https://youtu.be/Apf213BcTmE?si=JeuYql-3y1zGwte-
Catalina Trans-Catalina Trail Trip Report (5 Days)
Day 1 – Boat to Avalon, Dinner, and Hermit Gulch Camp
We took the boat from Long Beach around 2:00pm and rolled into Avalon a little after 3:15. Before doing anything serious, we wandered over to a geocache called Lopita’s Lantern so Richard could check it out. It was basically a little stash of notes, cards, and paper messages from other people, which was a fun “we’re officially on an adventure now” moment.
From there we hit Chet’s Hardware to grab fuel canisters, but they only had the big ones. We bought two anyway, even though they were heavy and annoying, the kind of gear purchase you immediately regret as soon as it’s in your pack.
Then we went to a Mexican restaurant (Coyote Joe’s or something close) and did the important part of arriving: margaritas. Richard got a Buffalo Milk. The place went full Catalina-chaos while we were there, with the power going out and the smoke alarm going off at one point. The food was solid though. I had a massive burrito with carnitas and carne asada, Richard got shrimp, and Gene got birria tacos that looked incredible.
After dinner we hiked the ~1.5 miles to Hermit Gulch Campground. The campground was basically empty. It’s normally closed midweek, but we’d called ahead and they gave us the OK. The bathroom situation was… not great. We had a code, but most of the bathrooms were locked and the keypad on one didn’t work. Luckily, one toilet area wasn’t locked at all, which was a huge win since there was nobody else around.
After setting up, we made the bold decision to go to Vons and buy two 6-lb Duraflame logs, then carry them the whole mile and a half back to camp like idiots. Totally worth it. There aren’t fire pits at Hermit Gulch, but there’s a grill area, so we got a fire going and settled into the first real camp night. There were drinks (Manhattans, margaritas, and a brief appearance by Everclear), and then we turned in around 9:30.
The one memorable wildlife moment of the night: while we were still setting up in the dark, a fox climbed onto the picnic table behind me and started rummaging through my ditty bag like it owned the place. It pulled out my cables, then my wipes, and finally got spooked when Gene turned on his light. Catalina foxes have zero shame.
Sleep was rough for me. I woke up around 2:30am, went to pee, and couldn’t really fall back asleep.
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Day 2 – Hermit Gulch to the High Country (and Blackjack)
I woke up around 6:30 to a full orchestra of birds: woodpeckers hammering away and crows making sure nobody slept in. We had coffee, packed up, and hit the trail around 9:20.
Right out of the gate, Day 2 starts with a steep climb: about 1.3–1.5 miles straight uphill to a gazebo viewpoint. It was the kind of hill where your legs immediately remember what you signed up for. At the gazebo we met a bunch of other hikers doing the same route, and we also met a woman who runs Catalina Backcountry and offers rides. She told us there’s usually an ice chest with water before Blackjack, and left her card in case we ran into trouble, which was genuinely nice.
Also at the gazebo: I ate one of the best trail lunches I’ve ever had. A ham and butter sandwich with Gruyère and cornichons. Simple, perfect, and wildly satisfying after that climb.
From there, the group decision was made (against my personal preference) to take the road instead of the trail for part of it. The road had more rolling ups and downs and felt harder in its own way. I voted for the path. Richard and Gene voted for the road. Democracy failed, but we survived.
We pushed into the high country and eventually reached Blackjack Campground a little after 2:00pm. The last mile into Blackjack was brutally steep and felt like the trail saved its meanest punch for the finale.
That night was cold and quiet, and we didn’t have a campfire. We sat around drinking anyway, bundled up, and then called it early. We were planning to make dinner earlier, but we got temporarily blocked from our own table by a small herd of buffalo that wandered directly through camp. Nothing says “backcountry island” like being held hostage by buffalo while waiting to cook.
We all turned in around 7:00–7:30, and I passed out hard. I slept from about 7:30pm straight through to 5:30am, which ended up being my best sleep of the trip.
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Day 3 – Blackjack Sunrise, Airport Burgers, and Down to Little Harbor
I woke up around 5:30 and caught an unreal sunrise. The moon was still hanging there too, like it didn’t want to leave. Everything at camp was soaked in dew, and the morning felt quiet and silver.
We took our time and didn’t actually get moving until around 9:40. From Blackjack we headed to the Catalina Airport and had lunch. Richard and I both got buffalo burgers, and Gene got a regular burger, because Gene is Gene. He also bought a hat, and the receipt literally rang it up as “ladies hat.” It looked like the same style of hat he always wears, so now we have official proof that Gene wears ladies hats.
After lunch we got back on the trail and headed toward Little Harbor. I recorded at around 6.5 miles into the day, with about 8 miles total planned. The weather was absolutely perfect.
This was also the day we made the call to cut the trip short by a day. A storm was forecast for Monday, and we were hearing people had already gotten calls from the boat company warning that Monday sailings might be canceled. We changed our reservation so we’d leave Sunday instead.
By the time we rolled into Little Harbor, it felt like we’d arrived at the reward level of the game.
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Day 4 – Little Harbor: Beach Camp, Sunset, and Fox Crimes
Little Harbor was incredible. We had a massive campsite that felt like it was meant for 20 people, almost right on the beach, with four picnic tables. It was easily the best campsite of the trip.
