Looking for solitude in a national park? Go backpacking. Few people are willing to camp in the backcountry, so it's the easiest way to escape the crowds and have the wilderness (mostly) to yourself.
That's particularly true for the Channel Islands. Since reaching any of the park's five islands requires an hour-plus boat ride, it sees far fewer visitors than, say, Yosemite or Joshua Tree. The largest island, Santa Cruz, only has two campgrounds, further limiting the number of potential visitors.
When we disembarked at the less-frequented Prisoners Landing on a recent Friday morning, there were just 11 of us headed to Del Norte Campground three miles away. And only my wife April and I planned to hike across the island to Scorpion Canyon the next day.
The trail to Del Norte gains about 1,100 feet of elevation. The climbing begins right away as you leave the harbor and ascend the wide and even Navy Road.
A hard left puts you on a single track that descends, and then ascends, a couple of steep drainages before leading to the isolated camp.
I was thankful for the thick cloud cover. Although it obscured the views other hikers rave about online, it kept temperatures low and reduced our water consumption.
There is no water available at Del Norte, another factor that discourages visitors. That meant we had to pack what we needed for two days of drinking and cooking. We each carried six liters, which equaled about 13 pounds of extra weight for both of us.
We awoke to gray, misty skies on Saturday. After a breakfast of instant oatmeal and coffee, we packed up and began the 11-mile trek to Scorpion Canyon. Although we couldn't see the ocean, we knew it was close. Crashing surf and the occasional hum of a passing boat told us it wasn't far away.
The close cloud cover enhanced our sense of solitude. Few people came this way. Instead of dirt, the trail was damp, matted grass winding through shoulder high brush. We walked for hours meeting no one other than the occasional plump, twittering quail and a pair of Santa Cruz's best-known mammals - the island fox.
A bit bigger than a healthy house cat, the island's famous residents are smaller and darker colored than their mainland kin. With no predators, they are a picture of relaxed indifference, whether scouting occupied campsites for free food or lounging by the road grooming as this pair was.
A trailside picnic table around the halfway point of our hike was the perfect lunchtime rest stop. The sun was attempting to break through the cloud cover, so we took the time to doff our sodden socks and boots to let them dry.
The rest was timely. After lunch we faced the hardest part of the hike - climbing Montanon Ridge. We left the cloud cover behind, earning a view of the water on both sides of the island, as well as the challenge ahead.
The trail steadily gained elevation, seemingly headed straight up the flank of a distant peak. The narrow single track turned to a clamber. At points, we hauled ourselves forward and up by grasping onto the rocky outcroppings. We stopped often to catch our breath - and to double check the next brown trail marker was in sight.
When we crested the ridge, we found a sign pointing us toward Scorpion Canyon, where we would find our next campsite and running water. We also encountered the first people we had seen since leaving Del Norte hours earlier.
The climb was a grind. We paused to look back across the island and the miles of trail we had covered. It was worth the effort. Coming this way let us see more of Santa Cruz than most people and in total solitude for the better part of a day.

Let's Go Explore the Islands...
Island Packers
islandpackers.com
Camping Reservations
recreation.gov