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October 10-13, 2026

Trans-Catalina Hike

Catalina Island

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About the Hike

Hike the rugged Trans-Catalina Trail

October 10-13, 2026

Catalina Island, California

Thru-hike the epic Trans-Catalina Trail from Avalon to Two Harbors. This 38-mile trail traverses the entire island and takes hikers from the high ridgelines to the secluded beaches abundant on the island.

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Event Details

Accommodations
Camping
Trip Length
4 Days
Range of Daily Mileage
8 – 12 miles
Fundraising Commitment
$2,200
Early Registration fee $125 until March 1

Full Event Story

From the moment you depart the ferry and step foot on Catalina Island, you’ll see that this island offers something truly unique. You’ll leave the bustling port of Avalon and enter the wild landscapes of Catalina on this epic trail away from vehicles, people and cell service.

On Climate Hike Catalina Island, you’ll get the challenge of doing an epic thru-hike but without carrying a heavy pack. Climate Ride will arrange gear transfers from campground to campground, allowing you to have a backcountry camping experience with a little more comfort than you’d have if you took on this trek on your own. Our guides will keep you well fed and take care of all of the details so you can enjoy the views and camaraderie of your fellow hikers.

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Each day offers a unique itinerary that will provide a great overview of all that Catalina Island has to offer. One night you’ll be camped on top of a mountain, the next you’ll be lulled to sleep by the sound of ocean waves. Wildlife sightings will be abundant, and you’ll even have an opportunity to snorkel in the warm, clear water that the island is known for. You should be comfortable hiking a minimum of 11 miles and be able to ascend at least 2,000 feet in a day.

It’s meant to be challenging yet doable, and you have all day to hike and learn. Our support team is always nearby to assist you, keep you happy and healthy, and make your trek worry-free and memorable.

All breakfasts, dinners, packed lunches, snacks, camping, guiding, and ferries are included. Participants must bring their own tent, sleeping bag, and pad. Participants will carry just a daypack with snacks, water, and personal items while hiking. Our guides handle baggage transfer and all meals.

Climate Hikers will have access to our superb personal fundraising software and the full support of our team. On this event, you can choose from our full list of beneficiaries, and proceeds will be distributed to the Climate Ride grants program based on your beneficiary selection. Participants may select their beneficiaries from our list of more than 100 extraordinary non-profit organizations.

Though we can accommodate hikers of different paces, the point-to-point nature of this hike requires participants to complete every mile. There is no support vehicle or shuttle to reduce daily mileage. This is a fully guided hike, which means you can focus on hiking and making connections with your new friends while we take care of everything from overnight details, meals, snacks, luggage transport, and much more to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. Learn more in the FAQ.

Positive Planet Impact

15716428
granted to support conservation, climate, sustainability, and active transportation
399
environmental and active transportation non-profits supported since 2008
7000
adventurers dedicated to the planet. Join us!
1000000
human powered miles

Itinerary Overview

Your Hike Guide will include full details, Itinerary subject to change

Day 1

Avalon to Blackjack

11 miles, 3000 ft elevation gain

Welcome to Catalina Island! After a one hour ferry ride from Los Angeles, we’ll land in the small village of Avalon. Soon after we leave the pavement, we’ll also leave behind people and signs of civilization. Our trail climbs up to a high ridgeline where you’ll get epic views of both sides of the island. The singletrack trail will give us opporunities to see and learn about the unique plant and animal species that inhabit the island.

Tonight we’ll camp in the mountains and you’ll sleep under dark skies after a post-hike shower.

Day 2

Blackjack to Little Harbor

8 Miles, 1006 ft elevation gain

Today we continue along the high ridgelines of the island until we visit the Airport in the Sky. We’ll see some of the resident bison that were left over from a movie filmed on the island in the 1920’s. After a snack and a cool drink at the airport, we’ll hike down to the western end of the island and enjoy an afternoon relaxing at the beach. Bring your snorkle and mask to enjoy the clean blue water.

Tonight we’ll camp at the beach at a campground named one of the best campgrounds in the west by Sunset Magazine. There is a rustic shower available to rince off from the days hike or swim in the sea.

Day 3

Little Harbor to Parsons Landing

12 Miles, 3,600 ft elevation gain

Today is our biggest and most challenging day. We’ll climb up the west side of the island back to the east side where we’ll enjoy a hot lunch in the sleepy port of Two Harbor’s. The afternoon takes us through some of the wildest country on the island where we’ll find camp at the northernmost tip of the trail.

Parsons landing is a beautiful campsite that sits right on the beach where we’ll enjoy one last night of wild camping.

