Parking
There is no public road access or trailhead parking. Arrive by boat at the Prisoners Harbor pier; a pit toilet is available near the landing, but there is no potable water or other trail supply.
Overview
About Prisoners Harbor to Pelican Bay Trail
This restricted out-and-back route begins at the Prisoners Harbor landing on Santa Cruz Island and follows a rugged corridor through The Nature Conservancy property toward Pelican Bay. The visitor distance is about 4 miles round trip. A guided group may turn around before the bay when its time, pace, or ferry schedule requires it, so do not assume that every outing reaches the shoreline.
Why go
- Staff-escorted access through quiet, restricted island habitat
- Coastal bluffs, oak and pine groves, deep canyons, and broad bay views
- Strong opportunities for island wildlife and spring wildflowers
Heads up
- Island Packers staff or a Nature Conservancy landing permit and release are required
- Rugged, uneven tread with steep and exposed sections
- No potable water or trail supplies; ferry timing limits the outing
If you have arranged the required access, this is one of Santa Cruz Island’s most distinctive guided hikes: a quiet, rugged traverse through protected coastal habitat with broad island views and unusual wildlife. It is a poor fit for a casual self-guided walk, visitors without ferry flexibility, or anyone who needs water and services on trail.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs It Worth It?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Channel Islands map
Full mapElevation13–364 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Channel Islands alerts
- ClosureSanta Rosa Island wildfire-recovery closuresAvoid closed routes and shorelines on Santa Rosa Island during recovery from the 2026 wildfire.Official details
- ClosureSanta Barbara Island dock closed; landings restrictedThe Santa Barbara Island dock is closed; landings are restricted to the adjacent rocky ledge. - Severe winter storm damage caused the closure, and repairs are not expected in the near future.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Channel Islands Tour Guide
Your drive to Prisoners Harbor to Pelican Bay Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Channel Islands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Channel Islands audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Prisoners Harbor: Solitude, History, and Island WildlifeListen
“You'll soon be at Prisoners Harbor, the quieter, more rustic landing on Santa Cruz Island.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Channel Islands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Guided Hike to Pelican Bay
- Del Norte: A Remote Backcountry Campground
- An Introduction to Santa Cruz Island
- Frys Harbor: A Quiet North Coast Cove
- 47 audio storiesacross Channel Islands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Island Fox, Humpback Whale, Blue Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 49 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Prisoners Harbor to Pelican Bay Trail
Access & PermitsPelican Bay Trail is not a normal self-guided National Park Service trail.
Pelican Bay Trail is not a normal self-guided National Park Service trail. Island Packers passengers may use it when accompanied by Island Packers staff; private boaters need a valid Nature Conservancy landing permit. Participants must complete the Nature Conservancy release form. Arrive by boat at the Prisoners Harbor pier, stay with the staff-led outing, and plan around the boat departure. The landing has a pit toilet but no potable water or other trail supplies.
What You’ll SeeThe route crosses coastal bluffs and open grasslands, then winds through oak and pine groves…
The route crosses coastal bluffs and open grasslands, then winds through oak and pine groves and deep canyons toward views of Pelican Bay. The restricted setting protects a quiet, restoration-focused landscape and can offer sightings of the endemic Santa Cruz Island Fox and Island Scrub-Jay. Spring can bring especially vivid native wildflowers.
Difficulty & Trail FeelThis is a moderate-to-strenuous hike, rated 7/10.
This is a moderate-to-strenuous hike, rated 7/10. Expect steep or rolling sections, narrow and uneven dirt tread, rocky footing, sun exposure, and occasional bluff exposure. For the full 4-mile round trip, allow roughly three hours at a guided pace, plus time to regroup and meet the boat.
TipsReserve an Island Packers trip that offers the Pelican Bay outing, or secure the required…
- Reserve an Island Packers trip that offers the Pelican Bay outing, or secure the required Nature Conservancy landing permit before traveling.
- Complete the Nature Conservancy release and follow the staff member’s route and turnaround instructions.
- Carry all food, water, sun protection, and sturdy footwear you will need; there is no potable water or resupply on the route.
- Stay well back from crumbly cliff edges, watch for poison oak, and remain on the marked route.
- Keep enough time to return to Prisoners Harbor and meet the boat’s departure.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Channel Islands
2,232 sightingsIsland FoxMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
282 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
79 sightingsBlue WhaleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
101 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
364 sightingsCalifornia Sea LionMost seen around noonSighting map
105 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Channel Islands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
