Trans-Catalina Gear Checklist
The Trans-Catalina Trail crosses Catalina Island on about 38.5 miles of fire road and single track, with five booked campgrounds as the only places to sleep. Water is the planning problem. Taps sit at the camps and a few stops, but long dry, shadeless stretches lie between them, and Parsons Landing has no tap at all. People who hiked it carry three to four liters at the start of each day, sun cover, trekking poles for the steep dirt climbs, a warm layer for evenings, and a plan for bison on the trail.
What shapes your gear on Trans-Catalina Trail
- Length and climb
- The camp operator and two blogs give about 38.5 miles. One blog counted 37.2 miles, and the climb figure varies a lot by writer: one guide totals about 7,940 feet of gain and loss, another counts 16,201 feet of total change. Side trips to Parsons Landing and back to Two Harbors add miles.
From Catalina Island Company (campground operator), Bearfoot Theory, Halfway Anywhere and Trail to Peak
- Five camps, one night each
- The trail links Hermit Gulch, Black Jack, Little Harbor, Two Harbors and Parsons Landing. Black Jack to Two Harbors is about 14.5 miles on the trail, and Two Harbors to Little Harbor is about 5 miles. Bearfoot Theory's five-day plan runs 10.7, 8.3, 5.3, 6.7 and 6.9 miles, and its three-day plan stretches the first and second days to 10.7 and 14.5 miles.
From Catalina Island Company (campground operator) and Bearfoot Theory
- Where the taps are
- Between camps the trail has few water stops. People list the taps in Avalon, at Haypress, at Black Jack, at the airport, at Little Harbor and at Two Harbors. Haypress sits near mile 9 and has a low-pressure fountain that is hard to fill a narrow bottle from. A hiker who went in May found water almost every half day and called the stretches short.
From Bearfoot Theory, Trail to Peak, TrailnameBackstroke and Halfway Anywhere
- Bison on the trail
- Hikers met bison on the first day near mile 7, in a herd of about 12 past Haypress, and on the ridge before Two Harbors. A guide puts the island herd near 150 animals, says they can run 35 miles an hour, and asks you to report odd behavior to Conservancy rangers.
From Trail to Peak, Bearfoot Theory and Halfway Anywhere
- Cell service is patchy
- Writers describe service as sporadic, nearly absent, or present in places such as Little Harbor. Nobody checks permits at either end of the trail, and rangers are on site at only some camps in some seasons.
From Bearfoot Theory, Trail to Peak and Halfway Anywhere
- Weather by month
- A March hiker found conditions fantastic two days after rain. A May hiker met overcast skies and more humidity than on the mainland. A November hiker had cold evenings. Bearfoot Theory calls summer hot, dry and shadeless, with rain mostly from December to March.
From Halfway Anywhere, TrailnameBackstroke and Bearfoot Theory
What the agency requires on Trans-Catalina Trail
A booked campsite for each night
Reservations open online every year on January 5 at 8:00 am Pacific. The minimum-night rule that applies to the campgrounds is waived for people hiking and camping along the Trans Catalina Trail.
A water plan for Parsons Landing
Parsons Landing has no tap. You buy a locker holding 2 gallons of water, a firewood bundle and a fire starter, and you pick up the combination at the Two Harbors Visitor Service Center before you start the hike.
A stove at two camps
Hermit Gulch and Black Jack ban fires. Rings for fires exist at the other three camps.
Everything carried on your back to Black Jack and Parsons Landing
The camp operator offers gear hauls to Little Harbor and Two Harbors only. None go to Black Jack or Parsons Landing.
What hikers carry on Trans-Catalina Trail
Three to four liters of water at each morning start
Bearfoot Theory sets that range for leaving camp, because no tap serves the trail between camps. Drew Robinson told hikers to keep a few liters on them and drink more at each stop. Halfway Anywhere carries a spare packable reservoir for long gaps.
Others report more taps than expected, so match the carry to the day's leg.
From Bearfoot Theory, Trail to Peak, Halfway Anywhere and She Dreams of Alpine
Sun cover and electrolytes
The trail has almost no shade. Writers bring a wide-brimmed hat, a light long-sleeved shirt and sunscreen, and one adds electrolytes for the stretches between taps. Little Harbor, Two Harbors and Parsons Landing are beaches, so sun hits you at camp too.
From Bearfoot Theory and Halfway Anywhere
Trekking poles
Three guides single them out for the long climbs and for knees on the steep descents. Bearfoot Theory names the Silver Peak climb to Parsons Landing, which gains 1,800 feet in 3 miles.
