Visiting Catalina is something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. Once I took the time to look into the campsites I was motivated to finally book a trip- 6 months in advance. When planning a bike trip on Catalina there are a few major things to keep in mind and I’m going to cover those items in this blog post.
When planning a trip you need to consider a few things: Ferry Rides, Catalina Conservancy Permit, Camp Site Bookings, and managing your food and water. In this post I’ll share all the “tribal knowledge” that took me a few days to figure out.
The Route
This is my Catalina Bikepacking Route. I made this route by following the bike guidelines as outlined by the Catalina Island Conservancy. The conservancy has a detailed map that shows the different roads you're allowed to navigate on bikes as well as their elevation profiles.
The route that I made is a loop that uses most of the traversable roads around the island. You’re able to easily modify the route by about 20 miles if you choose to ride the island as a point to point by starting in Avalon and departing from Two Harbors.
Ferry Service
You can get to Catalina Island by a variety of means. The most popular is the Catalina Express that departs from either the Port of Long Beach or San Pedro. I was dropped off at the Port of Long Beach and arrived on the island in Avalon. I eventually changed my return ticket to Two Harbors and arrived back on the mainland in San Pedro.
Depending on the route you take, departing from the correct port would be a great consideration. San Pedro services both Two Harbors and Avalon while Port of Long Beach services Avalon only. I initially planned for a loop starting and ending in Avalon, but was happy to turn the ride into a point-to-point and depart from Two Harbors.
There is onsite parking at the Long Beach Port at a cost of 22.95 per day. Another way to arrive at the ferry terminal is to ride from Los Angeles to Long Beach along the Los Angeles River Bikeway.
On the Catalina Express heading to Catalina Island
The Catalina Island Conservancy
Anyone can show up and explore both Avalon and Two Harbors but you’re required to join the Catalina Island Conservancy to ride a bike in the backcountry / open space of Catalina Island. The Catalina Island Conservancy is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and protecting Catalina Island. They work to maintain the islands unique biodiversity, manage invasive species, and promote responsible land use practices to ensure the long term sustainability of Catalina Islands Environment. A year long membership can be purchased online or in the Conservancy general stores in Avalon or the information kiosk in Two Harbors. Other benefits of being a conservancy member is 50% off campsites and discounts on programming provided by the conservancy.
Camp Sites
There are Five campsites that you can stay at on Catalina. I’ve ordered them in the order you would encounter them starting in Avalon, heading towards Two Harbors.
Hermit Gulch Campground is located in Avalon, and is one of the more developed campgrounds on the island. It offers tent camping sites with amenities such as restrooms and showers.
Black Jack Campground is the highest campground on the island and is situated in the interior of the island. It offers tent camping sites, water, and pit toilets.
Little Harbor Campground is located on the remote western end of the island and offers tent camping sites. It’s known for its stunning ocean views. There is running water and porta-poties at this campsite.
Two Harbors Campground is situated near the village of Two Harbors, this campground provides both tent and tent cabin camping options. It offers basic amenities and beautiful views of the island’s west end.
Parsons Landing Campground remote campground on the northwestern coast of the island, Parsons Landing offers a more primitive camping experience with only a few campsites. When booking the campsite you have to define how much water you might need and you stop to get a locker code from the Conservancy Information Kiosk in Two Harbors.
Daily Reports:
The route that I made goes like this.
Day one I arrived in Avalon and climbed to Blackjack Campground. The climbs are steep but manageable at my slow speed. The afternoon marine layer enveloped the island and I eventually climbed over the marine layer and found the sun. I got to camp, and promptly passed out.
Day two I woke up at Blackjack campground to majestic sun rays shooting through he trees, illuminating the foggy mist in the air. I packed up camp and continued down a large gravel road to the Airport In The Sky Cafe. There I had myself a bison breakfast burrito, properly fueling me for the ride to Two Harbors. After a super fun descent and another long slow climb, you finally set eye on Two Harbors. This area is awesome because you can stand in one place on the island and see the ocean on the north and south sides at once, not a mile apart.
I was recommended the Pizza from the convenient store and it was delicious albeit a bit much for just one guy, even with all the climbing. After I sat and enjoyed people watching in this small tourist town, I strapped a few beers to my bike and grabbed my locker code from the conservancy kiosk in town. However, I was feeling slightly stressed about all the packing I had to do before I moved from California to Utah right after., I was happy to find out that I could switch my ferry departure the next day from Avalon to Two harbors. High with relief and knowing I would be going home earlier in the day I continued the 7 miles to Parsons Landing Campground.
The ride to Parsons Landing might be my favorite gravel road in the world, so far. It’s a road notched about 150ft above the ocean that provides access to the north end of the island as well as multiple sleep away camps along the way. Around every corner you’ll be meet with sweeping ocean views and (hopefully) sunlight in your face.
Arriving into parsons landing you grab your supplies from the locker and head to one of 7 campsites on a secluded beach. I spent the evening having a drink and walking the beaches looking for cool rocks. That night wind picked up a bit, but there are small wind blocking structures made out of stacked rocks along the beach. There are even some ‘coffin’ looking holes that I assume are from groups of ultralight hikers enjoying the Trans Catalina Trail.
Day three on the island the marine layer didn’t lift until I started riding (read: hiking) out of camp. I had a slow ride back to Two Harbors where I hung out on the beach and waited for my ferry to board. The bike storage on this particular boat was insight the main floor, against an emergency exit (as you can see in my youtube video). I think each boat has different bike accommodations, so be prepared for anything including securing your bike to the back railing of the boat.
!!eBikes!!
I believe the advent and proliferation of eBike technology is a positive for the outdoor industry. I really think that eBikes are opening up a whole new world to many people who wouldn’t normally consider bikepacking. Part of my intention for this trip was to see how e-bike friendly this route might be. While there aren't services at every campsite, you can still stop at a few destinations and kill some time while your battery charges up again. Upon my departure I meet a mother who took her child out to parsons landing on a Tern HSD eBike. Not only are ebikes getting adults out and camping, but they’re helping families create memories in the outdoors.
There were a few places that I found reliable power on the island. Particularly, there was reliable power at the Catalina Airport Cafe both inside and outside the building. There was also power outlets in Two Harbors in a planter by the information station, as well as in the community laundry room.
Final Thoughts
After finally stepping foot on the island and riding my bike throughout its beautiful gravel roads, Catalina Island is currently in my top three favorite places to ride bikes. The proximity to Los Angeles is opens up this opportunity to anyone looking for an overnighter, two night bikepacking trip, or even a three night trip. I hope this route report and accompanying video helps you with your planing and helps you get outside more! Please feel free to leave comments suggesting other helpful tips and feel free to ask questions that I might not have addressed in this blog post.
See you on the next ride!
