The Trans-Catalina trail is a 38.5 mile trail that spans Catalina Island in California. The trail is typically completed in 3-5 days. Catalina Island can be reached by a 1-2 hour ferry ride from Los Angeles. Highlights include ridge hiking and ocean views as well as scenic beachfront camping with the frontcountry comforts of picnic tables, fire pits, and food storage lockers.

Catalina Island has mild winters, so the Trans-Catalina trail can be hiked all year round. The island's proximity to a large metropolis and the fact that the island itself is also developed makes it popular with beginner backpackers and large hiking groups. But don't be mistaken: the trail isn't a walk in the park. The ascents and descents are grueling at points, and some days are long if you are doing it in 3 days or fewer.

We hiked it over 3 days in February 2024. It was great to kick our hiking legs out of winter hibernation with this off-season backpacking trip. We also live in California, so logistically, this trip was pretty easy! If you want to see how our trip went, click the button below to see my trip report. This post will focus mostly on how to plan for the trip.

check out my trip report here

Basics

Distance	39 miles
Elevation Gain	8,500 feet
Elevation Range	0 - 1,765 feet
Recommended Time	3-5 Days
Type	Point-to-point
Trailheads	Avalon or Two Harbors
Difficulty	Moderate
Permit	Reserve campgrounds at visitcatalinaisland.com
Camping	Designated camping only
Highlights	Little Harbor, Two Harbors, Parsons Landing

click here for the high-resolution pdf map

Permit Info

As with planning any backpacking trip, let's talk permits first. To backpack the TCT, you just need to make your campground reservations. No separate permit is needed. Reservations can be made here and are for a specific numbered site at a campground. (If you are day-hiking then you need a permit, but it’s free, unlimited, and you can get it online here).

The TCT only allows camping at designated campgrounds and you must have a reservation for each night you spend on trail.

The campground spots for the TCT are released every year for the entire year on January 1. Anecdotally, TCT campgrounds are not as hard to get as popular national park backcountry permits, and you might be able to put together a non-weekend itinerary even if you aren't booking on January 1.

The website shows a photo of the specific campsite you’re reserving, which is helpful. Note that campsite fees are charged per person (in this case, $32 per person)

Itinerary Suggestions

There are 5 campgrounds on the TCT, and the TCT can be hiked in either direction. It is usually hiked over 3-5 days. There are many ways to construct an itinerary, so here are some ideas!

The trail has very steep grades in some sections, but generally you can plan to hike at least your average pace, if not a bit faster. A large part of the trail is smooth fire road which makes for fast miles.

Tip: Make sure to check the ferry schedule before you finalize your itinerary. The ferry schedule varies by the season and day of the week, and can make or break your itinerary.

Arriving on the ferry to Avalon at sunset

Avalon -> Two Harbors

In 5 days

This is the most relaxed itinerary and you stay one night at every campground.

Day 1: Avalon to Black Jack (10.5 miles)
Day 2: Black Jack to Little Harbor (8.5 miles)
Day 3: Little Harbor to Two Harbors (7 miles)
Day 4: Two Harbors to Parsons Landing (7 miles)
Day 5: Parsons Landing to Two Harbors (7.5 miles).

In 4 days

Combine 2 of the 5 days. Camping at Parsons Landing and Little Harbor is the highlight of many people's trips, so I would recommend combining day 3 and 4.

Combine day 3 and 4 above

Day 1: Avalon to Black Jack (10.5 miles)
Day 2: Little Harbor (8.5 miles)
Day 3: Parsons Landing (14 miles)
Day 4: Finish at Two Harbors (7.5 miles)

OR combine day 2 and 3 above

Day 1: Avalon to Black Jack (10.5 miles)
Day 2: Two Harbors (15.5 miles)
Day 3: Parsons Landing (7 miles)
Day 4: Finish at Two Harbors (7.5 miles)

In 3 days

In order to fit the TCT into a long weekend AND stay at the best campgrounds (Little Harbor and Parsons), we did the below itinerary. My toxic backpacking trait is prioritizing campground selection at the expense of aggressively uneven mileage. Jokes aside, I think it's totally doable as long as you take the ferry the day before your hike so that you can start early the next day. I also recommend camping at Hermit Gulch instead of staying in a hotel in Avalon. This saves you 1.5 miles of walking out of Avalon on day 1.

