The Trans-Catalina Trail is a roughly ~38 mile trek that traverses the island of Santa Catalina, part of the Channel Islands of California archipelago, about 25 miles south-southwest from Los Angeles.
In 2017, the Catalina Island Conservancy made changes to the trail to make it more accessible and a bit easier. The original TCT can still be viewed on this official map in yellow:
https://www.catalinaconservancy.org/use ... ps/TCT.pdf
The changes made to the trail include:
-Using Hermit Gulch Trail as a shortcut into/out of Avalon instead of taking East End Road to East End Mountain and the ridge in the SE section of the island
-Using Big Springs Trail and Big Springs Ridge instead of the steep Sheep Chute Road between the Airport and Little Harbor
-Ending the trail at Parson's Landing and looping back to Two Harbors, instead of extending it beyond to the remote Starlight Beach on the west end
The updated 2017 trail can be viewed here in yellow:
https://www.catalinaconservancy.org/use ... x17(1).pdf
Because my wife and I originally started planning for this trip before the changes, we decided to hike the tougher, classic route -- making the trek out to Starlight Beach, taking Sheep Chute Road, and going all the way along East End Road to Avalon.
Most people seem to hike this trail going NOBO from Avalon to Two Harbors. We mixed things up and started in Two Harbors for a SOBO trip.
Expect to see a lot of Catalina Island Foxes and Bison on this trip. We didn't see any rattlesnakes, but they are out there as well.
There are virtually no switchbacks on this trail, so expect steeply graded fire roads, ridge lines, and full exposure.
Logistics/Planning
This isn't a cheap trip, and your itinerary will be based around the ferry schedule to/from the island. Different days of the week and different times of year affect the scheduling. Catalina Express can get you to Avalon or Two Harbors, depending on which city you're leaving from (San Pedro, Long Beach, or Dana Point). A round-trip ticket will cost roughly $70/person.
The designated campgrounds are also a bit pricey, roughly $22 per person, per night. Book these far in advance through www.recreation.gov, or on the phone with the Two Harbors Visitor Center at (310) 510-4205.
You can get a discount on some of the campgrounds by becoming a conservancy member, but the cost is pretty much a wash in the end. We decided to do it anyway.
The day you start your hike, you'll need to check in at the visitor center in either Avalon or Two Harbors to pick up your hiking permit. In Two Harbors, you'll also pick up your locker key for your water cache at Parson's Landing.
Available campgrounds include:
- Parson's Landing (beautiful secluded beach spot on the west end, pay for a few gallons of water and firewood+firestarter delivery to your locker)
- Two Harbors (campsite is on the edge of town, gets full/loud, we didn't stay here)
- Little Harbor (has water spigots, feels like a nice oasis, beautiful views to the SW with nothing but ocean and San Clemente island in the distance)
- Black Jack (has water spigots, very nice tree-shaded meadow in the middle of the island)
Make sure you double check the status of your boats before you finally set off to start the trip. You'll see why this is important below...
Itinerary
April 12 - Two Harbors --> Parson's Landing (set up camp) --> Starlight Beach --> Parson's Landing
April 13 - Parson's Landing --> Two Harbors --> Little Harbor
April 14 - Little Harbor --> Airport in the Sky --> Black Jack (with side trip to Orizaba Peak)
April 15 - Black Jack to Avalon
- My caltopo map:
- My lighterpack:
- My insta:
Pictures are a mix of my Moto G5 Plus and my wife's Canon 5DMk3 w/ 50mm prime
Day 1
Pics -
We drove from our home in LA down to our old neighborhood in Long Beach (Alamitos Beach) and found street parking in a neighborhood where we could avoid street sweeping for the whole trip. From there we took a Lyft to the San Pedro Catalina Island Express terminal only to discover that our boat had been CANCELED due to high winds. They said we could wait 6 hours until the afternoon, when they MIGHT have another boat go to Avalon --> Two Harbors, but it wasn't guaranteed. The only other option was to Lyft over to the Long Beach terminal, where another boat MIGHT be going to Avalon about 90 minutes later. We chose this option, knowing that we'd have to figure out a way to get from Avalon to Two Harbors, and might have to scrap the hiking section from Parson's Landing to Starlight Beach and back.
