Santa Catalina Island: A Tale of Two Harbors
Quick Reference
Reason to go: Turquoise water & pristine reefs, easy accessibility from a major city (LAX), kayaking, snorkeling, hiking steep trails, abundant wildlife, relaxation, small town rustic vibes
Map: Print out this AAA map before you go & this one from Catalina Island Explorer; maps available on island at ferry terminal. Check out our hikes on CalTopo here.
Where We Stayed: Two Harbors Campground
Permits & Reservations: Reserve your ferry tickets here and your campsite here. As with any camping options in California, I recommend planning ahead well in advance to get a good site or to get a site at all.
Time to Visit and Weather: We travelled to Two Harbors in late March and we had temps in the 70s and sunny skies. Catalina does get chilly fog and coastal winter storms. Check out the averages here.
Land Managers & Emergency #s: Catalina Island Conservancy, call 911 in an emergency.
Cell Service (AT&T): Limited service in Two Harbors and on trails.
Activities: Hike the Trans-Catalina Trail, drink a cold one over looking the sea, kayak the harbor and look for fish, nap in your campsite by the sea, wander through town, get swanky and chill in the new beachside cabanas, visit the University of California's Wrigley Marine Science Center. Consider a thru-hike the Trans-Catalina Trail from Avalon to Two Harbors (this is the activity that I originally wanted to do on Catalina- but due to the last minute nature of our trip, there was no availability left in the campsites along the way).
Best Coffee: Camp coffee! Trader Joe’s instant coffee with hot cocoa packets on the beach.
Best Food: Ok, a drink. The Buffalo Milk at the Harbor Reef Restaurant.
What to Bring: This trip is essentially a car camping trip, except you won’t have a car. You must pack your camping equipment into duffels and haul it onto a ferry, off a ferry, up a hill to your campsite (or into the back of a pick up truck!). So, we modified our typical car camping equipment list. We made sure to bring a tarp for sunshade in camp and it was invaluable. Bring your wetsuit and snorkel gear (or you can rent from the Two Harbors shop).
Oh Catalina, I left a piece of my heart with you. Your oceans blues and chill vibes and wild coastline are what my daydreams are made of. Catalina Island sits just seven miles off the coast of Los Angeles, but it couldn’t feel further away. Most ferries head to Avalon, which has a fancy beach club, restaurants, a casino, and several nice hotels. Two Harbors is a bit different- it is tiny, has one restaurant, a campground, a general store, and a place to rent kayaks. It is the perfect rejuvenating retreat as long as you're the kind of vacationer who doesn't require an excess of amenities.
I planned this semi-last-minute trip for the latter half of spring break in March 2017 as an opportunity to refresh and rest up after teaching five days of outdoor leadership in the backcountry and for Kevin to have dedicated time to work on a paper for grad school away from TV, Netflix, and all of those classic distractions. We had four days to travel to and enjoy this special island, and it was one of of my favorite mini-trips to date. Here’s how we spent our time...
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 - Travel Day!
Start: Pacifica, CA. End: Two Harbors, Santa Catalina Island, CA.
The night before I arrived home from five days of immersive teaching by 6pm, threw all of my clothes in the laundry, and re-packed my clean stuff into my backpack. We loaded our car the night before in order to be ready to depart the Bay Area by 5:30am on Day 1, to make it to the ferry terminal on time. Kevin had already taken care of our grocery shopping the week before. The drive south on I-5 was uneventful and straightforward.
How do you get to Catalina? There are a few routes to get there, and most paths lead you to Avalon. We were seeking quiet, rest and relaxation, so we chose to visit Two Harbors instead of the bigger, more popular tourist town on the island. Check out your options here. Our route was simple- San Pedro to Two Harbors via Catalina Flyer. The ferry terminal in San Pedro is swanky and has a fancy bar, food for purchase, and a lovely outdoor patio. The ferry was 100% booked but we scored seats on the top deck to breathe fresh air and see every part of our journey. The ferry ride took about one hour and we were grateful to have both fleece and windbreakers with us to ward off the nippy ocean breeze. Approaching Two Harbors amped up my excitement as I took in the bright sunshine, palm trees and turquoise waters. The hills were a vibrant green after a wet California winter and shot straight up from the azure ocean. It was amazing. It looked like a true oasis in the middle of the Pacifica ocean and felt like a true spring break destination. As soon as the ferry idled by the dock we stripped off our layers to soak in the so-cal sunshine and loaded up all of our gear duffels to figure out our next steps. There is a park ranger booth at the end of the dock where you check in, get a map of the campsite and learn about the amazing baggage hauling service available. We hit the general store and bought two beers to sip in camp, and headed to our site- and oh my what a site it was. No one else was there! We had this area of camp all to ourselves (we stayed in site #45) and a gorgeous, clear view of the ocean. It was paradise. The only things on our agenda was to set up camp, cook dinner, and stargaze until sleep set in.