From Bearfoot Theory, Halfway Anywhere and She Dreams of Alpine
A paper map plus an offline GPS track
The trail is marked, but Bearfoot Theory's group got confused in a few spots and was glad to have a printed map, which also shows water, toilets and food. Another guide recommends offline GPS maps, and a May hiker logged each day on a phone app.
From Bearfoot Theory, She Dreams of Alpine and TrailnameBackstroke
A warm layer for the evening
In November the evenings were cold enough that Bearfoot Theory's group wanted a beanie, long pants and a warm jacket. A May hiker described the weather as overcast and cool with humid air.
From Bearfoot Theory and TrailnameBackstroke
A shelter and sleep kit, or a rental plan
Halfway Anywhere says to bring a full three-season setup because there is no beach sleeping. The camp operator rents a few tents, stoves and pads, but only at Hermit Gulch, Two Harbors and Little Harbor, so the other two camps need your own.
From Halfway Anywhere and Catalina Island Company (campground operator)
Dinner food for the camps with no store
Food is sold in Avalon, at the airport grill and in Two Harbors. Camps like Black Jack and Parsons Landing need food you carried. Drew Robinson also packed snacks for the long gaps.
From Trail to Peak and Bearfoot Theory
A satellite messenger or locator beacon
Halfway Anywhere carries one even though some service exists, because coverage comes and goes along the route.
From Halfway Anywhere and Trail to Peak
25 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Trans-Catalina Trail
A bear canister
Bearfoot Theory says the camps' food boxes, built for island foxes, make a canister unnecessary. Ravens are bold too, so keep food in the box.
From Bearfoot Theory
A heavy water filter
Two writers say you can get by without one. Halfway Anywhere was told the tap water is safe, and the other guide packed a light purifier only as a backup.
From Halfway Anywhere and She Dreams of Alpine
A trowel
The camps have chemical toilets and the trail has pit toilets, so one guide says you may never dig.
From She Dreams of Alpine and Bearfoot Theory
A dog at two of the camps
Pets are not allowed at Two Harbors or Hermit Gulch, though Black Jack, Little Harbor and Parsons Landing allow them.
Shoes that collect seeds
A May hiker in trail runners had to stop and strip off weed darts several times after walking around bison in the grass.
From TrailnameBackstroke
Gear questions for Trans-Catalina Trail
Do you need a permit for the Trans-Catalina Trail?
For an overnight trip you need a campsite reservation for each night. Three blogs say the reservation doubles as your hiking permit, and one adds that a free permit covers day hikers. Carry a copy of your booking. Nobody signs it off at either end of the trail, but Halfway Anywhere expects it can be checked on the island at any time. The camp operator confirms that reservations open each January 5 at 8:00 am Pacific.
From Catalina Island Company (campground operator), Bearfoot Theory, She Dreams of Alpine and Halfway Anywhere
Where do you get water on the Trans-Catalina Trail?
Taps sit in Avalon, at Haypress, at Black Jack, at the airport, at Little Harbor and at Two Harbors. Parsons Landing has none, so you buy a locker with 2 gallons. The trail between camps is dry and exposed, so people start each day with several liters.
From Catalina Island Company (campground operator), Trail to Peak and Bearfoot Theory
Can you have a campfire on the Trans-Catalina Trail?
Only at some camps. Hermit Gulch and Black Jack ban fires, while three others have rings. One group found fires banned everywhere during a drought, so check before you pack wood.
From Catalina Island Company (campground operator) and Bearfoot Theory
Do you need a bear canister on the Trans-Catalina Trail?
No. Bearfoot Theory says the camps' food boxes, built for island foxes, make a canister unnecessary. Ravens are bold too, so keep food in the box.
From Bearfoot Theory
Sources
- Catalina Island Camping: Sites, Permits and Gear · Catalina Island Company (campground operator) · Agency
- Backpacking the Trans Catalina Trail: Permits, Itineraries, Gear and More · Bearfoot Theory, Kristen Bor · Blog
- A Guide To Backpacking The Trans-Catalina Trail · Trail to Peak, Drew Robinson · Trip report
- Trans-Catalina Trail Backpacking Guide · Halfway Anywhere, Mac · Blog
- Trans-Catalina Trail 2019 · TrailnameBackstroke, Cameron M · Trip report
- Your Ultimate Guide to Backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail on Catalina Island · She Dreams of Alpine · Blog