Catalina Island - Two Harbors to Avalon - Member Hike
| Hike Name: | Catalina Island - Two Harbors to Avalon |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | California |
| Nearby Town: | Two Harbors, Catalina Island |
| Rating: |  |
| Directions: | Catalina Express: Launches from San Pedro, Long Beach, Dana Point. Only San Pedro goes to Two Harbors. Drive to San Pedro, CA and take the Catalina Express to Two Harbors (Isthmus Cove). (http://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/) Once in Avalon, take the Catalina Express back to San Pedro. Or... You can boat into Avalon and do the hike the opposite direction. |
| Total Hike Distance: | 23.50 miles |
| Hike Difficulty: | Moderate |
| Permit Required: | Yes |
| Hike Type: | One-Way, Shuttle Hike |
| Hike Starts: | Two Harbors, Catalina Island |
| Hike Ends: | Avalon, Catalina Island |
| Trails Used: | Two Harbors to Little Harbor: 7miles Option 1: Banning House Road to Little Harbor Road. Follow road into the campgrounds. (1100 elevation gain, steep) Option 2: Take Little Harbor Road from Two Harbors to Little Harbor (Longer, but not very steep). Little Harbor to BlackJack: 9miles South from little Harbor, take the grass fire road uphill. Right at Rancho Escondido. Left at unmarded T in road. Follow until you reach sign for campgrounds. BlackJack to Avalon: 8 miles Follow signs to the road for Avalon. Right on Road, follow into Avalon. |
| Backcountry Campsites: | Yes |
| Backcountry Water Sources: | None |
| Management: | Other |
| Contact Information: | Two Harbors Visitors Center (Camping, Permits, Equipment, Kayaks, Etc.) 310-510-8368 http://www.visitcatalinaisland.com Catalina Express: http://www.catalinaexpress.com/ |
| Best Season: | Spring, Fall |
| Users: | Hikers |
| Road Conditions: | Secondary Paved Roads, Maintained Gravel or Dirt Roads, Unmaintained Gravel or Dirt Roads |
| Hike Summary: | Once you arrive at Two Harbors, you pick up your hiking permit and map at the visitors center located on dock as you exit the Catalina Express. Two Harbors to Little Harbor: Option 1: To find the trailhead for this hike, starting at the Two Harbors store, walk away from the beach until the road comes to a T at a schoolhouse. Turn left, and keep climbing uphill, Following the Banning House Road. This is a very steep road leading up to 1100 feet and then back down to Little Harbor. You will intersect the Little Harbor Road which then lead you to Little Harbor. You will see the campsites upon approaching. Take the trail on the right that leads down to the beach. Option 2: This is the route we took. You can find the road behind the bathrooms to the left of the dock. This road is relatively flat, lots of gradual downhill legs and a relaxing hike. I don’t know if I would have liked hiking a road during the daytime, but we took the boat in at night, arrived at 10:00 pm. and started our trip at about 11:00pm. It was a beautiful night leg, we had a full moon, no flashlight needed, and hiked the 7 miles in about 2.5 – 3 hours. Little Harbor to Blackjack Campgrounds: This is a grueling hike on the fireroads. Its all up hill and very steep in several locations. To find the trailhead from Little Harbor, walk south until you see an unmarked grassy road leading uphill. You will see Rancho Escondido on your right, as well as marked signs. Take the road downhill to the right, through two metal gates. At the bottom of the road, you will come to an unmarked T: choose the left path and proceed through the scrub onto a path that would make a better roller coaster than hiking trail. You will climb in and out of gullies the whole way up. Partway up this trail, there is a fire road to your right. We hiked down this and discovered a dead end. About 7 miles in, there is a small sign. We thought this was the junction to the campground. We took the trail, it was maybe only .1 miles long, and lead to a beautiful overlook of the island to the west. Backtrack to the hiking trail from the overlook and head uphill another ½ mile or so. The campgrounds will be marked from here and are luckily a downhill jog. Black Jack to Avalon: Hike back out to the trail you came in on, and follow the signs to the road to Avalon. Once at the T in the road, take a right. This was my least favorite stretch of the trip; although, you'll likely see several buffalo grazing near the reservoir. This road is paved, flat, and you have to hike the road about 7 miles into Avalon (this is the only way). When you get to Avalon, take a seat at a restaurant and get a plate full of seafood as your reward. |
One reply on “Catalina Island - Two Harbors to Avalon - Member Hike”
I did this trip in October and I thought it was fun and exciting, however the trail design was seriously flawed in many ways. I have some experience with trail design and the Catalina trail breaks every law regarding good trail design. I assume they worked the best with what they had. My assumption is there were already so many dirt roads and wildlife paths that they didn’t want to scar the land anymore so they basically took what was already there and connected trails where needed. The TCT as is is a strenous level 5 trail.