Campsite info: The campground is a 3/4mi walk from the town of Two Harbors, up a hill that'll have you breathing heavy once you reach the top. For a few bucks you can arrange for a pick up truck to haul your gear to your campsite and it's well worth the cost. See the park ranger in the booth next to the dock for more information. Some sites have shade structures, most don't; all have a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood can be purchased at the window by the dock and delivered by the gear hauler. Most sites have an ocean view, but we think our site (#45) and surrounding sites had the best of the best. There are sites that are technically closer to the ocean and the rocky beach, but if you camp there be prepared for aggressive wind and be sure to stake your tent down well. Bathrooms were port-o-potties. In our experience the port-o-potties were always out of hand sanitizer and often quite stinky. Potable water was available in several areas of the campground via tap. Outdoor, public showers were also available for rinsing off saltwater. Despite the sticky bathrooms, this campground is one of my favorite places we've stayed. The views and the quiet make up for the lack of amenities.
Day 2 - Hikes, Naps, Beers, Repeat
Start & End: Two Harbors Campground
We woke up totally refreshed after a day of travel to a white out from thick, wet fog. We took our time to get ready for the day and hiked into town from the campground. Our first destination was to the other side of Two Harbors before exploring the tiny town. The fog cleared as we hiked toward Catalina Harbor and we were treated to a serene harbor full of small boats. The hike through town was equally intriguing as we took in the details of each full-time dwelling. Shells, wooden mermaids, and buoys decorated most yards and the homes were painted bright, happy colors to include every color of the rainbow. It felt like a neighborhood from the Caribbean. Our main hike for the day was heading west on 4th of July Cove Road. We just hiked in and out of each little harbor, most privately owned, dotted with moorings, and with a steep approach to the water. It was a simple out and back trip with pretty views around every bend that left us with plenty of time for an ice cold, afternoon beer and nap in the sun.
Favorite activity alert: Drink a cold beer or a Buffalo Milk frozen cocktail on the Harbor Reef Restaurant's porch after hiking all day. Around happy hour all of the locals and the folks who sailed over for the day from LA come out and the people watching is phenomenal. The views are idyllic and the sunshine is plentiful. Need an extra incentive to spend some time here rather than your campsite? Beer is only $2 at happy hour. Done. Deal. Friday and Saturday's happy hour was extra hoppin'.
Day 3 - Searching for Bison
Start: Two Harbors Campground. End: Where home used to be, Pacifica, CA.
We woke up early again and tied on our hiking shoes to get up the looming steep hill before the sun came out in full force. Our path was the trans Catalina trail, hiking west towards the bison preserve. I had dreams of spotting fluffy bison but I won’t lead you on- we didn’t see any. We hiked to a lookout on a peak that felt to be above all other parts of the island. There was a small shelter there with a picnic table underneath it, so we had a snack and talked to some thru-hikers passing by. Eager to know if there were bison beyond the peak waiting for me to snap their photo, I asked the gals if they had seen any of the fluffy things. They had, and they reported being charged by a bison near airport in the sky and encouraged us to avoid the creatures at all costs. It had really freaked them out, and for good reason. Not willing to hike too much further in the hot sun, we decided to run to the next closest peak and back before heading down the trail and back to Two Harbors.
We returned to town by 2pm sweaty and dirty, and passed the kayak rental shop. On a spontaneous whim we rented a double sit atop kayak and headed out into the harbor with snorkel gear in tow. Our first destination was the u cal center to check out the digs. Next we headed east to see the Harbors we had hiked past from the sea. The water was freezing so we took turns sticking our faces in the water to “snorkel” and checking out the many different species of fish who live in the waters right off Catalina. Definitely take the Catalina fish guide with you- half of our fun was made by identifying each species!
What a magical, multi-sport day. Our day ended with us covered in sea spray and salt and watching the sunset from the little beach by our campsite. The only not-so-good thing was returning to our campsite to find a group of partying, loud adults boozing and playing bumping music next door. I have a feeling that the weekend tends to attract groups like this, so if you seek quiet time in nature like we did, plan out your trip for a mid-week adventure. At 2am I woke up and put on my best teacher voice to ask them to turn off their tunes.
Day 4 - Ferry Ride #2 & Dolphins
We woke up and packed up our campsite, and placed our giant bags at the pick-up location to have the truck haul down to town. You can find the schedule for baggage pick up at the Park window by the ferry terminal. Before we left our campsite we met another set of neighbors - a couple from Australia who had just gotten engaged! If you two read this, congratulations again 🙌🏼 We loved sharing a special loving with you! We blissfully had nothing to do after that but eat breakfast, grab coffee, and sit on the beach waiting for our ride.
We caught the ferry from San Pedro and found another seat up top where we could breathe fresh air and watch the world go by. We had a special surprise on the ferry ride when we spotted dolphins swimming- no, flying- next to the boat. Time stopped and the energy on the boat lifted immensely. Every passenger was up on their feet looking it into the water and the dolphins, 30-40 of them, kept pace for about 20 minutes. It was magical and the absolute best way to end our trip to Catalina. Nature’s grand finale, and one I took as an invitation to return sometime soon.