would recommend it to any able...

This campsite is ok at best, the hike is pretty boring, the view is ok/good in some spots, all-in-all, the cost to get out here and the limitations set on the public for exploring and time doesn't make it a memorable camp out for a short trip, maybe if you have multiple days there maybe more to it, if you're coming for a day or two, save your money, it's just another arid campground with a lot of mosquitoes, not enough shade if you're unlucky enough to get a spot without a tree. Btw this was in the summer, cooler temps may be more enjoyable. Our highlight was a Fox...