BACKPACKING: April 29, 30, & May 1, 2, 2023
Backpacking Trans-Catalina Trail
Catalina Island, CA
The Trans Catalina Trail is a 38+ mile point-to-point trail that starts from Avalon in the south of the island to Parsons Landing in the north of Catalina Island, which is off the coast of Southern California. The trip can take from 3 to 5 days.
- Length: 47.46 miles
- Elevation Gain: 8867 ft
- Route Type: Point to Point
- AllTrails: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
- Photos: Flicker
- Video: YouTube
Planning
There are two things you need for the trip. Firstly, you have to book a campsite, as this trail allows camping only in the designated campsite. Secondly, you need a ferry ride to and from the island.
Campsite
Unfortunately, there is no single button to book all the campsites for the trip. You have to book them individually, which can be challenging as some campsites may not be available for the trip. The typical trip and campsite for the 4-day trip will be as follows:
- Avalon to Black Jack Campground
- Black Jack Campground to Little Harbor
- Little Harbor to Parsons Landing
- Parsons Landing to Two Harbors
If you are planning a 5-day trip, you have the option to stay in Two Harbors, either at a campsite or in a hotel.
All campgrounds have restrooms. All campgrounds have water, except at Parsons Landing. If you’re staying there, you can order water in advance, and it will be delivered to you.
Once you have identified the campground and chosen the trip date, book your campsites at Catalina Island Conservancy
Getting to the Island
Assuming that you’re going to hike from Avalon to Two Harbors, you’ll need to arrange your ferries from each spot. Several mainland ports have ferries to Avalon, but the best option is from San Pedro. Book your ferry with Catalina Express. Note that schedules vary by season, and in some months, you may not find a ferry from Two Harbors to the mainland on certain days. So, please check the ferry schedule before you book a campsite.
Food
One of the good things about this trail is that you will pass through an area with restaurants at least twice. This way, you can plan your meals to eat at the restaurants, thereby reducing the weight of your pack. On the second day, while hiking from Black Jack to Little Harbor, you will come across a restaurant at Avalon Airport. On the third day, from Little Harbor to Parsons Landing, you will pass through Two Harbors, which has restaurants and shops.
Hike
We took a ferry ride from San Pedro and reached Avalon around 10:00 AM. The ride took around 1 hr 15 mins. Note that the ferry doesn’t allow you to carry a fuel canister. After reaching Avalon, we went to a shop to get a fuel canister. Avalon is a busy area with a lot of tourists, but as you start walking towards the trailhead, you will see fewer and fewer tourists.
Day 1: Avalon to Black Jack Campground
- Length: 12.32 miles
- Elevation Gain: 3,220 ft
- AllTrails: Day 1
This is one of the toughest and least favorite section of all. Most of the time, you will be walking inland and won’t have a view of the ocean. The campground is in the interior of the island.
Day 2: Black Jack Campground to Little Harbor
- Length: 12.93 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1,542 ft
- AllTrails: Day 2
This is easier than Day 1, although you have to climb a bit to reach the airport. We skipped breakfast at the campsite and started early with the goal of having breakfast at the airport restaurant.
We had a great breakfast and waited for a while to clear the fog. We packed our lunch and started towards Little Harbor. It’s all downhill with a lot of wildflowers along the way.
Little Harbor is one of the most beautiful campsites on this trip. We are lucky to have a campsite next to the beach. The rock formation, ‘Whale Tail,’ next to the campsite is one of the beautiful viewpoints on this trip.
Day 3: Little Harbor to Parsons Landing via Two Harbors
- Length: 15.32 miles
- Elevation Gain: 2,251 ft
- AllTrails: Day 3
This was tough as the trail starts to climb up immediately from Little Harbor campsite. It started drizzling for a while. The view along this trail is incredible, especially at the top of the rest place after a big climb.
Once you are done with the major climb, you will start going downhill towards Two Harbors. As you approach, you will see a beautiful view of the harbor and the town.
Two Harbors is a small town with a hotel, restaurant, store, and even shower and laundry facilities. We had our lunch, charged our phones, and rested well. Although we were supposed to go to Persons Landing on a high-elevation trail, we were so tired that we opted for a flatter section of the trail. We decided to take the high-elevation trail on the way back to Two Harbors.
The road from Two Harbors to Parsons Landing was very flat and wide. Though it was flat, due to the sun, it felt very hard to walk, especially in the first mile where there is some elevation. This section also offers a walk along the ocean with a beautiful view.
Parson Landing campsite is the best of all. The campsite is located on the beach with a fire pit, and you can order wood for the fire, which will be delivered to your lockbox. You will receive the lockbox number at the Two Harbours visitor center.
Note that there is no water at the campsite. Either you have to carry it all the way from Two Harbors, or you can order and have it delivered to your lockbox. We ordered both firewood and water and collected them from the lockbox.
Day 4: Parsons Landing to Two Harbors
- Length: 6.89 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1,854 ft
- AllTrails: Day 4
This was the last day of the trip, and though it was short, it involved a significant elevation gain right from the start, which was very steep over a short distance.
Once you are done with the climb for a mile or so, the trail flattens, but then there is a steep downhill all the way to Tow Harbours. You should hike this section either early in the morning or late, as there is no shade, and it gets too hot and difficult to hike in the sun.
Views are amazing as you approach Two Harbors. After arriving at Two Harbors, we had lunch and took a shower. We waited for our ferry to San Pedro.
The Trans-Catalina Trail offers some of the best views. Camping near the beach was one of the best experiences I had on this backpacking trip. If I were to do this again, I would skip the section from Avalon to Black Jack and, instead, take a taxi from Avalon to the Airport and go directly to Little Harbor. I would prefer to stay two days in Parsons Landing.
