Putting 40 miles in the books to complete the Trans Catalina Trail was one of the best adventures I have taken recently. Catalina Island is a gorgeous place and I would highly recommend this trail for all levels of backpackers.
In this article, I would love to share with you my experiences on the Trans Catalina Trail and provide some tips for your hike there. But first of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Emily Titus (@wilderness_chick). I grew up in Fort Worth Texas and joined the Coast Guard when I was 18.
The Coast Guard has allowed me to live in a lot of epic locations. I was stationed in Maui, California and Bahrain. I actually just moved back to California last year. My passion for adventure stemmed from my Dad as my parents used to take me on road trips and adventures to national parks.
In 2018, I visited my friend in Hawaii and met Emily (@hikingwithheels). Emily came to visit California later that year where she took me on my first backpacking trip to Big Pine Lakes. Ever since then, I have continued backpacking and spend the majority of my free time exploring new places.
My Experience Hiking the Trans Catalina Trail
Several years ago I attended an outdoor women’s meet up in Lone Pine. I met dozens of awesome women who were passionate about the outdoors. On this trip I met my friend Kristen (@nowherenelson). Kristen asked me if I wanted to hike the Trans Catalina Trail with her and of course I said yes!
I had no idea about Catalina Island or the trail beforehand. You don’t need a permit for the Trans Catalina Trail, you just need to reserve the campsites in advance. So on April 27th we began the hike. We took the ferry from San Pedro to Avalon where we hiked 10.7 miles to Black Jack Campground.
Black Jack Campground is up on the island in a little forest. The second day we hiked 9.5 miles from Black Jack to Little Harbor. Little Harbor was my favorite camp. It’s located on the beach and it was hot enough to swim! The third day we hiked 5.2 miles from Little Harbor to Two Harbors.
This day was nice because Two Harbors is a little town, so we were able to relax and grab food and beers with the trail friends that we had made. The fourth day we hiked 8.2 miles from Two Harbors to Parsons Landing.
Parsons Landing was similar to Little Harbor, being on the beach as well. On the fifth and final day we hiked 7.5 miles from Parsons Landing to Two Harbors where we then took the ferry back to San Pedro. It was amazing!
Highlight of the Trans Catalina Trail
My number one highlight from hiking the Trans Catalina Trail would have to be the night we camped in Little Harbor. This experience was my favorite because we had a campfire with five other ladies we met on the trail.
I love the outdoors, but I have to say my favorite experiences are often meeting other like-minded individuals on the trail who also have a passion for adventure. This evening was incredible. The stars were beautiful. It was nice to share this moment with other ladies who were so down to earth.
Need to Know Before you Go
I would recommend the Trans Catalina Trail to all skill levels of backpackers. This would be a great first backpacking trip because the campgrounds have bathrooms as well as water. This was my longest backpacking trip so far. Personally, I didn’t find the trail to be too challenging.
As always, before you set off on these adventures, just make sure you are prepared with food and proper gear. Apart from that, you can’t really go wrong on the Trans Catalina Trail. Thanks for reading and happy hiking!
