Trans Catalina Trail (part 1)
I’m proud to say that I just completed the Trans Catalina Trail (TCT) for a second time. The TCT is a 38.5- mile trail across the island of Catalina, located off the coast of Los Angeles. My group of seven started it in Two Harbors and finished in Avalon five days later.
I would like to emphasize up front that at some point between when I first hiked the TCT in 2014 and now the trail was rerouted. I did not know this until I was half-way finished. Many old maps and reports on the TCT put the western terminus of the trail at Starlight Beach. The trail now makes a loop to the west of Two Harbors, getting as far west as Parson’s Landing. The trail was also rerouted on the east side, to start at Hermit’s Gulch campground and go up the Hermit Gulch trail. The new route is much better, eliminating the dead end at Starlight Beach and a boring section near Avalon.
The first time I backpacked the TCT was in early July 2014. It was HOT. Later, in 2017, I returned and rode my mountain bike across the island in a day. I also used to attend a camp in one of the coves of Catalina. Overall, I consider Catalina like a friend and am always happy to revisit it.
Day 0
Before we actually began the hike, we traveled from Las Vegas to San Pedro, near Los Angeles, and took the Catalina Express to Two Harbors and spent the night at campground there. By the time we got there the restaurant was closed. Some of us purchased extra food from the store, which was still open. The campground was only about 25% full, so was very peaceful and quiet. My previous time the campground was filled to capacity and very noisy.
My first campsite at Two Harbors
Day 1
Our first day actually on the trail was an easy 7.7-mile day, along the coastal route from Two Harbors to Parson’s Landing. This is the only nearly flat section of the trail. It is on a dirt road that goes along the north coast of the western end of the island, making its way around several coves that are home to various yacht clubs and camps.
At the time we arrived, Parson’s Landing campground had only two people there over it’s eight campsites. After they left, we had the whole place to ourselves for a little while. We took advantage of it playing on the beach and doing photoshoots.
At the time we did this section, I didn’t know the trail was rerouted. After goofing around on the beach for a few hours, I did about half the old trail from Parson’s Landing to Starlight Beach with one of my campmates. We would have gone the whole way, but were worried we would run out of daylight so turned back.
By the time we returned, a few other groups had arrived and made camp. One of the new arrivals was a young woman from San Francisco and her dog who were both backpacking and visiting Catalina for the first time. We absorbed her into our group for the rest of the day and much of the next day.
Campsite number 3 at Parson’s Landing.
Day 2
Day 2 took two other of my crew and me the hard way back to Two Harbors. The hard way entails a steep climb up 1800 feet of elevation gain and then back down again. The other four in our group chose to go back the easy level coastal route. The steep way is actually a little shorter at 6.6 miles, but significantly more challenging.
Back at Two Harbors, we enjoyed lunch at the Harbor Reef restaurant, relaxed back at the campground at a different campsite and returned to the restaurant for dinner, including their famous Buffalo Milk cocktails.
Here I am after finally reaching the ridgeline on the Silver Peak Trail back to Two Harbors.
Day 3
Day 3 took us from Two Harbors to the Shark Harbor campground, which is next to Little Harbor campground. These are not just the two best campgrounds on Catalina, but two of the best campsites anywhere in the United States, at least in my opinion.
This was the second easiest day of the trip at only 5.3 miles and involved altitude gain of 1,200 feet. We reached the campsite around noon and had Shark Harbor all to ourselves. The photo shoots on the private sandy beach went even further than those at Parson’s Landing (sorry I can’t share them). In the evening, we enjoyed a sunset over the ocean.
Little Harbor is the more famous of the two campsites. It was used in the original production of Mutiny on the Bounty. Palm trees planted there for the movie still remain. Both small campgrounds feature sandy beaches, campsites near the water and nicely lacking in cars. Shark Harbor has only three campsites and its own sandy beach. While Shark Harbor offers more privacy, it is at the expense of less shade.
Picture taken in Little Harbor with grazing bison.
Next week I will resume the story with the remainder of the trip and general advice for navigating and enjoying it.