Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Santa Barbara County Torrey Pines of Santa Rosa Island
AO Edited

Torrey Pines of Santa Rosa Island

Windswept and remote, this island was once the home of a rare mammoth and today is home to a rare tree.

Santa Barbara County, California

Added By
CapnSirloin
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Torrey pine grove on Santa Rosa Island.   NPS
Close up of Santa Rosa Island Torrey Pine.   Geographer
Torrey Pine grove on Santa Rosa Island.   Geographer
Closeup of foliage and cones.   Geographer
Rare grove of Torrey Pine trees.   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
View of Santa Cruz Island from Santa Rosa   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
Welcome to Santa Rosa Island   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
Hiking in the wind on SRI   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
  Avoiding Regret
Beach at Becher’s Bay, Santa Rosa Island   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
Barn from former days as a cattle ranch.   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
Island poppies   CapnSirloin / Atlas Obscura User
  Avoiding Regret
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Approximately 34 miles south of Point Conception, California, and 47 miles west of Ventura, lies windswept Santa Rosa Island, one of the most remote of the northern Channel Islands. 

Now part of the Channel Islands National Park, Santa Rosa was once populated by ancestors of the Chumash Indians and visited down through the centuries by Spanish explorers, Russian otter hunters, Chinese fisherman and American cattle ranchers. For a short time, the island was used as a private hunting reserve.

During the last Ice Age, Santa Rosa (along with neighboring San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands) was home to the rare and oxymoronic pygmy mammoth. This subspecies of the mainland mammoth existed only on the Channel Islands and nowhere else in the world. The most complete skeleton of a pygmy mammoth was discovered on Santa Rosa in 1994. The mammoths seem to have gone extinct about 13,000 years ago.

Today, the island is home to another natural oddity: a grove of the rare Torrey Pine. Only two naturally occurring groves of Torrey Pines exist in the world. One is on Santa Rosa Island and the other is 175 miles away over open water on the mainland near La Jolla, California. Strange indeed that this species of pine tree took hold only in these two locations, with hundreds of miles of coastline and several other islands nearby. The grove on Santa Rosa Island is accessible by an easy hike. Other rare plants make the island their home, including six species not found anywhere else.

Travelers wanting to enjoy a wild and uncrowded corner of California and are not afraid of the challenge of getting there, would do well to pay a visit to Santa Rosa Island.

Related Tags

Trees Islands National Parks Nature Plants Flora Animals Mammoths

Know Before You Go

There are no accommodations available on the island, other than a campground. Travel to Santa Rosa requires a three hour boat ride via Island Packers from Ventura Harbor. Weather conditions can make the transit uncomfortable at times. Visitors must be well prepared and bring all their own food and supplies—there are no stores, goods or services. Several trails and roads offer spectacular hiking and photographic opportunities.

Community Contributors

Added By

CapnSirloin

Edited By

Avoiding Regret, Meg

  • Avoiding Regret
  • Meg

Published

January 24, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/santa-rosa-island.htm
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Rosa_Island_(California)
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2015/11/photo-essay-wildflowers-oaks-and-rare.html
Torrey Pines of Santa Rosa Island
Torrey Pine Loop Trail
Channel Islands National Park
Santa Barbara County, California
United States
33.985502, -120.026407
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove

Goleta, California

miles away

Monument to the Bombardment of Ellwood

Goleta, California

miles away

Barnsdall-Rio Grande Gas Station

Goleta, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of California

California

United States

Places 1,508
Stories 136

Nearby Places

Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove

Goleta, California

miles away

Monument to the Bombardment of Ellwood

Goleta, California

miles away

Barnsdall-Rio Grande Gas Station

Goleta, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of California

California

United States

Places 1,508
Stories 136

Related Stories and Lists

12 National Park Trees That Are Truly Terrific

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

The Ultimate Guide to America's National Parks

List

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • Green arch in Fragas do Eume.

    Cabanas, Spain

    Fragas do Eume

    This enchanting natural park is a magical example of a temperate rainforest in Europe.

  • Maitara Island and Tidore Island seen from Ternate.

    Ternate, Indonesia

    Ternate Island

    The remote island home of the overlooked explorer who co-discovered the theory of evolution by natural selection.

  • The Tambopata Research Center

    Tambopata, Peru

    Tambopata Research Center

    One of the most remote lodges in the Amazon offers rare wildlife encounters and undisturbed views of the Peruvian rainforest.

  • Tulare County, California

    Mark Twain Stump

    The last remnant of a tree that helped prove to the world that sequoias are real—and they’re spectacular.

  • The Drago Milenario.

    Icod de los Vinos, Spain

    Drago Milenario

    This local emblem is the oldest and largest dragon tree in the Canary Islands.

  • A former doorway in the Anping Tree House.

    Tainan City, Taiwan

    Anping Tree House

    The tangled roots of a giant banyan tree have fully reclaimed the ruins of this abandoned warehouse.

  • Baby mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park.

    Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Virunga National Park

    The most biologically diverse protected area in Africa is also the most dangerous.

  • The loneliest tree sticks out among the low-lying, wind-battered vegetation of Campbell Island.

    Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku, New Zealand

    World's Loneliest Tree

    The most remote tree in the world is more than 170 miles from its nearest neighbor.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.