At this point I went into full producer mode and started making calls and researching our best options to salvage this trip that was quickly going downhill. Once it was clear that the boat would actually be going, we called the Safari Bus service on the island and bought tickets for the one-and-only van going between Avalon and Two Harbors that day, departing at 11am. I told them we would be arriving on the dock and sprinting straight to the van, and thankfully they waited 3 or 4 minutes for us to get there. Additional cost = $32/each for the one way trip. The only other option is a private cab for $200+.
We arrived in Two Harbors around 1pm, a full 3+ hours later than planned, and checked in at the visitor's center on the dock. We picked up our locker key, our permit, and stored our food for days 3 and 4 in the lockers at the dive shop. We would be back through town tomorrow to pick it up.
We covered the 7.5 miles from Two Harbors to Parson's Landing in just under 3 hours, arriving right around 5pm. The hike was rather uneventful, except for when we caught up to a VERY LARGE MALE BISON that was also seemingly hiking the TCT. We were basically stuck behind him for a couple of miles, but eventually he moved off trail to munch on an attractive patch of grass and we were able to slip by him. You'll pass by various established youth and group camps along the coast as you make your way. Some are private and have signs directing you to stay on the trail.
Once we arrived, we set up camp, had a snack, and then it was decision time. The sun was beginning to dip behind the western peaks, and the sky was turning gold. My wife knew that the trail to Parson's was steep and rough, and smartly decided to stay at camp. I powered through and managed the 8.5 miles round trip to Starlight Beach and back in 2.5 hours by jogging some of the gentler sections and a lot of the downhills. I wanted to get back before it was too dark, and didn't want my wife worrying.
There are some steep and loose sections of this trail, and it is very remote. The one and only deer I saw on the whole trip was on this part of the island. The old northern terminus of Starlight Beach is small, but rugged and beautiful. You can scramble down the cliff to get to the shore if you want, but I opted to just rest my feet for a few minutes before returning.
The wind howled all night (red flag warning, hence our original boat being canceled) but our site selection using some bushes as a wind break helped immensely.
16 miles hiked
Day 2
Pics -
We left Parson's Landing and made our way up the TCT (Fenceline Road in this section) for what ended up being the most difficult day of the trip. Because we weren't staying in Two Harbors, we had to make the hike's two toughest climbs and descents on the same day (between Parson's and Two Harbors via Fenceline Road and Silver Peak Trail, and between Two Harbors and Little Harbor). The trail is VERY steep, somewhat loose, and completely exposed. Make sure you're eating and drinking. We made it to Two Harbors in the early afternoon and decided to rest there for an hour or so to grab our food from the lockers, refill on water, and buy a spare isobutane tank from the general store because I was worried our old one was getting low.
Once we felt ready enough, we started the long climb out of Two Harbors. This section of trail between Two Harbors and Little Harbor has some of the most commanding views of the entire trip. You're up on the spine of the island, and once you're done with most of the climbing, can really enjoy the changing views as different coves and harbors come into view while you traverse the ridge. There are several good viewpoints with benches and shade to rest and soak it all in.
Little Harbor was a welcome sight as we descended into its palm trees and green grass.
12 miles hiked
Day 3
Pics -
We knew that we only had to cover about 7 miles this day to get to Black Jack, and that we'd have an opportunity to rest and get some real food at the Airport, but we still left earlier than the previous day to avoid the heat as we trekked up Sheep Chute Road. The climb was long and tiring and completely exposed (noticing a theme here?), but the views back to the SW where we had come from were nice whenever we stopped to catch our breath, drink water, or pull out another snack. We made it to the airport in just a couple hours, where I ordered a veggie burger, and my wife got a bison burger. The burgers and fries really gave us a mental boost, as did talking with the other hikers there and people arriving via plane and bus. We didn't meet anyone else going SOBO, but there were a handful of groups going NOBO.
This interior area of the island is a great place to spot the roaming Bison. Make sure you stay at least 75ft away from them, and don't startle or surprise them. We spotted two big herds this day. There are a lot of open grassy areas among the canyons here where they roam, as no trail or raod really goes close.
After resting up at the airport and waiting out the worst heat of the day, we continued on for the last ~2 miles to Black Jack. The climb down from the Airport and back up to Black Jack is, you guessed it, steep and exposed. Once we set up camp, I took a side trip to the island's highest peak, Orizaba. There is an aircraft VOR antenna up here, and I had to (probably illegally) climb over a really short fence to get up there and explore. It was deserted and there were great 360 degree views of the entire island.
