First Catalina Island GRAVEL Experience
Getting to know this island via human power was both challenging and amazingly gorgeous.
You know, I had heard so much about this Island in the past and to be honest, I had been to this place before a few times, but I had never experienced it like I did on my last trip, on two wheels. I kept saying to myself “Wow, Marco! There is just so much more than Avalon” (Avalon is the main port for the Island) and OMG this island does not disappoint. From the gorgeous landscapes to the serenity that this place brings, to the people that are very much used to tourists from all parts of the world; there is a little something for everyone that attracts people, and for me, well, I came for the GRAVEL.
How to get to the Island
For our trip, we got to the Island via the Catalina Express out of the Long Beach Port as this port offered us the greatest flexibility with more departure times to choose from and also boat-bike capacity. If you have never traveled with your bike to the Island, you’ll need to make a special reservation for your bike as well, which at the time of this post is about $7.00 roundtrip. I’d recommend calling the main reservation number before confirming your travel to make sure there is a bike spot available on the boat and secure it then. You can schedule your reservation on the phone and buy both your boat ticket and your bike ticket at the same time. An important thing to note is that you can get to the Island via the Catalina Express from the following ports: Dana Point, Long Beach, or San Pedro.
The bike racks on the boat are not the nicest ones or bike-friendly if I am very honest. The metal frames they have as bike racks tend to rub against the brake rotors as they are a bit high, but this will not be a problem if you have traditional rim brakes. In any way, you can still make it work with a little bit of patience and careful placement of your bike.
Biking on the Island
Once you get to the Island, head down to the Catalina Island Conservancy office as you will need to obtain a Conservancy Membership to freely bike around the Island. This pass will allow you to bike around the Island along with some additional perks such as receiving 50% off conservancy campgrounds, unlimited admission to the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Garden, and Eco Tours & Wildland discounts. Once you have your pass then make sure to pick your route as there are different places you can go but the most popular route is usually going from Avalon to Two Harbors on the other side of the Island. The membership pass is good for one year from the date of purchase so keep it safe with you for future visits.
Here’s the Strava route that my friends and I took if you are interested in doing exactly what we did.
It’s Gravel Time!
But before you get going, do get a donut from the local shop, I believe they were around $2 a piece but the donuts were a good size and very delicious.
We could not have picked a better day to go, the day was nice and cloudy, and not a lot of wind to disrupt our biking experience. Get ready because some of the hills can be relenting, and be prepared to climb right away because right out of the gate, you’ll need to start climbing out of Avalon and into the wild lands of the Island. Along the way, you will see beautiful scenery from high points on a paved road (Stage Rd.) with lots of tree coverage towards a vista point located on the Shady Grove trail and just before starting the gravel section on Airport Road.
The climb out of Avalon is steep so be prepared to push some watts for a good amount of time as this will be a low grind up steep hills. I’ve calculated it to be about 2.8 miles from the beginning of the climb on Vieudelou Avenue to the top of the Shady Grove trail vista point with inclinations ranging from a meager 1% to a whopping 15.5%. You might get a few pedal breaks here and there but not much. E-bike rentals are popular on the Island 😉 as we encountered several people on e-bikes along the way, and with good reason, these hills are no joke for the average cyclist, let alone someone who does not regularly bike and just enjoys joy rides on flat areas. Once you get to the top of the climb it’s magic though, as you will enjoy some of the most stunning views of the ocean, the Island, and the boats that surround it.
Once we took a good break it was time to continue our journey as we had limited time to get back to Avalon and be able to catch our last boat back to the mainland at 7:45 pm that same evening, and we were doing an out and back of around 45 miles with over 6,000 feet of elevation; which meant we had to keep going and pushing. We calculated that if we were traveling at a pace of 10 miles/hour we should be fine but we had to account for any mechanicals or other issues along the way. At Shady Grove viewpoint, we were only about 3 miles into our 45-mile route at this point so we had the whole day ahead of us.
As we continued our journey on the dirt, it was not long before we encountered our first glimpse at wildlife, and what a WILDLIFE! the very famous Island Bison! We had to remember that this is a wild animal and as such the appropriate respect had to be given, after all these animals can weigh up to 2,000 lbs. and can run up to 35 mph (Source: National Park Service). Trying to get stumped on or run over by a 2,000 lb. animal at 35 mph was not on my to-do list on this day (or any day for that matter). These animals are freely roaming around the island, this is their home and I felt the need to respect that, for theirs and my well-being.