Day 4

Parsons Landing to Two Harbors

8 miles, 400 ft elevation gain

Our last day of hiking takes us on a mostly flat, car-free road back to Two Harbors. This beautiful route hugs the coastline and will be a much easier day than the previous three. We’ll take time to swim and snorkle in Two Harbors before we say goodbye to the Catalina Island Foxes and catch our ferry back to the mainland.

Climate Ride will arrange shuttles to evening flights out of LAX airport.

Photo Gallery

FAQs and More Info

The Trip Start and End

The Climate Hike will meet at the ferry terminal in San Pedro or Long Beach depending on Fall schedules which have yet to be announced. Long term parking is available at each terminal for a fee.

Accommodations, Meals, Showers

Climate Hike Catalina is a 4-day 3 night charitable hiking trip across Catalina Island. We’ll camp in 3 different sites that are off the beaten path and in remote areas of the island. In camp, we take care of all the details so you’re free to relax and connect with other participants. There are hot showers available at camp.

FOOD:

Our camp chefs can prepare delicious, healthy, warm meals for the group. Think hot, filling breakfasts with coffee and tea, and tasty dinners with delicious desserts. Each morning you will pack snacks and a nourishing lunch to bring on the trail. Our morning snack table will have items to keep you energized all day while hiking.

Special drinks or alcohol are not included, but there are a couple locations on the island where you can purchase a cold beverage.

I don’t camp… is there a hotel option?

No, sorry. This is a backcountry camping trip.

Is this a backpacking trip?

Though this is a point-to-point thru hike, you’ll only need to carry a light daypack with sancks, water and other small items. Your camping gear will be transported from camp to camp allowing you to spend more energy swimming and exploring, and less engergy hauling heavy gear around. Climate Ride Guides will handle all food and cooking so you can soak in the landscape.

Do I need to be a serious hiker to do Climate Hike?

This is a beautiful and educational tour, not a race. Climate Hike is great for new and seasoned hikers. Regardless of pace and experience, hikers need to feel confident they can complete the entire trail as shuttles or short options are not available. To have the best possible experience and to accomplish some of the more challenging options, it is important that you train for hiking. We’ll provide you with training tips and a packing list to make sure you have the right gear for the trail.

What is the hiking group size each day?

We may divide the group into smaller hiking groups based on your hiking ability. Every hike is beautiful and our job is to make sure you have a safe and memorable experience.

What do I need to bring?

You’ll need to bring a daypack, hiking clothes and camping gear. While you don’t need to carry your extra clothes and camping gear, you’ll need to limit all gear you aren’t carrying to one backpack or duffle bag that weighs less than 30 lbs.

Fundraising Beneficiaries

Hikers can choose from the more than 100 incredible beneficiary organizations in our network! One of the things that make Climate Ride such an effective charitable event is that you can select the organization(s) you wish to fundraise for from our extensive list of beneficiary organizations. Our beneficiaries were selected for their work on the environment, conservation, sustainability, climate education, and active transportation advocacy. At the end of the year, Climate Ride grants the proceeds from our events to these hard-working organizations.

Fundraising and Transfer Deadlines | Important Dates

Fundraising Deadlines:

$500 fundraising deadline:TBD
$1,400 fundraising deadline:TBD
$2,800 fundraising deadline:TBD
Transfer deadline: TBD

Learn more about deadlines and transfers on our Policies page.

Note: If you’d like to register after or near a fundraising deadline, don’t worry, we’re here to help you get up to speed!

More Questions?

Be sure to review our general FAQ and policies or contact us!

Testimonials

Julia Blunt
Glacier Hike

Hiking in Glacier NP on this year’s Climate Hike was a fabulous experience! I enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow hikers, the knowledge provided by our guides, and the hike across some of the most gorgeous terrain in the west! It was great experience and I would recommend it to other fellow hikers that are looking for this type of hiking experience. Glacier Guides and the Climate Ride Staff were all excellent!

Elizabeth Soper
Glacier National Park Hike

Being able to participate this summer in the Glacier Climate Hike was a soul inspiring and bucket list event for me. I invited my sister to join and we both were able to push our limits and spend quality time with each other in an amazing group of people. Being able to raise money to help support organizations as they address the climate crisis is so important – – and participating helped me to better educate others to get involved as well. We all need to become engaged in helping to solve this crisis – – and the Climate Ride program is an innovative and exceptional way to do this.

Doris Marlin
Climate Hike White Mountains

This Climate Hike was a perfect mix of fun, bonding, physical challenge, immersion in nature’s power, experiencing the White Mountains cultural jewel of New England, great food, great staff. We all came together to address the climate crisis, for ourselves, for life as we know it, for those most vulnerable, for future generations. And we won’t stop.