"A 3-day backpacking trip to Channel Islands National Park, specifically Santa Cruz Island. We took the ferry from Ventura to Prisoner's Harbor, then hiked about 3 miles to Del Norte primitive campgrounds. Once the morning fog cleared, the coastal views were of course great. Once we set up camp, and watched the famed Island Foxes nose around a neighboring site, we did a 4 mile out-and-back to Mount Pleasant, which is essentially a hill. The next morning, we donned the packs and began the long hike towards Scorpion Harbor. The first several miles were fairly easy and level, but that didn't last. Along the way we picked up Peak 1463 and then the ridgeline came into view as the fog lifted. At this point the trail got steep, rocky, and was somewhat Class 2 in sections. We finally got to the ridge, and I dropped my pack to 'quickly' get over to El Montanon and back. Then I collected my pack, and continued on, picking up High Mount Benchmark. We proceeded down towards Scorpion from here, and for a couple of miles the trail was crazy rocky and steep. Eventually we made it to our campsite at the Upper Scorpion Campground. And Rested. The next (and last) morning, we did a quick ..." — marc • May 9, 2026

"Hiked from Del Norte Camp to Upper Scorpion Camp with stops at High Mount and Potato Harbor along the way. Warm and clear day with some wind coming in late afternoon, but was nice to cool off. Great day of hiking, didn't see another person but had our first of several Island Fox sightings." — jodola • Feb 25, 2025