Very under utilized Zayaks are a HIT! Great for Lover's Cove if you have little ones, don't want to…read morehave to work the whole time you're in the water, etc. My 4 and 6 year old loved them, got to feed the fish (sometimes in the direction of mom and dad - yikes!), and can watch perfectly through the glass cutout. Easy walk pulling the Zayaks to Lover's Cove via the supplied dollies. $20 each for 90 min is a smoking deal! Bring frozen peas and you're all set.

Excellent service, clean equipment and very reasonably priced. My sons loved the zayak sea sleds…read more We saw so many beautiful fish at Lovers Cove. Definitely an experience not to be missed! We went back again last week and I'm so glad; we had such a blast on the zayaks with the fish!! We rented 6 sets of gear and they gave us free fish food- the fish were incredible it's one of the best snorkel adventures I've ever experienced. I highly recommend this for your Catalina experience. The staff is so friendly & helpful.

My goal was 50 miles over 24 hours, and I fell slightly short at 44 miles. That's ok, because I…read morelearned a lot... like not carrying a 25lb pack... and my goal for next time is 60-70 miles over two days. This trail is fabulous to explore the island and get in some great cardio. Views range from spectacular to mundane, but that is part of the adventure. Some of the restrooms are spotlessly clean, quite impressive and they are placed at accessible locations. Please come and create your own adventure.

Hiked a small section of this long trail and it was fun…read more Started out at the trail-head in Avalon to go up. Entered thru the entrance near the golf course and the botanical gardens. The section I hiked was fairly shaded. It was mid-June 2020, so the weather was a bit hot, and so all the wild animals are out including the dreaded rattle snake. So do be very careful. I was making as much noise as possible with my shoes as I ruffle thru the trail. The sky is super blue, the plants are all overgrown since there hasn't been many hikers in the last several months. Super pretty and nice. Highly recommend.

Amazing Experience. Campus by the Sea is such a great place…read moreto grow closer to others and God. They are able to strike a balance between cutting out distractions, while still having fun. Attending Youth Camp has been one of the best experiences of my year, thank you to all the leaders, counselors, and the rest of the crew for making such experience possible. Even the media team was cooking... go team green btw

My first visit was in 1997 and most recent in Summer of 2021, it just keeps getting better and…read morebetter! This is a private camp that both puts on programming in the summer (family camps) and also rents the camp to other groups who want to come and host their programs at this beautiful location (churches, school groups, marine groups, etc.). I have attended camps that were hosted here by IVCF and the related Alumni Camp - they are top notch! The location is amazing. Just a one-hour boat ride away from LA, yet you'll think you are a world away. In fact, my daughter used to think Catalina was a different country, it felt so different from home. It's a great mix of modern and rustic: Electricity in the Dining Hall, Classrooms, and Bathroom (yes, there is modern plumbing with hot showers), but no electricity in your cabins (a mixture of enclosed and open-air hard-walled and tent cabins). And yes - no cell phone service!!! What a joy to tell my work I was unavailable while on vacation! A bigger joy to see your teens with no phones, finally giving in and playing card games all evening with friends and family. And don't worry, there is a land line in camp if you really need to call a loved one to check in. The staff works with a spirit of wanting to serve, they love their jobs. My most recent visit during COVID, I saw them all step up to do more work to ensure all health standards were being met. We felt safe and realized that having an open-air dining room is now a great feature! I have also been impressed by their efforts to keep long-term staff employed during the pandemic, the stability of camp leadership is serving them well as we come out of the pandemic. For those with children, this place is extra special as there is no road access to camp, everyone arrives on the pier by boat. This means, no stranger danger. Even as a 4 year-old, we could let our daughter go around camp on her own and experience a unique independence that wouldn't exist at home. Now a teen, she loves bringing friends and eagerly awaits this family vacation each year. Finally - this place is fun! When weather allows, there is snorkling, swimming, fishing, tubing, hiking, basketball, ping pong, volleyball, and campfire sing-alongs ... and everything is included in your camp price (no surprise add-on's). Sometimes there are opportunities to hike into Avalon and be brought back by boat (usually during week-long camps). Different groups program different events, but I have never been bored and have always been sad to leave. Seriously, if you have an opportunity to experience Campus By the Sea yourself, GO! I wasn't sure about going that first time, but I'm sure glad I did!

