Visiting Catalina Island: A Brief Tutorial on the Basics

We go to Catalina Island every summer. We’ve been visiting ever since I was in high school – so that’s 20+ years. I’m surprised how many of my friends have never taken the trip over to the island. It’s a whole other world out there! You feel like you’ve traveled back in time to wide open California spaces.

Background
Catalina Island is one of the Channel Islands, but not part of Channel Islands National Park (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara islands). There are two main destinations on the island. Avalon is a bustling tourist center with cruise ship visitors, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and tours.

Two Harbors (a.k.a., The Isthmus or Isthmus Cove) is a sleepy harbor with a campground, only a few guest properties, one restaurant, one snack bar, and one general store. If you are standing at the beach in Orange County watching the sun set over the island – Avalon is furthest to your left. Looking to your right, you can see a dip on the west end of the island where the Isthmus sits. The Isthmus and Cat Harbor are what give Two Harbors its name. The front side of the island, facing the mainland, is where boaters moor at Isthmus Cove. Once on land, you can take a 10 minute walk and put your toes in Catalina Harbor where boaters must approach from the back side of the island. Cat Harbor has a reputation for being an all-weather harbor because of the wind protection from almost every side. It is usually pleasantly breezy here. Fourth of July, Cherry Cove, and Emerald Bay are places to moor your boat very near The Isthmus.

Getting There By Ferry
Unless you have your own boat, visiting the Island isn’t cheap. We regularly purchase gift cards from Costco for the Catalina Express ferry (usually available during the summer). You can buy $100 gift card for $80. Adult passage is roughly $65 and the kids are $50 round trip. So, for our family, we can save $40 by purchasing two $100 gift cards. You must make your reservations by phone if you are going to use this option. They will take your credit card number to reserve your spot, but you actually pay with your gift cards when you pick up your tickets. [Note: Catalina Express isn't the only ferry company. It's just the only one with gift cards at Costco.]

The first thing you’ll need to decide is: whether you are going to Avalon or Two Harbors.
If you are going to Avalon, you can leave from San Pedro, Long Beach, Dana Point, Newport Beach or Marina Del Rey.
If you are going to Two Harbors, you must leave from San Pedro or Marina Del Rey.
Get links and see schedules from the “Plan Your Visit” pages on The Catalina Island Conservancy and The Santa Catalina Island Company.
Of course, you can always visit both Avalon and Two Harbors by taking the ferry to Avalon and then taking the safari bus or bicycling to Two Harbors.

Seasick much?
I never get seasick, but my kids have each had their bouts with it.

Sit outside and face forward (if possible) looking at the horizon in front of the boat.
Dress warmly if you are going to sit outside. Weather is cooler by the ocean and the boat is traveling fast – so there is a lot of wind and moisture to cool you down.
Try to leave early! This is my best tip – the ocean is generally calmer early in the day before the wind picks up. An early crossing usually means smooth seas. (Not such a big deal on the way back since the boat pretty much “surfs” back to the mainland with the waves behind it.)

Where to stay?
I can’t vouch for any of the hotels. We are a boating family – which is pretty much the equivalent of camping on the water – so I have the advantage of getting to stay on a boat when we visit. Check the links on the visitor sites listed below for hotels. If you’re going to spend all that money to get there, why not stay a while? On our latest visit, I discovered Catalina Island Vacation Rentals for condo and house rental options in Avalon. They also rent condos in Hamilton Cove which is just around the corner from Avalon. If you want to stay in Two Harbors, you only have the options of staying on a friend’s boat, at the campground, Banning House Lodge or a few other seasonal options.

Best Online Resources:

Check out the 1950′s song about traveling 26 miles to Santa Catalina. Probably the most famous song about the place. Be careful! It will get stuck in your head.

NO compensation received from any of the companies or websites mentioned. This post contains an affiliate link (iTunes) which may benefit us if you make a purchase. Link here to full disclosure policy.

Check back Saturday for 25 Things to Do in Avalon and Sunday for 25 Things to Do in Two Harbors.