Hiking the Trans Catalina Trail in Southern California
Catalina Island is world famous, but not necessarily for hiking. From the Wrigley Family and other wealthy elite purchasing land on the Southern California Island to Stepbrothers now well known movie conclusion at the “Catalina Wine Mixer” to the unique ecosystem of species that reside on it. What many might not know about Catalina Island (located just off the coast of Los Angeles and San Diego) is that it’s mainly public land and there’s a 38.5 mile hiking trail zagging and zigging throughout it. It’s a tough and rugged trail that can get super muddy, has STEEP inclines/declines, encounters with bison (they were left after a 1924 movie shoot that brought and left them), and offers oceanside camping/views! I went backpacking on the Trans Catalina Trail for three days and this is the highlight reel of my three day hike.
For someone interested in hiking or learning about the Trans Catalina Trail on Catalina Island in SoCal keep on reading!
I think the TCT is one of the more unique multi-day hiking trails available to explore in the US.
There are several reasons why but here’s a few:
1. The displaced bison that roam an island in SoCal.
2. An airport with a black bean chipotle or bison burger, a gift shop with bison pillows, espresso, homemade cookies, and indoor flush toilets.
3. Oceanside camping, as in you can have a tent site next to the ocean and there’s no crowds. This is primarily bizarre because it’s Southern California in the US.
4. You have to take a ferry to arrive for your hike.
5. There’s a general store that will deliver fancy cheese, craft beer/soda/sparkling water, and ice cream bars to your campsite, for a fair but hefty delivery fee :)!
6. Plus you’ll be hanging out with thousands of brunchy mimosa drinking party goers.
Therefore I feel the TCT is a little different than most trails. Which is also why I LOVED hiking the Trans Catalina Trail. I did the TCT in early February (benefits of doing it then can be no rattlesnakes and very few people) and I hiked a total of 50 miles of the Trans Catalina Trail. I doubled up on several sections.
I decided to not do a full thru-hike but instead set up basecamp at Little Harbor Campground. I had a tent site more or less on the Pacific Ocean and there were only four other campers there each night. Again, it was February. But while it down poured on the ferry ride I had super nice days of hiking and sleeping in a tent. The Trans Catalina Trail is TOUGH so a good night sleep is nice if it happens. The TCT inclines were brutal, and out of nowhere. I also had to avoid bison often, and the mud caked in many layers all over my hiking shoes.
The TCT is a backpacking experience I would do again and again. And I don’t say that very often! But the TCT takes a little bit more planning than your every average multi-day hike. I share some highlights abelow nd need to know’s for your journey on the Trans Catalina Trail! The Catalina Island Conservancy does a great job of providing resources to let you plan your trip accordingly. Their map was super helpful for me to plot out where I wanted to stay and when.
Things to know about hiking the Trans Catalina Trail:
Unless you have an ocean navigable boat you’ll need to book ferry tickets. You can’t get on or off the island without these so to me after you pick a few dates that might work this is the most important thing to check availability on. Also notice that you need to book the CORRECT ferry as there are multiple locations (Long Beach, San Diego) and different routes/times. I took the Catalina Express to Two Harbors from Long Beach. And I returned the same way.
The ferry tickets are GREAT, but you also need hiking PERMITS! Good news is the Catalina Island Conservancy handles all of this and a campground reservation doubles as your backpacking permit. I decided to set up a basecamp at Little Harbor (due to the iconic campsites right on the ocean.) There are super rugged campground options (Parsons Landing) and other ones that are right off the ferry (Avalon and Two Harbors.)
The Two Harbors General Store will deliver groceries to some of the campgrounds as I mentioned earlier. Yes you read that right. Just be prepared to pay an uptick for this VIP service. I budgeted $150.00 on this splurge. it saved me pack weight and I was able to have chips/salsa, ice cream, and gatorades to name a few at my campground on arrival. Unbelievable!!!
The trail is NOT EASY!!! I have said it like four times but I mean it. It’s also muddy. Miles on the TCT are not equivalent to miles on the PCT or like other day hikes in SoCal. I would say Trans Catalina Trail miles are more similar to the White Mountains in New Hampshire or those awfully hard stretches of PUDS (pointless ups and downs) that you encounter on the Appalachian Trail! Be trained up…did I mention a lot of the trail doubles as dirt road and if it has rained the mud is going to collect on your shoes like you have super glue on your boots!
Bison are wild on the island. They are also dangerous. I saw six or seven and some VERY CLOSE. Coming around a foggy corner can land you closer than is comfortable or recommended to be to a bison. Back away and find another route. They’re also beautiful and incredible creatures to see from a safe distance!
Poison Oak, Rattlesnakes, Extreme Heat…the TCT has lots of potential obstacles. A winter hike gets rid of many of these for you. PLUS the campgrounds and ferry tickets are much easier to snag during that time of year. The rest of the year can get quite busy crowd wise so that’s something to consider.
Trans Catalina Trail Faves!
Eat: Two Harbors General Store and Airport in the Sky.
Camping: Little Harbor, Avalon, Parsons Landing, Blackjack, and Two Harbor. Great jumping off points and also rugged basecamps depending on what you’re looking for! Little Harbor is my personal favorite!
Sections: Little Harbor to Airport in the Sky and Two Harbor to Little Harbor were my two favorite sections to this trail.
On the Trans Catalina Trail I met fabulous hikers that I am still friends with. Plus I hung out with lovely island day trippers and staff on this adventure. The rain poured on me in the ferry line. I almost peed my pants when I saw how close the bison was to me. The Pacific Ocean beaches were home to just me and the seagulls for hours on end. And at times I felt like I might sink into the trail from the mud. It was a perfect adventure filled with “ALL THE THINGS.”
The Trans Catalina Trail was an adventure I would love to do again. But for now I hope some of this info is helpful for you to plan your adventure. Maybe I’ll see you out there, Happy Trails!
Comment below with any questions I might be able to help.
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike
Two Harbors General Store