Closest airports
| Airport | City | Drive to the park | Straight-line miles | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA) | Santa Barbara, CA | Fly or boat in | 31 | Regional |
| Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (SMX) | Santa Maria, CA | Fly or boat in | 70 | Regional |
| Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) | Los Angeles, CA | Fly or boat in | 86 | Large hub |
There is no road to the park, so plan a flight or boat from the town in the table.
Regional airports have fewer flights, so compare fares with the larger hub.
Directions from the park service
While the mainland visitor center in Ventura is readily accessible by car or public transportation, the islands are only accessible by park concessionaire boats and planes or private boat. Advanced planning is highly recommended.
Hours
Open 24 hours, every day. The park is open 24 hours a day. Services and facilities have separate hours. Please see descriptions of those facilities elsewhere.
Visitor centers
- Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center: Daily, 10:30AM - 4:30PM. Open 10:30 am until 4:30 pm Thursday through Sunday. Closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the first Friday in September for Fiesta. Also, occasionally closes early for special events.
- Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center: Daily, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. The visitor center is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving and December 25th.
- Visitor Center Anacapa Island: Daily, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. The visitor center is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily.
- [Santa Barbara Island Visitor Center](): Daily, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. The visitor center is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily.
- [Scorpion Ranch Visitor Center on Santa Cruz Island](): Daily, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. The visitor center is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily.
- Santa Rosa Island Visitor Contact Station: Daily, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. The visitor contact station is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily.
- San Miguel Island Ranger and Visitor Contact Station: Daily, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. The visitor contact and ranger station is only open when staff is present.
Gas, groceries and charging
There is no road into Channel Islands; you arrive by plane or boat. Buy food, fuel and supplies in the town you leave from, and pack everything you need for the trip.
Getting around
Most parks are best seen by car. Fill up before you enter, since gas inside parks is limited or absent. Parking at popular trailheads fills early in summer.
Sources
- National Park Service Data API: directions, hours and visitor centers (public domain)
- OurAirports: airport list and locations (public domain)
- OSRM drive-time estimates on OpenStreetMap road data (ODbL)
- OpenStreetMap: gas stations, grocery stores and EV chargers (ODbL)
Last checked 1 November 2026.