Almost immediately we made friends with the local cat. It was affectionate, needy, and clearly had a routine of visiting campers for love and attention. Then we realized it also had a fox companion, a little mangy but bold. It was basically a two-animal welcoming committee.
We had one bundle of firewood for the night, and we watched the sun set right from the beach. The camp setup was simple: portapotties and cold showers, and a whole lot of open sand and sky.
While we were watching the sunset, the fox decided to escalate. It stole my water bladder and filter, dragged it off, then dropped it on the ground. Later it also pooped on one of the picnic tables, just to make sure we understood the power dynamic.
That night we made a fire and met a solo backpacker camped next to us named Amber. We invited her over, and she joined us at the fire. She was great company, and it was one of those moments that makes trips like this feel bigger than just the miles.
We turned in around 9:00pm.
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Day 5 – Little Harbor to Two Harbors, Then Boat Home
We wanted to be hiking by 9:00am, but everything was soaked with morning wetness again. I was up early, but Gene was slow getting moving (as tradition demands). The climb out of Little Harbor was steep for a few miles, and the last push up to about 3 miles was especially brutal. It was hard, but the scenery stayed beautiful the entire way.
We headed into town first. Gene went to the store and picked up lunch and whiskey, because Gene understands priorities. Then we walked to the campsite about half a mile away.
On the way, we ran into Amber again as she was coming in. She checked out our campsite with us. It wasn’t perfect, a bit hilly, but at least it was on the beach. She went to check her own site, and about half an hour later she came back and asked if it was cool to hang with us. Of course it was.
That night we bought three bundles of firewood, and that turned out to be the perfect number for a real beach fire that lasts. Amber stayed back to watch the sunset while the three of us went into town for dinner at the bar.
The bar was awesome. The bartender was great, and the place got packed. The burger was legitimately excellent. I tried the famous Buffalo Milk cocktail and it was really good, but a little too sweet, so I followed it with a Manhattan, which felt like restoring balance to the universe. We headed back, got the fire going, and finished the whiskey.
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Bonus Day (Boat Morning) – Fries, Manhattans, and the Last Table
We had to catch the boat home at 11:45, and in hindsight cutting the trip short was absolutely the right call. Monday boats were expected to be canceled, and they were.
Amber packed up and was planning to eat at the grill around 8:30. We hung out for a while and decided we should do the same around 10:00, but when we got there the grill was closed. This time of year the bar is basically the only thing open, and it doesn’t open until 11:00, which is cutting it very close when you’re trying to get on a boat.
So we pivoted: we grabbed snacks at the general store and sat outside hanging out until the bar opened. At 11:00 we went in. Amber was there immediately ordering a burger since she hadn’t eaten earlier. Richard and I got Manhattans. Gene ordered two orders of fries like a man who knows what he’s about.
We ended up being a little late lining up because we were still eating while everyone else was boarding. But we made it, got on the boat, and somehow scored the last table available together. We grabbed drinks from the boat bar and headed back to the mainland.
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Final Thoughts
This trip had everything: perfect weather, brutal climbs, buffalo wandering through camp like they owned it, foxes committing petty crimes, beach fires, great food, and one of the best campsites I’ve ever had in Little Harbor. Cutting the trip short ended up being the right move, and honestly, it felt like we threaded the needle between an amazing trip and a stormy mess.
Catalina absolutely delivered.
Four Dudes Hiking this time heads to the Channel Islands. This has been on our list for a while. We camped on Santa Cruz Island at the Scorpion Campground.
We took a boat out there by Island Packers. It is about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there. On the way there we saw a humpback whale.
Once there we got set up, most of the guys napped. Then a few of us when on a hike up to the scorpion bay hike that was cool.
That first night we did a group meal of carne asada burrito bowls/fajitas.
The second day we took a hike to Smugglers Cove and ate lunch there. That was a good place with a few tables on the beach.
That night i made thai green curry. Richard made a chicken caserole that looked awesome.
The third day we took a hike up to High Mount. It was very exposed, very steep, and very hot and dry. But we made it and thats awesome.
On the boat ride back, we saw a group of dolphins that swam with the boat for a while.
All in all a great trip.
this was white ledge campground, hiked up sisar canyon trail in Ojai to white ledge campground. spent two days there, it was pretty amazing.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/sisar-canyon-road-to-white-ledge-campground
This was a 3 night trip. We spent one night at a campground in mammoth at new shady rest campground. The next day we drove to the mammoth adventure center and had to take the bus up the hill to agnew medows. it was a $15 round trip ticket for the bus. from there we hiked up the river trail to 1000 island lake. it was a fairly exhausting trail. we spent two nights in this amazing place and hiked down along the same trail to make sure that we were able to get copper top bbq for lunch.
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-june-20-2024-c7a2af5?p=-1&sh=wnoi1b
West Fork bikepacking-kind of
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/west-fork-national-scenic-bikeway?sh=wnoi1b
family backpacking to manzana creek. very hot and lots of bugs
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/coldwater-camp-los-padres-nf
jennie lakes
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/jennie-lake
switzer falls
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/switzer-falls-and-bear-canyon-camp-via-gabrelino-trail
franklin lake
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/franklin-lakes-trail
weird hot springss
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/sespe-river-trail-to-willett-hot-springs
rancheria falls
Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/rancheria-falls-trail--5
At the tail ends of covid, we head up to black jack campground and back
