Hermit Gulch is the campground for people who want Catalina's town and trails in the same trip. It's Avalon's only campground inside city limits, about a mile up Avalon Canyon from the harbor, so you can walk there from the ferry and back into town.

Hermit Gulch at a glance
Where Avalon Canyon, about 1 mile from Avalon
Run by Catalina Island Company
Sites Tent sites plus three 3-person tent cabins
Booking Reservation only; online from January 5; midweek Nov–March by phone
Price Per person, per night, dynamic
Water Drinking water
Showers Coin-operated
Fires Not allowed (charcoal BBQ at each site)
Pets Not allowed
Gear haul Not available

Booking

  • Online booking opens January 5 at 8 a.m. Pacific for the coming year. The Conservancy advises booking as early as possible.
  • Midweek stays from November through March are booked by phone with the Catalina Island Company: 310-510-4205.
  • January and February dates open by phone from December 1.
  • Fees are per person, per night, and change with the season. Campgrounds have a minimum stay unless you're hiking the Trans-Catalina Trail.

Sites and tent cabins

Hermit Gulch has three tent cabins for three people each, with cots, a lantern, a propane stove and a propane canister, plus a picnic table and a charcoal BBQ. Paying the full cabin rate on top of the per-person camp fees reserves the cabin.

Didn't bring a tent? Hermit Gulch rents a limited supply of gear:

  • 4-person tent $40 a night ($50 deposit)
  • Sleeping pad $7 a night
  • 2-burner stove $25 a night (propane extra)

The Catalina Island Company also sells charcoal ($18 for 7 lb), propane ($16 for 16 oz) and sleeping bags ($60) to campers, plus tax.

Amenities and rules

  • Drinking water and coin-operated showers. No electricity.
  • A live-in ranger stays on site.
  • No campfires. Cook on a camp stove (or the tent cabins' charcoal BBQ). You can't carry campfire fuel on the ferry, so buy charcoal on the island.
  • No pets.
  • No gear haul to Hermit Gulch. It's a mile from the harbor, so pack light or bring a cart.
  • Keep your tent within your own site and pack out all trash.

Getting there

Passenger ferries run to Catalina from Newport Beach, Dana Point, Long Beach and San Pedro. From the Avalon waterfront, Hermit Gulch is about a mile up Avalon Canyon. High winds can cancel ferries, so check the morning of your trip.

Hermit Gulch and the Trans-Catalina Trail

The Trans-Catalina Trail runs 38.5 miles, and its trailhead is at the back of Hermit Gulch Campground; the Conservancy's itineraries start in Avalon. A night at Hermit Gulch lets you start walking early with a full water bottle: the first water after Avalon is at Haypress Reservoir, mile 5.6, and the next campground, Black Jack, is at mile 10.7.

  • Every hiker needs a free hiking permit from the Catalina Island Conservancy.
  • Every campsite along the way must be reserved in advance.
  • Black Jack allows no fires; Little Harbor, Two Harbors and Parsons Landing have fire rings.

See Catalina Island camping for every campground on the trail, Two Harbors and Little Harbor.