Imagine traveling to an island with just a general ideal, but no precise plans or a detailed itinerary? That’s what our trip to Santa Catalina Island looked like.
Last updated: June 22, 2026
A Day Trip to Santa Catalina Island
As the most developed island of the Channel Islands archipelago, Santa Catalina Island is a primary weekend getaway for many locals. Visitors are drawn to the island by its Santa Barbara-like oceanfront shops and restaurants, sunny beaches, and day adventures that feel like you’ve traveled far from home. In reality, though, the island is only roughly 1.5-hour boat ride away.
Location
Although Santa Catalina Island is a part of California’s island chain, it’s not induced in Channel Islands National Park. The island is located 22 miles south off the Southern California coast.
The third-largest island of the archipelago, Catalina has two distinct landing locations: Avalon and Two Harbors.
We picked the more chaotic Avalon over the quieter, camping-ideal Two Harbors as our day trip destination. Apart from the general idea of what to do on the island, we had no precise plans or a detailed itinerary. Our trip to Catalina was a spontaneous adventure in its purest form.
Getting to Catalina Island
You can find tons of information on how to get to Catalina Island on the Internet, from both official websites and countless blogs. So, I’ll limit myself to a short mentioning where exactly you can go to schedule your ferry ride. Yes, taking a ferry is the most common way to get to Catalina Island.
There are several harbors you can start your island adventure from. Catalina Express operates from Long Beach, San Pedro, and Dana Point. If you start your day trip to Catalina Island from Newport Beach like we did, check the Catalina Flyer website for dates, hours, and prices.
A ferry ride to Catalina Island is approximately 1.5 hours.
Alternatively, you can travel to Catalina Island by a private boat. For even quicker transfer, hop in a helicopter and get to your destination in 15-20 minutes.
Things to Do on Catalina Island in One Day
For its not particularly large size, Catalina offers rather distinct day-trip or extended vacation ideas. You can get adventurous and explore the rough mountainous hiking and biking trails with a guide or on your own, book a tour and explore the animal-abundant underwater world off the shore of Catalina or swim in a kelp forest (one of my top bucket list items).
For those animal lovers that would rather stay on the land, book an inner island tour to see American bison in Cape Canyon.
THINGS TO DO IN AVALON IN ONE DAY
One thing we were certain about while sailing to Catalina Island, we would not employ a guide. It’s quite easy to skip any guided tours if you’re planning to dive into the exquisite dining and shopping scenes of the island. That wasn’t our top priority. Walking, some hiking, and biking turned out to be our favorite ways to explore this side of Catalina.
1. Pick Your “Ride”
In Avalon, you can always choose your preferred mode of transport. The majority of day visitors rent easy-to-navigate golf carts or e-bikes. We stuck to old-fashioned regular bikes and explored the island at a slower pace.
Note: If it’s your first time traveling to Catalina Island and you long to see more than just the bustling oceanfront tourist area of Avalon, plan wisely, book your activities beforehand, and be ready to shell out. All in all, while memorable and offering plenty of opportunities to go off the beaten path, a trip to Catalina Island can easily turn into a costly adventure, especially if you travel as a family.
2. Walk Crescent Avenue
Avalon is in essence a small coastal town with a long promenade, Crescent Avenue, lined up with shops and restaurants. Dubbed by locals as “Front Street”, the waterfront walkway stretches from Pebbly Beach Road, near the ferry terminal, to the Catalina Casino.
2. Visit the Catalina Casino
A large circular structure with a red dome roof, the Catalina Casino is not what you think it is. The word “casino” is of Italian origin. It means “gathering place”.
The opulent masterpiece rose on the shore of Catalina Island in 1929 to entertain the island’s elite and its guests. The colossal structure manifested the lavish lifestyle of the island’s selected residents and exemplified Catalina’s nightlife that consisted of extravagant dinner parties, dancing, and movies.
Today, the historic building serves as a museum. You can step inside and dive into the history of the island firsthand.
Or challenge yourself to do something different and photograph the massive architectural masterpiece from different vantage points. This might be quite a creative endeavor as the Casino, an integral part of the Avalon side of Catalina Island, stares back at you from every second postcard of the island.
3. Have a Secluded Beach All to Yourself
If you travel to Catalina Island to spend a day on a beach, sunbathing or swimming, Crescent Beach is normally the first choice. Located directly along the popular Crescent waterfront walkway, the favorite sandy stretch consists of three public beaches, South Beach, Middle Beach, and Step Beach.
But take a short bike ride along Pebbly Beach Road south of the Catalina Ferry and Boat Terminal and you may have some secluded rocky beaches all to yourself. Or almost all to yourself if you don’t count pelicans, lazing on the boulders after a successful “fishing” excursion.
Take a walk on this quiet beach and enjoy the view. If you feel like swimming, do it at your own risk as there is no lifeguard.
4. Hike to Catalina Chimes Tower
We saw this stair hike from afar. A long staircase rising uphill in a residential area is known as the Catalina Chimes Tower hike. The steep stairs are located across the road from the Catalina Island Yacht Club. The route takes you to a hill that overlooks the island and offers scenic views along the way.
