Catalina Island Vacation
Catalina Island is seen in many different ways by each of the different types of people who come to this island; so, “Catalina Island Vacation” will mean different things to different people.
For some, the Casino will be a big draw. Those people probably don’t even see the trees or mountains. To them, the casino is the entire island. They will want dancing, or music, or the hotel will be a very big draw for them.
For those who come because of the rugged coastline, the ocean kayaking, or the hiking then it’s a completely different island. To those people, the Primitive Boat-in Campsites, the miles and miles of hiking trails, the mountain climbing, or the offshore boating will be the main draw.
The Primative Boat-in Campsites include Ripper’s, Paradise, the Lava Wall, the Gibraltar, the Cabrillo, Goat Harbor, the Italian Gardens (3 sites), the Long Point Beach, or Willow Cove. All of these primitive sites will be found between Avalon and Two Harbors.
As far as hiking trails go, there’s the Catalina Island East End Loop Trail. It’s the perfect way to mountain bike. There’s some really demanding climbs, though. You end up going fast down the Renton Mine Road. You might encounter bison on the way there, so try and stay back; they can be very unpredictable. You go from 10 feet at the trailhead up to 1,450 feet at the summit. Here’s a convenient map that you can use.
http://www.trails.com/topo.aspx?trailid=BGS146-033
The trail starts where Stagecoach road meets
Chimes Tower Road.
If you are going for a Catalina Island Vacation, you might wish to rent a mountain bike and try out some of their incredible trails. If it were me, I’d bring my binoculars with me. I bicycled 8800 miles in two trips across America, so I love to camp and hike. I camped over a year and four months between the two trips. There’s nothing better than being out under the black night sky with the Milky Way cutting across like a band.
Thus, a Santa Catalina Island Vacation would have to include some mountain biking, some ocean kayaking (I own a kayak and have a kayak holder on top my SUV) or hiking. To do these things, you’ll need the mobility that a car gives, so make sure you rent one the minute you get there.
If you’re retired, and you’re going there just to relax, enjoy such things as Antonio’s Pizzeria and the Catalina Cabaret, then you’ll want to install Google Earth. If you look for little blue symbols of a knife-and-fork, it will show you each place that a restaurant can be found.
Armstrong’s restaurant, on the water, is a really popular spot. Through the magic of the internet, panoramio.com lets you see a some shots of the area. The shot from the lunch table at Armstrong’s Restaurant allows you to see the casino, but there’s also a view from many different places around Catalina Island, even from the top of the mountains.
The Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden is a beautiful place. Just go up Avalon Canyon Road. The map on the right lets you be able to pan the entire island. You can zoom in and out, then click on the picture that best shows the area of the island you’re interested in. There are views of the bike trails, views from the top of the tallest peaks and views from Avalon’s harbor.
The image from the Santa Catalina Botanical Garden shows the organ pipe cactus, the prickly pear cactus (opuntia), and the other kinds of cactus along the trail. The only thing that’s annoying about the interface is, it lets you instantly leap to places like San Diego, as well, so you can easily be taken away from the island. If you click on the left and right cursor arrows (forward and backward), then it will tend to keep you within the section of Avalon and the island.
So, a Catalina Island Vacation can be filled with nature, hiking, mountain bicycling, primitive campsites, casinos, dancing, good eating, seafood and many, many more things.