Catalina Island loop – 3 days with custom bikepacking setup (w/pics)

Day 1 (27.3 miles, 3500 vertical)

Day 2 (15.4 miles, 2300 vertical)

Day 3: (32 miles, 4,400 vertical)

I did this ride last September with my brother. We took the train from Oceanside up to San Juan Capistrano, then rode to Dana Point to catch the ferry. Got bike permits and lunch in Avalon but it was Cruise Ship Day, so things were definitely busy. Spent the first night at Sharks Cove (next to Little Harbor), which was nice and quiet. I saw a bushy tail jump up onto the “fox box” in the middle of the night and found tracks on my bike in the morning but we never did see any of the famous foxes. Day 2 was a leisurely start and the shortest day of riding, saw some bison near the road, got lunch and cleaned up at Two Harbors, then rode to Parsons. The ride from Two Harbors up to the campground was great and a mostly flat cruise along the coast. It got legitimately windy setting up camp and there was nowhere to stake out the tents at our site, but we made it work with lots of rocks. Day 3 was the longest and we got an early start, back-tracking to Little Harbor, then cutting up to the Airport for lunch before working along the ridge and dropping back down to Avalon. I was dealing with grinding gears on the climbs and eventually had to take off the derailleur hanger and pry it mostly straight with my Leatherman, which fixed it pretty well (I ordered a new one and spare when I got home).

Bike:

I built up this Marin Bobcat 5 frame off of eBay using various parts from Craigslist and eBay last winter. I usually use a suspension fork but put on a Surly Krampus one for the trip along with some Jones H-bar clones. I did have to deal with a bent derailleur hanger after dropping a chain but other than that the bike did great. The washboards were pretty intense though, and I would probably use some front suspension if I did it again.

Bags:

I made all of the main bags (framebag, panniers, handelbar harness, stem bags hip/handlebar pack). It was my first trip using the mini panniers and rack setup which worked great. I rattled a bolt out of the rack (washboards) and I should have put some loctite on and checked them at each stop. It was also my first trip using a large Nalgene with a drink hose setup in one of the stem bags, which was super convenient and kept me from having to grab bottles or wear a pack.

Highlights:

Sunset from Sharks Cove, big descents, lots of water without having to filter, the ride from Two Harbors to Parsons, beautiful landscape with Bison.

Challenges:

Lots of trucks and trailers due to some kind of “Cowboy Camp” week, didn’t get to see any foxes (though I found tracks on my bike from one), mechanical issue with hanger, cost.

Overall, I highly recommend the trip if you get the chance and think it’s the best way to check out the island.