Landing Permits and Procedures
There are no landing permits required for the islands administered by the National Park Service (NPS). However, a landing permit is required to land on The Nature Conservancy (TNC) property on Santa Cruz Island.
There are closed and restricted areas on each island. Please note that rocks or islets on or near any of the islands are closed year-round to any landing and pets are not allowed in the park. Please refer to Laws and Policies and Limiting Your Impact for more information on regulations and guidelines.
It is recommended that boaters contact the park ranger on each island before landing for an orientation, information on daily events, island safety, landing instructions, weather conditions, or camping check-in. Park rangers occasionally monitor VHF Channel 16. Channel 16 is a hailing frequency only, and rangers will instruct you to switch to another channel upon contact. If you cannot hail the park ranger on the island on which you plan to land, try contacting one of the other island rangers on a neighboring island, as island canyons and mountains sometimes obscure radio transmission.
Boaters may land according to the following procedures:
Santa Barbara Island: A permit is not required to land or hike on Santa Barbara Island. Access to the island is permitted only at the landing cove. The landing dock is available for unloading purposes only. No craft, including kayaks and inflatables, should be left moored to the dock. Please lift your inflatables up to the upper landing.
Anacapa Island: A permit is not required to and or hike on East Anacapa Island or at Frenchys Cove. West Anacapa (except Frenchys Cove) is a protected research natural area and is closed to visitors. Visitors are allowed on Middle Anacapa by permit only and when accompanied by a park ranger.
The moorings near the landing cove at East Anacapa Island are reserved for use by the NPS, the USCG, and the park concessionaire only. Private boaters must anchor a reasonable distance from these moorings. This is not an all-weather anchorage. It is recommended that one person stay on board the boat at all times. The landing dock is available for unloading purposes only. No craft, including kayaks and inflatables, should be left moored to the dock. Please lift your inflatables and kayaks up to the lower landing.
Santa Cruz Island: Boaters may land on the eastern 24% of Santa Cruz Island without a permit. This area is owned by the NPS and is east of the property line between Prisoners Harbor and Valley Anchorage. No buoys are available at any landing area. Buoys are reserved for the NPS and the USCG. A pier is available at Scorpion Anchorage and Prisoners Harbor. Due to surf and swell conditions, boaters should use extreme caution when making surf-landings at any beach, especially Smugglers Cove and those beaches facing south and southeast between San Pedro Point and Sandstone Point.
A permit to land on the other 76% of Santa Cruz Island is required from TNC. A fee is charged and no overnight island use is permitted. Visit www.nature.org/cruzpermit to obtain a permit. Allow at least 10 business days for processing.
Santa Rosa Island: Boaters may land along coastline and on beaches without a permit for day-use only. Beaches between and including Skunk Point and East Point are closed from March 1st to September 15th in order to protect the threatened snowy plover. The beaches around Sandy Point are closed year-round. A pier is available at Bechers Bay. However, boaters may not use the mooring buoys in Bechers Bay. They are reserved for the NPS, the Coast Guard, and the park concessionaire.
San Miguel Island: Overnight anchorages are restricted to Cuyler Harbor and Tyler Bight. Visitors may land only on the beach at Cuyler Harbor. Visitors may walk the beach at Cuyler Harbor and hike up Nidever Canyon to the ranger station. To hike beyond the ranger station, visitors must be escorted by a ranger and have a permit. Call (805) 658-5711 prior to mainland departure to obtain a permit.
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