Day 0: Ferry to Avalon and walk to Hermit Gulch (1.5 miles)
Day 1: Little Harbor (17.5 miles)
Day 2: Parsons Landing (14 miles)
Day 3: Finish at Two Harbors (7.5 miles)

An alternate 3-day itinerary is to stay at Two Harbors. The last part of the TCT is a loop that starts and ends at Two Harbors, so you can leave your gear at Two Harbors and hike the 3rd day with day packs.

Day 1: Avalon to Black Jack (10.5 miles)
Day 2: Black Jack to Two Harbors (15.5 miles)
Day 3: Two Harbors to Parsons Landing to Two Harbors (14.5 miles)

Reversed: Two Harbors -> Avalon

The trail is about the same difficulty regardless of direction, so you could reverse any of the above itineraries. Reasons you may want to reverse the direction:

For itinerary flexibility. If a campground is full for the dates you need, it could be available if you reverse your itinerary.
Avalon is much more of a real town than Two Harbors, so it's better to end here if you want to stay a night on the island after your trip.
The ferry departures from Two Harbors are more limited, so departing from Avalon may work better.

Best Time to Hike

Most of the TCT does not have shade, so even though it is technically possible to hike the trail year-round, I would definitely avoid hiking the trail in the summer months of June - August. I think the best time of year to hike is February and March because of the mild temperatures and slightly longer days than earlier in winter. The island is also much greener and more beautiful during these months than during the fall.

However, heavy rain can cause problems for the TCT. It rained on our last day from Parsons Landing to Two Harbors, and the mostly dirt trail deteriorated into a very thick, cakey mud. If we were on a steeper segment of the trail, it would have been dangerously slippery. The trail also sometimes closes in heavy rain. Make sure to check the weather forecast before you leave and contact Catalina Conservancy at 310.510.2595 if you have questions about trail conditions.

Getting to Catalina Island

The Catalina Island Express ferry from the mainland to Catalina Island takes around 1 hr. Avalon is the most popular destination on Catalina Island, and has departures from San Pedro, Long Beach, and Dana Point. Two Harbors is the secondary destination on Catalina Island, and only has departures from San Pedro.

I recommend booking your ferry tickets as soon as you finalize your campground reservations. It is possible for ferry times to sell out over holiday weekends and summer weekends, and that can really mess up your itinerary.

Note: Some departures to Avalon and Two Harbors stop at both Avalon and Two Harbors before returning to San Pedro. This is indicated on the website as "Via Two Harbors" or "Via Avalon" and more than doubles the ferry time from 1 hr to 2:15 hrs.

Where to Take the Ferry From

I recommend taking the ferry from San Pedro because San Pedro has departures to both the start (Avalon) and end (Two Harbors) of the TCT. San Pedro is close to both Long Beach Airport (LGB) and Los Angeles International (LAX) and is convenient to get to if you’re flying in.

If you take the ferry from a port other than San Pedro, you can go to Avalon to get a ferry back to where you came. However, the island is not very developed outside of Avalon, so options to get from Two Harbors to Avalon are limited. For most people, it would be easier to just drive to San Pedro. If you do need to get between Avalon and Two Harbors, the two options are: (1) private taxi, which is $300 or more (2) 40-minute Cyclone water taxi, which is $33.50 per person, but only offered seasonally from May - Oct. Although technically the ferry from Two Harbors sometimes has a layover at Avalon, you can’t book a ferry ticket from Two Harbors to Avalon, so I wouldn’t recommend relying on this. Read more at www.visitcatalinaisland.com.

