Santa Rosa Island is part of an island chain along the south coast of California. It is part of the Channel Islands National Park. The island is the second island farthest to the west.

Arrival to the island is at the far end of this bay, Bechers Bay. From there a hike of about one mile brings you to the campground.  I camped for three days and explored the eastern side of the island.

The three photos above were taken at sunrise. I used several ND filters for varying effect.

This view from a hill above the camp shows part of the air field to the left and, across the water, Santa Cruz Island. These benches of land were once places where the indigenous tribes built their villages.

The beaches are wide and gentle showing how the winds push the sand into dunes up against the cliffs.

The Torrey Pine, Pinus torreyana, is an endangered pine tree species found only in two places on this planet. It is located along the coast north of San Diego, CA and on Santa Rosa Island.  Once on the island it is a 3 mile hike on easy trail to reach the grove.

When it is time for the trees to drop their cones they roll downhill and collect in the troughs below the trees.

Santa Rosa Island also has a history of ranching going back to the mid-19th century.  The ranching ended in the late 20th century and then transferred over to the National Park Service.  Remnants of the ranching operations are still visible in some areas of the island.