While the bison was busy rubbing or playing with his horns on the dirt, I took my chance and hurried to pass the animal as calmly and quickly as possible (if that makes sense), trying to make the least noise as I was riding past behind it. Keeping my distance was not a problem for me but knowing these animals can run up to 35 mph was an issue I didn’t want to find out more about. Remember that good old saying “The more you f*&%$ around the more you find out” well, I did not feel like finding out. Some people in the group decided to stop and take a selfie, others just took pictures from a safer distance but I did not stop, these animals are dangerous, and if you don’t believe me ask the woman who did find out recently at Yellowstone National Park.
Our next stop was Airport in the Sky.
As we continued our tour of Catalina Island, we saw more majestic scenery along the way and encountered some of the tour vehicles that brought people around the island and other cyclists too. We also encountered several groups that were hiking the island as we were on a main road (Airport Road) that at some point became paved again, and a few cars here and there. A note of caution here, the cars that we passed on this road were driving very aggressively, not sure if that is just the way people drive on the back roads of the island or if they were in a hurry but we saw at least 5 different cars that day on this road and they were pushing that gas pedal if you asked me, with our group of cyclists only a few feet away from them on the shoulder of the poorly paved road.
At about mile 10.5 of riding from Avalon, we reached our next stop, the Catalina Island Airport, or what the locals referred to as the Airport in the Sky. Here we decided it was a good idea to stop and replenish some calories by trying out their famous bison hot dogs 🌭 , this was a good time to also fuel up on hydration even though the weather was around an average of 62F. Remember the day was nice and cloudy in the morning? well, it had remained so for the entirety of the trip so far, but by this time of the day and at the altitude of 1516 ft over sea level the weather was actually on the colder side of things, there was fog and cold wind which made it unpleasant at times. All I kept thinking was to keep pedaling to stay warm.
Before we left Airport in the Sky we had lunch. The bison hot dog was not the greatest in my opinion, the meat felt gamy and a little too seasoned, or not sure if that was the real flavor of bison meat. The presentation was also terrible, I’d probably not get another hot dog the next time but if it’s your first time it’s worth a try just for bragging rights. I mean, it’s a hot dog, a $9 hot dog at that. 😬
Before we continued the journey we had to take some more pictures and keep enjoying the fresh winds we had been enjoying the whole day. There is also a lounge you can use inside to warm up a bit, it’s dated but it does the job and it keeps the charm of the place with a big bison head hanging from the wall. This is probably where you will see everyone that you have been seeing on the road whether biking, hiking, or driving. They also have a little gift shop with souvenirs, some clothing, maps, and whatnot, and a black cat.
Onto Two Harbors
After eating and replenishing fluids and calories, our next destination was Two Harbors, roughly about 13.5 miles away from our current location. We pedaled along the gravel roads, many hills, ups and downs, some steep hills some not so steep. We saw one restroom along the way with potable water to fill up once again before reaching two Harbors. We stopped there for a bit as well to take a break and fill up once more. Gorgeous scenery left and right, anywhere you saw really. The island is truly beautiful.
Once we reached Two Harbors at mile 25, we only took probably a 30 min. break, we used the restroom, bought something from the convenience store, and just headed back right away. We checked out the other harbor across Two Harbors tucked away in between some hills, Catalina Harbor, and then headed right back on the same path we had taken to complete the other 50% of our trip which so far has been a total success.
The ride back was just as beautiful but having seen it once already it was more of the same, the same level of 10 out of 10 that is! With tired legs and sore hands, we continued grinding those hills up and down, again and again as we knew what lay ahead of us.
Once we finally made it back on time to Avalon, we went to eat at “Mi Casita” Mexican Food, and their enchiladas were bomb 💣 ! After we ate and before boarding our boat back to Long Beach, we stopped for some hot coffee and headed back to the boat just in time for boarding. We arrived a good 45 minutes before the boat departed and the line to go aboard was already kind of long. Whenever you are ready to catch your ride back make sure to arrive at least 60 minutes early and secure a good spot inside the boat as the ride back could be a bit chilly depending on the time of the year that you go. We went in late May.
Overall, the first gravel bike experience in Catalina Island was a total success. The day was great, we had amazing weather all day, the scenery was next level, the climbs and descends were epic, we biked alongside a wild bison, we had no mechanical problems or otherwise, ate delicious Mexican food, and were 45 min. early to catch our ride back home. After this trip, our group is now considering a yearly trip possibly including an overnight camping experience to explore the island a bit more without feeling rushed. We met other cyclists during our trip who told us a group of them already do a yearly trip to the island to gravel. We might just mimic that idea.
I have too many pictures to be able to put them all in this post but know that when you book your Catalina Island biking experience you will not be disappointed.
I truly enjoyed this trip and I look forward to doing it again. Until next time! keep riding.
Follow All Things Cycling on Instagram and YouTube.