Trans-Catalina Trail

Length: 38.5-miles

Elevation Change: 9,600ft

Highest Elevation: 1,775ft

Estimated Time: 3-5 days

Route: Point to Point

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The most challenging part of this experience will be booking the campsites. Their reservation system allows you to book each site sequentially from either starting point: Avalon or Two Harbors.

You will also want to make sure that you coordinate your hiking route with the ferry schedule. The San Pedro ferry is the only one that travels to and from Two Harbors and has a more limited schedule compared to the Avalon ferries.

We decided to hike the trail ‘backwards,’ starting from Two Harbors. I recommend considering both directions to increase your chances of securing all of the campsites. The hike seems equally challenging in either direction.

We opted for a 4-day hike to explore most of the campsites along the trail. You could complete this trail in anywhere from 3 to 5 days. I recommend doing 5 days, so that you can fully experience every part of the island.

When making your reservations, you can choose to have firewood and water dropped off at your campsite, which was awesome. You don’t need to worry about carrying too much water from site to site.

4-DAY ITINERARY

DAY 1: Two Harbors to Parsons Landing Campground (7-miles)

DAY 2: Parsons Landing Campground to Two Harbors Campground (7.5-miles)

DAY 3: Two Harbors Campground to Black Jack Campground (13.5-miles)

DAY 4: Black Jack Campground to Avalon (10.5-miles)

WHAT TO BRING

HIKING BOOTS: With all of the additional trail opportunities, you could end up hiking upwards of 50 miles, so hiking boots will provide much more comfort.

BACKPACKING PACK: You’ll need a medium to large-sized pack in order to haul all of your camping equipment, food, and clothes.

TENT: We packed a 2-person tent, which worked out great.

SLEEPING BAG: It depends on the time of year, but a lightweight 40-50 degree bag kept us plenty warm. We did the trail in October.

SLEEPING PAD: We have lightweight, foldable foam pads. They are definitely worth the added weight.

COOKING EQUIPMENT: We packed a small Jet Boil to heat our ramen, soup, and water for tea.

FOOD: There are restaurants in Two Harbors, the airport (near Black Jack Campground), and in Avalon. However, we chose not to eat at them, so we packed enough food for each day.

CLOTHING: I only packed one extra hiking outfit, a swimsuit, and one pair of pajamas.

OTHER: Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, first aid kit, map, camera, hiking poles (optional)

Day 1: Hike 7-miles from Two Harbor to Parsons Landing

We took the 10am ferry from San Pedro to Two Harbors. This was the earliest ferry we could take since we had to drive up from San Diego that morning. We didn’t arrive to Two Harbors until around 11:30am.

You need to check in with the Catalina Island Conservancy, which is located right off the dock.

We decided to eat lunch in town to start our trip off with a hearty meal. We didn’t hit the trail until almost 1pm. We took the coastal route to Parsons Landing.

We arrived at Parsons Landing on a beautiful and clear afternoon. We had planned to continue to Starlight Beach but decided that we didn’t have enough time, so we enjoyed the campground instead. We even spotted some whales from the beach.

This was the most “primitive” and secluded site along the entire trail. There were still bathrooms, picnic tables, fire pits, and storage lockers.

Day 2: Hike 7.5-miles from Parsons Landing to Two Harbors

We continued on the loop back to Two Harbors Campground. Follow signs for Fence Line Road to do this. There were some very steep climbs along this road, but the views at the top make it all worth it.

If we were to do this hike again, we would consider doing the loop in the other direction due to the steep climbs. Alternatively, you could hike the coastal trail both ways or complete the loop in one day. I booked our entire trip around ensuring we got to stay at Parsons Landing, and it ended up being my favorite campsite.

Not sure if it was just the time of year, but there were an INSANE number of bees throughout the entire hike. I’m generally terrified of bees, so maybe this isn’t a big deal for most people, but they were everywhere and on everything all the time. Please note the picture below where one is flying directly into my face.

Day 3: Hike 13.5-miles from Two Harbors to Black Jack

The climb back up from Two Harbors was much longer and steeper than I expected. We were dripping with sweat by the time we reached the top, but the views were stunning.

We decided to skip camping at the Little Harbor Campground. It looked like an incredible site, but since we could only stay for three nights, we had to push on to Black Jack Campground.

We did stop here to eat lunch and take a quick swim at the beach, which I highly recommend.

Day 4: Hike 10.5-miles from Black Jack to Avalon

We woke up before the sun, ready to tackle the final stretch. After three nights, we were eager to finish the trail. I didn’t take many photos during this leg because it was the least scenic—until we encountered a bison!

Just before the Haypress Recreational Area we spotted a bison lying down. It noticed us shortly after, and we tried our best to stay quiet and not startle it.

This made my day. One of my biggest goals on this trip was to see some bison! They say that the stretch between Avalon and Black Jack is your best chance to see them.

All in all, this was an incredible experience. If we had more time, I would have loved to camp at Little Harbor and do some of the side trails.