Catalina is worth the ferry for a compact Avalon day or a genuinely wild coastal escape, but it works best when you reserve transport early and choose either town-and-water time or backcountry rather than trying to cover the whole island in a day.
Book ferry once date is firm
Reserve Catalina Express immediately for summer weekends, holidays, and any sailing tied to lodging or camping; if sold out, try another terminal, sailing, or day before considering Catalina Flyer or a helicopter.
MoreChoose Avalon for first visits
Use Avalon for the easiest walkable day—waterfront, beach, lunch, Descanso, and optional garden or water activity—while Two Harbors is better for a quieter, more outdoors-focused trip.
MoreGet a hiking permit first
Catalina Island Conservancy wildlands require a free hiking permit; collect it at the Avalon Trailhead and check same-day closures, heat, wind, and fire restrictions before leaving town.
MoreArrive an hour before departure
Catalina Express asks passengers to arrive at least one hour early, complete check-in 30 minutes before sailing, and notes that unchecked-in seats can be forfeited 15 minutes before departure.
MoreAvalon
~300 min · No town admission; most passenger ferries arrive at Cabrillo Mole, steps from the waterfront and Conservancy Trailhead.
Two Harbors
~240 min · No settlement admission; reached by the San Pedro–Two Harbors ferry or the seasonal Avalon–Two Harbors Cyclone.
Catalina Island Conservancy wildlands
Free hiking permit required before entering Conservancy hiking lands; routes can be rugged, exposed, and subject to closures.
Santa Catalina Island—usually called Catalina—is the southernmost California Channel Island, about 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles. Roughly 22 miles long, it combines the resort town of Avalon, the tiny isthmus settlement of Two Harbors, clear coves and kelp forests, and a steep, mostly road-poor interior. The Catalina Island Conservancy protects about 42,000 acres, approximately 88 percent of the island, as wildlands; this is the ancestral Pimu homeland of the Gabrieleno/Tongva people and later became a ranching and resort island before the Wrigley family deeded the Conservancy lands for preservation in 1975.
Catalina offers a remarkably accessible escape into clear-water swimming, snorkeling, diving, sea-cliff hiking and protected island landscapes, with Avalon’s distinctive 1920s resort character as an easy first stop. First-timers should use Avalon for a walkable day trip; travelers seeking the island’s best nature should continue to Two Harbors or arrange a Conservancy hike or interior trip. Skip it if you dislike potentially rough boat crossings, need a low-cost beach day, expect broad sandy mainland beaches, or require spontaneous car-based exploration.
Before you go
No. The island itself is free to visit, with no general island-entry or admission ticket. You pay separately for transportation, optional tours, activities, lodging, camping, moorings, and some managed facilities. A free Catalina Island Conservancy hiking permit is required before entering Conservancy hiking lands; obtain it before heading into the backcountry at https://catalinaconservancy.org/resources/permits/.
Book Catalina Express as soon as your travel date is firm, especially for Friday–Sunday travel, Memorial Day through Labor Day, holiday weekends, special events, and sailings needed to meet a hotel or campsite reservation. Use the operator’s live booking path from https://catalinaexpress.com/schedule-fares/. If your preferred sailing is sold out, first search a different departure time, terminal, or date; then consider Catalina Flyer from Newport Beach to Avalon or an overnight stay. Do not buy secondhand Catalina Express tickets: tickets are non-transferable and resale is prohibited.
Published adult round-trip fares are US$103 from Long Beach or San Pedro to Avalon, US$101 from San Pedro to Two Harbors, and US$111 from Dana Point to Avalon. These amounts include the island wharfage fee and tax. Confirm one-way fares and exact-date availability in the booking engine at https://catalinaexpress.com/schedule-fares/.
Choose Avalon for a first visit, restaurants, hotels, beaches, the waterfront, the Casino area, tours, and easy walking from the Cabrillo Mole. Choose Two Harbors for a quieter, more outdoors-focused trip centered on camping, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, and Trans-Catalina Trail access. Two Harbors is very small and has much less service; walking across the isthmus takes about 15 minutes.
For Catalina Express, arrive at least 60 minutes before departure. Be checked in and ticketed at least 30 minutes before departure; seats may be forfeited if you are not checked in 15 minutes before departure, and boarding gates close five minutes before departure. Pack so you can manage the dock ramp yourself: the allowance is two checked bags per passenger, each up to 50 pounds, plus one carry-on.
Allow at least 7–9 hours ashore for a worthwhile first-time Avalon day trip; take an early boat out and a late boat back. Stay two nights for a more complete visit, with one day for Avalon and water activities and another for Two Harbors or the interior. The full 38.5-mile Trans-Catalina Trail needs about four hiking days plus camping logistics.