Note: if you are flying in, I would recommend Uber as your transportation to and from the ferry harbor. Otherwise, parking costs $20 per day and you’ll need to rent a car.

Campground Choices

It's general consensus that the can't-miss campgrounds are Little Harbor and Parsons Landing. I would agree!

Little Harbor

Little Harbor is the only west-facing campground, which means it's spectacular at sunset. Little Harbor is a large campground with 23 sites. All of the sites are a close walk to the beach, but don't expect a beach view at the ones farther back. Alternatively, you can choose a campsite at the adjacent smaller harbor, Shark Harbor. We stayed here instead of Little Harbor. It only has 3 sites so it's more peaceful, and the sites are beachfront. Shark Harbor has its own toilet and water spigot. Note: our food storage locker (maybe same for the other Shark Harbor sites) were in very poor condition in early 2024. Ours had rusted so much that there was a hole in the top of the locker that allowed rain to get in overnight.

For Little Harbor campground map and photos, visit: www.visitcatalinaisland.com/lodging/camping/two-harbors-camping/little-harbor/

Parsons Landing

Parsons Landing is the most secluded-feeling campground on the TCT thanks to its location right on the beach and small number of sites (only 8 sites!). It's also the most primitive campground, which in Catalina Island terms, is still quite luxurious! Each site has a fire pit, a picnic table, and a food storage locker. Because there's no running water here, you can buy water jugs and firewood + fire starter with your campsite reservation that are delivered and stored in lockers at the campground. You pick up the locker key from the Two Harbors visitor center.

For Parsons Landing campground map and photos, visit: www.visitcatalinaisland.com/lodging/camping/primitive-camping/parsons-landing/

Looking down at Parsons Landing from above

Black Jack

Black Jack is 11 miles from Avalon, which makes it a popular first night stay on the TCT. This campground is located in the interior of the island, so there are no views. If you have the stamina and the time, I would recommend skipping this campground for Little Harbor.

For Black Jack campground map and photos, visit: www.visitcatalinaisland.com/lodging/camping/primitive-camping/blackjack/

Two Harbors

Two Harbors campground is the largest on the TCT at 47 sites. Since Two Harbors can be reached by boat and is a popular tourist destination, this campground is also popular with non-TCT hikers. Its proximity to civilization (hot showers, the ferry harbor, general store, restaurants, visitor center) gives it less of a backcountry feel. Even so, the campground has a great view of the harbor. For a more luxe experience, you can rent a tent cabin (pre-setup glamping tents) or even stay in a hotel.

For Two Harbors campground map and photos, visit: www.visitcatalinaisland.com/lodging/camping/two-harbors-camping/two-harbors/

Packing Tips

For my general list of backpacking gear recommendations, check out my gear page or LighterPack. Since the TCT has many amenities, I additionally highlight things that you can leave at home.

Disclosure: I use affiliate links below. If you do end up making a purchase through them, thank you for supporting my blog!

Bring

Sun Hoodie: There are not many trees on Catalina Island, so the trail is completely exposed. During the summer especially, temperatures can be in the 80s during the day. I like wearing a light and breathable sun hoodie like the Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie to stay cooler.

Sunglasses: These cordless ones from Ombraz are very convenient for hiking because they are extremely durable and can hang around my neck when I'm not using them.

Hat: My favorite hat for backpacking is the Tilley LTM6 Airflo Broad Brim Hat. The hat comes in different sizes so you can fit it perfectly to your head, and it has a cord so that it stays on in windy conditions. I’ve also been using the REI On The Trail Cap as a more minimal hat.

Long pants: I thought I could get away with shorts on this trip since the trail is mostly on wide fire road and not overgrown. I ended up getting a nasty poison oak rash. So feel free to wear shorts, but definitely keep an eye out for poison oak bushes. They can be especially hard to identify during the winter when the branches are bare.