10.5 miles hiked
Day 4
Pics -
Our last day was overall downhill, but we still had a lot of miles to cover. The two bigger climbs of the day were relatively early on, so we got another early start. This day was pretty uneventful, although we had our closest Bison encounter on this day (one resting maybe 75ft from the trail). Again, your are fully exposed on most of this trail. Make sure you keep eating, drinking, and applying sunscreen. This side of the island also felt a lot more humid than the other side. I'm not sure if it was just due to the weather that day, or if the prevailing winds that go through the channel keep it that way all the time.
We took a quick break at one vista point looking NE toward the CA coast, stopped to briefly top up our water at Haypress Reservoir (the spigot is in the parking area). Not long after, we made it to the intersection with the Hermit Gulch Trail, and began second guessing our commitment to the full, previous TCT experience. We endured on, however, for the final ~6.5 miles or so down and then back up to East End Mountain, and followed East End Road down to the old southern terminus at East End Road/Wrigley Road.
Thankfully, we were able to hitch a ride on the back of one of the tourist-filled golf carts that are ubiquitous on the island. We made it to the dock in time to pay the $5/each fee to have our tickets transferred to the boat that was about to head back to Long Beach, instead of waiting 3+ hours for our originally scheduled boat.
14.6 miles hiked
~53 total miles hiked
Upon arrival in Long Beach, we took a Lyft back to our car, still waiting for us on 2nd St. in the Alamitos Beach neighborhood. Do your due diligence if you go this route, use google street view to verify street sweeping/no parking days. Or just pay $15/day to keep your car at one of the terminal lots. I recommend grabbing some Mexican food from Hole Mole on nearby 4th St. before returning to wherever you came from.
Thoughts on gear
Love love love our 2015 SMD Haven in DCF. ~29oz for a two-person double-walled shelter that fits a 6'3" hiker. 114" length and off-set peak mean I can lay down and sit up without coming anywhere close to the tarp/condensation. This thing has stood up well in gusts over 35mph on several trips now.
The Prophet is the most comfortable pack I have ever put on my back and shoulders. I think the heaviest I've had it is in the low-to-mid 20lb range and it has never felt like too much weight.
The BA AXL Insulated Air Pad is a dream for a side and stomach sleeper like me. Time will tell how low we can take it in the temp range, but it is quiet and very comfortable. (update: returned this pad after a very uncomfortable night in the high 30s -- definitely not good to the claimed 15deg rating -- many other reviews online corroborate this)
My UGQ 20* Bandit with snap/drawstring footbox is still wonderful. I made two more pad straps (it only ships with one) to do an even better job of draft prevention when I toss around at night. I'm a pretty light/active sleeper and wake up a few times a night to reposition usually.
I did bring REI sand/snow stakes with me because I wasn't sure what the beach camping conditions would be like exactly. We didn't need to use these at all. At Parson's we just used our regular stakes as deadmen anchors w/ rocks, and at Little Harbor and Black Jack, the ground was more or less grassy.
Didn't use the Sawyer Squeeze either, but just had it as a backup in case we did have to drink from a less than desirable source.
The amazon dance/wind pants were so nice to have on this trip. The breeze/wind in the evenings can get a bit chilly, and these worked out wonderfully.
Conclusion
The scenery can't be beat on this hike, but the trail is steep. There are no switchbacks, and you are basically always exposed to the sun. Take this into consideration when planning your clothing, food, and water needs.
We are weird masochist completionists, so we did the old "hard mode" version of the trail. You aren't missing out on a whole lot if you do the new 2017+ version. You won't see the full east end of the island, nor will you see the full west end at Starlight, but you'll save some miles and some nasty climbs.
The new Big Springs Trail/Ridge alternate between the Airport and Little Harbor is visible from the old Sheep Chute Road trail, so the views in that section are pretty similar.
If you stay at Two Harbors, you get to split up the two worst climbs on different days, instead of tackling them on the same day like we had to. But Two Harbors is usually packed, right next to town, and doesn't have the same feel as the other sites. Look at the mileage between camps, decide on NOBO vs SOBO, and pick what makes sense for you.
