RE: Two Harbors Campground - Catalina Island - CA

[Steve-o-bud]

 We went camping at Catalina Island this weekend with our YMCA - Adventure Princesses Group (aka Indian Princesses). Can you imagine, about 50 - 60 girls (ages 5 - 12), and 40 - 50 dads, no mom s whatsoever? Catalina will never be the same!
 
 Catalina Island is pretty much operated by two entities - The Catalina Island Conversancy, and the Catalina Island Company. The Conservancy holds the land and protects it from most development, so the island remains pretty wild.
 
 GETTING THERE/TRANSPORTATION
 
 Transportation to Catalina is via boat, Catalina Express runs scheduled service to Avalon from San Pedro, Long Beach, and I believe Newport Beach. Scheduled service to Two Harbors is limited from San Pedro only. Also, Island Express offers helicopter service from San Pedro and Long Beach to Avalon.
 
 On the boat, each person can bring one carry on, and two stowed bags, weight limit of 70 lbs., dimensions roughly 24" X24" X36" . TIP: label your stuff. Once you land, the ships crew off loads the baggage onto the dock, leaving everyone to sort through a large pile of stuff to get their own. More on camping logistics below.
 
 Transportation between island destinations is via bus on the island many dirt roads. There is some boat ferry service available as well.
 
 On the  south  tip of island is Avalon, a small, quaint town with restaurants, inns, etc.
 
 Two Harbors is a small village located near the Isthmus, or middle narrow, part of the island. There is limited lodging, and some campgrounds nearby. One of these is the Two Harbors Campground. The campgound is located about a quarter mile from the village, and is about a 15 minute walk, not too rough, however, there is a pretty good hill one must pass over.
 
 CAMPING LOGISTICS
 
 At the Catalina Express terminal at San Pedro, one must haul their gear from the loading area in front, to the waiting area, and then down the gangway to the dock, where the crew will load it onto the boat. Upon arrival at the Catalina Express pier at Two Harbors, once your gear is off loaded from the boat by the crew, you must carry it off the pier to a loading area, where a truck from the campground will pick it up, and deliver it to some strategic locations at the campground.
 
 We used some canvas sea bags, which seemed to work well, in two bags I packed 3 sleeping bags, 3 folding chairs, and fold up table, a large tent, a small beach umbrella, 3 air mattresses, etc. I also brought my RoadTrip Grill, a collapsible cooler, a small duffel for clothes, and a duffel for miscellaneous gear. That was my total of 6 bags, 2 ea. for me and my two girls. Some of the others in our group brought an easy up, various coolers, etc. so we pretty much had most of the camping stuff covered. IT IS QUITE A BIT OF WORK HAULING ALL THAT STUFF! The campground is built on a steep hill, which doesn t help much, however, the folks from the campground are pretty good about making this as painless as possible, although  they can t really deliver to each campsite.  
 
 The process reverses for the trip home.
 
 CAMPING FACILITIES
 There are a number of campsites located up and down the hill. There are some tent cabins available for extra $$ located higher up the hill. Our party had a number of campsites, and the group I was with had one conveniently located near the beach. The campsites have a table with a shade, and a fire pit. There is running water and cold rinse off showers scattered about at various spots, and pit toilets. There are flush toilets and hot showers available in the village.
 
 THE VIEW AND ACTIVITIES
 The view is outrageous! We overlooked the harbor, sunset was very pretty. The beach is rocky, and is swimable, but, be cautioned, it is not marked off for swimmers, so one must contend with boats that anchor off the beach. There are some nearby coves for snorkeling.
 
 There are tours available for buffalo watching, hiking trails, etc. In the village, mountain bikes are available for rental, as are kayaks, boats, etc. I heard that the USC marine biology facility was very good. There is bus service to Avalon.
 
 At night, from my tent, we had a view of the sailboats, with their anchor lights swaying. We had good weather, so the stars were clear and bright. Catalina is pretty much a desert island, but it is quite pretty.
 
 CONCLUSION
 For rough camping, this is a pretty nice place to go. I wish the campground were a bit more developed, but on the other hand, this would probably mean more people, etc. I d give this a  two thumbs up.
 
 
 

[griffsmom]

 Steve-o-bud
Great review Steve!  DH and I were tent campers for more than 10 years before we bought the pop up and in the one and a half brief years we have owned the pop up, I have completely suppressed how much work tent camping used to be!  Just reading about your trip makes me want to go and lie down!  
 
 Sounds like a beautiful spot and a wonderful time with your daughters.  I bet mom enjoyed a little " private time"  as well!  Quick question though: how many bags does a pop up count for on the ferry? [][][8D]

[Steve-o-bud]

 griffsmom
I m not sure about it s equivalent value in bag count. I do know, (from doing some work on the island), that it costd $6.60 per 100 lbs to ship a vehicle one way on the barge from San Pedro to Avalon on Catalina Freightlines. I had 20,000 lbs worth of trucks to send, it cost me $1,200 each way! Then, I had to pay the Conservancy a permit fee to operate the trucks on the island, and I had to pay the City of Avalon a buisness permit, to operate the trucks in the City of Avalon! What a racket!
 
 Despite this, me and one of my fellow Indian Princess dads who s a popper, thought, " Hey, it sure would be worth the money to have our trailers over here!"
 
 You sure are correct, the pop up is far less work, once you get it dialed in. We are getting to that point with ours, after several outings.