One of the brushier portions of the trail after Haypress Reservoir (mile 5.6)

Binoculars: I brought these Pentax binoculars on this trip because I really wanted to see bison and foxes. They're both pretty common sightings, so binoculars could come in handy. We saw a few bison, but unfortunately no foxes!

Hiking sticks: The TCT has not heard of switchbacks. As a result, hiking sticks are absolutely essential on parts of the trail that are extremely steep (I'm thinking of that Fenceline Road descent to Parsons). Even with hiking sticks, I had to sit down and scoot some sections because the gravel is so slippery.

Don't Bring

Water filter: You can bring a filter to be extra safe (I usually use the Katadyn Befree), but all the water sources have potable water, and there are no natural water sources.

Trowel: Maybe it'd be nice to have in an emergency, but for the most part, you should Leave No Trace by doing your number twos in the pit toilets and bathrooms along the trail.

Stove: We normally bring stoves backpacking, but since we bought several of our meals on the TCT, we didn't miss not having a stove for our other meals.

Fuel canisters: Fuel canisters are prohibited on the ferry. You can buy fuel canisters in Avalon or Two Harbors General Store once you get to the island if you plan to cook.

Animal-proof food storage: You do not need to worry about bringing bear canisters or doing food hangs. Every campsite has a food storage locker for locking your food away from animals.

Too much food: There are options to buy food on the trail (more on places to eat in the next section). We bought 2 meals at Airport in the Sky and 2 meals at Two Harbors.

A hungry hiker’s resupply dreams (Two Harbors General Store)

Places to Eat

One of the best parts of hiking the Trans-Catalina trail is that there is food available along the trail. The food is nothing fancy, but it’s real food and much better than what I usually eat backpacking. It also means less food that you have to carry.

Airport in the Sky

Airport in the Sky is between Black Jack Campground and Little Harbor. This makes a good late lunch stop if you are starting from Avalon or early breakfast stop if you are starting from Black Jack. Airport in the Sky has a gift shop and a counter where you can buy made-to-order food such as sandwiches, salads, and burgers. The gift shop sells snacks, cookies, and cold drinks in addition to souvenirs. There are picnic tables on the patio for eating your food.

Tip: the cold sandwich on the menu is a popular to-go option since they wrap it up nicely for you. We each got a sandwich to-go to enjoy for dinner at Little Harbor.

Two Harbors

Two Harbors is about halfway between Little Harbor and Parsons Landing. This makes it a good lunch stop if you are doing this segment in one day. Two Harbors has several dining options, but the Two Harbors General Store was the only one open during the day when we went off-season in February.

Two Harbors General Store: Open daily 9am - 6pm. They sell hot pizza, frozen food, fresh produce, backpacking meals, breads, canned foods, and many snacks. The general store also sells an array of supplies (sunblock, bug repellent, toothpaste, etc.) and souvenir clothing. If you have a question about whether they stock something, it is easy to give them a quick call. The general store is open year-round.

Harbor Reef: Sit-down restaurant open for dinner year-round.

West End Galley: Casual spot open for lunch during summer.

Pizza from the Two Harbors General Store!

Check the website here for the most up-to-date information.

Gear Haul

There are gear haul services available so you can hike without your gear. Two options are: (1) Catalina Island Company which prices per bag and only offers services to Two Harbors and Little Harbor (2) Catalina Backcountry which prices per group for up to 8 items.

Other Things to Know

Taking a hot shower at Two Harbors before leaving the island, especially if you are flying home after the ferry, is amazing! The hot showers are coin-operated, so bring some small bills to exchange for quarters at the change machine or the general store.
If you are taking advantage of the hot and cold showers, bring a small towel.
There are trash cans at every campground. Take advantage of them. It's an underrated luxury not having to carry your trash around.

Useful Links

www.visitcatalinaisland.com The official website for Catalina Island. It is very thorough and a great resource for planning.
High-resolution map of Catalina Island with mile markers
Catalina Island Facebook group for asking specific questions
Catalina Express for booking your ferry tickets
Catalina Island Company for booking your campground reservations