Trans Catalina Trail: The Best Hike Itinerary For a 3-4 Day Trip
According to nobody but myself
The Trans Catalina Trail is a great trail. I’ve hiked it three times to date and always want to do it again. Not only is it a shorter trail (38.5 mi, respectfully) doable in a long weekend but it’s also just difficult enough to get to, being on an island and such, that it usually feels like you and the foxes and bison have the place to yourself— I hope it stays this way forever; I think the campsite reservation system makes this likely. My friend group started trying to do an annual island trip (Catalina Lobster Extravaganza; 2020, 2022, 2023) that is sometimes kayaking to a remote beach and posting up for the weekend, sometimes hiking into whatever campground we could get a spot at. Whichever way we do it, it always involves lobster diving, sunset swimming, and a blow up boat of some kind that doubles as an open air sleeping platform.
HOW TO GET TO THE ISLAND
You’ll need to ferry. But don’t be intimidated. This isn’t as hard as it looks plus if you’re lucky enough this could double as a whale watching trip (I’ve been lucky enough!!)
Catalina Express *I recommend taking this one
catalinaexpress.com Departs from San Pedro, or Long Beach, or Dana Point
This ferry has more options for departure day and time, click here to find ferry schedule from each port
$92 for an adult round trip ticket, bikes/surfboards $7, pets free but require a hard sided muzzle. You can book a roundtrip ticket even if you are starting at Avalon and leaving from Two Harbors, or vice versa. You can call this number (800-613-1212) to speak with an agent who can answer your questions and help you with booking, or just book online. It’s important to note you should probably make sure you have your campsite reservations before booking these ferry tickets, just in case.
Catalina Flyer
Departs from Newport Harbor
Much more limited date/times of departure available
Slightly more expensive ($94 round trip, as of the writing of this post; Jan 2025)
No pets, kayaks, paddle boards (this paddle board rule is one of the reasons I’ve never taken this ferry even when living in right down the street from the port on the Newport peninsula, the other reason is the much less flexible days of departure)
THE BEST ITINERARY IF YOU HAVE 4 DAYS
Day 1: Avalon to Blackjack Campground (11 mi)
Day 2: Blackjack to Little Harbor (8.3 mi), stopping at the Airport in the Sky for breakfast/lunch (check the hours before counting on this **note to past self..)
Day 3: Little Harbor to Parson’s Landing (11.8 mi), passing through Two Harbors for lunch
Day 4: Parson’s back to Two Harbors (7.5 mi). These are flat miles, you aren’t going back over the same hills you traversed yesterday. See the AllTrails map for an elevation profile. Depart back to the mainland on your ferry.
THE BEST ITINERARY IF YOU HAVE 3 DAYS**
Day 1: Avalon to Little Harbor (19 mi). You can get amazing cinnamon rolls for breakfast from Catalina Coffeee & Cookie Co. before you start your hike if the timing works out, and lunch at the Airport in the Sky. The last time I hiked this trail, we got to the Airport at 5 pm and the restaurant had closed at 4:30 pm. We definitely should have checked the hours ahead of time.
Day 2: Little Harbor to Parson’s Landing (11.8 mi), passing through Two Harbors for lunch if you want.
Day 3: Parson’s back to Two Harbors (7.5 mi). Again, thankfully flat miles along a dirt service road for the most part, but with stunning views of the ocean and the mainland the whole time. It’s fun to build in a couple of buffer hours here at the end between the time you think you’ll end your hike in Two Harbors and the time your ferry arrives to take you back to the mainland. You can buy snacks/food from the store, relax on the beach, or check out the Two Harbors campground just up the hill to the south of town.
**If you choose this 3 day itinerary, I would recommend taking the earliest ferry to the island on Day 1, otherwise you may be hiking the last miles of the day in the dark, depending on your speed and the time of year of course. You could even take a ferry the night before, camp at Hermit Gulch Campground (1 mi out of Avalon), and start Hermit Gulch to Little Harbor in the morning. The last time I hiked this trail, I night hiked into Little Harbor after starting from Avalon at 10 am. It was a long day, well past dark by the time we approached our campground. We were so exhausted and ready to be done for the day that we almost stumbled straight into a bison grazing by the light of the moon in the campground. It lifted its gigantic head to look at us as we accidentally got too close, and continued moseying along to greener grass patches. We backed away slowly, finding an alternative path to our campsite and hoping more bison weren’t grazing over there too. I have hiked into Little Harbor twice in the daylight too and the views are amazing. Missing these views on the way in could be a con of arriving after dark on that first day, even though seeing bison by moonlight is most definitely a pro.
The Trans Catalina Trail is so special in part because Catalina Island is so special. The island is home to more than 60 endemic species, species found here and no where else in the world. 88% of the island’s open space is protected and managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy, including the campgrounds. Your campsite reservations act as your hiking permit. The island has so many miles of beautiful, rugged coastline, tide pools, and ocean to explore and almost feels like a place lost to time. It is equal parts semi-arid oasis and underwater dreamland—a true gem of the west coast. The Gabrielino/Tongva peoples hunted and fished on the island since what is estimated 7000 BC, prior to 1542 when the island was claimed by Spain, then later transferred to Mexico, and eventually to the United States. Avalon was made into a tourist destination by the Wrigleys in the 1920s and then management and land protection was taken over by the Conservancy in the 1970s. Today it sits in the Pacific as it always has, patiently awaiting the arrival of its next visitors. If it’s going to be you, message me and tell me about your trip plans!
Timely post. I got permits to hike this trail when they became available on New Year’s Day! I’ll be out there in March. So stoked.