Great team all around. We had a 2pm resy and we asked to move up an hour the day we arrive in port…read moreand they did so without hesitation. Driver and Deck hand were great! awe did the phot package and received 140 photos for only $25 and downloaded to our phone before we even got off the boat! This was first time Parasailing for our kids and they loved it!! Island Water Charters did an amazing job!! -Mike P 10/14/26

I purchased the first trip of the day for $49. The experience was great, the view was beautiful,…read moreand the music was blasting. It was great until the rope ripped that was connecting the boat to the parasail for the group after me. The winds picked up, it started pouring rain, and as they were driving the boat in the water, we watched the parasail start descending straight down into the water. I was having a conversation with another passenger right before it happened, wondering what the spot was on the rope. We thought it was a marker for the captain's knowledge, clearly that's where it was ripping. We had to race to the couple and pull them out of the water, thankfully they were not seriously hurt and they offered them a refund but after witnessing that, I will never be parasailing again.

My husband, his family, and I went on a sunset sail and we recommend it. It was such a wonderful…read moreexperience. We got to see dolphins hopefully you get lucky too! Rafael and his assistant Stephanie have the best personality and such a good vibe. They allowed us to bring food and drinks. They also gave us snacks and drink on board. Totally recommend taking this excursion with your significant other or family.

We had an absolutely fantastic time on our private sailboat tour. Our captain was Rafael. He was…read morevery knowledgeable and friendly. They take very good care of their sailboat. It was very clean and comfortable. A few good tips are do not wear black sold shoes that could scuff the boat dress in layers maximum guest occupancy on board is six and the two seats single seats behind the captain on the left and right side are fantastic. We had a light snack and some fantastic mimosas and beer. Our light snack consisted of truffle chips and Clementine oranges. But I believe this may differ, depending upon seasonality. We saw sea lions and several different attractions along the coast of Catalina. We grabbed their business card and would definitely book this tour again.

May 28, 2026 | Catalina Island Avalon | Love Catalina Island Visitor Center hosted the 2026 Taste…read moreAround Catalina culinary event! What a lively food, dessert & drink filled event! Tickets | $2 & you receive a map of where the restaurants are located, which are in walking distance, just steps from one another! Where | Downtown Catalina! I had no idea that it would be such a huge event! There were people everywhere, having a good time, walking around, eating and drinking... Good vibes all around! Prepare | Be sure to stop by the bank and pick up $1 & $5 bills! It's easier to give the exact amount, as most of the items are between one and six dollars, and most places won't have change! There is a US Bank in Downtown Catalina! Tasty | The Taste Around Avalon event was well organized, gave generous portions, a variety of food at about 34 restaurants! You need to have a bite & signature/stamp at 10 restaurants to be eligible for the drawing! Culinary Extravaganza | I made it to 10 restaurants, even when it started to rain a bit towards the end! I enjoyed clam chowder via Bluewater Avalon, the mango tango refreshing drink from Pier 24 was absolutely delicious, and the taco was seasoned well! Tasty ravioli at Original Jack's Italian! The Seabass at Avalon Grille was a full on delicious WIN for me, easily 5 stars & made quite the impression; tender, flavorful and seasoned to perfection!! The chef was also right there on site cooking on the grill!! The bite of warm butter cake was full-on yum via El Galeon! The Dole Whip at Scoops was a standout & especially when he topped it with Tahin...yes!! it was even worth the temporary brain freeze! Haha! The $1 shrimp & pasta dish at Steve's Steakhouse...wow, both delicious and a great deal! At this point, it was full on raining, but that didn't stop me! After all, I had on my cowgirl hat to somewhat shield me from the rain! Though my battery was running low, thank goodness, I was equipped with my pink sparkly portable charger! The show must go on! I didn't come this far for nothing! Lol! The shrimp enchilada and mango salad at Maggie's was mouthwatering delicious and I would easily order again! Feeling like a champ, I finished off the evening with a memorable spicy guava margarita...yum! Fun Note | The next day, I walked over to US Bank and ended up returning several $1 bills for larger notes! Customer Service | Beth & Suzanna were the sweetest when I went to purchase my ticket at the Visitor Center! They were just as friendly as ever & gave me plenty of info about how to navigate the event! One of the many reasons why I love Catalina Island, the people are so kind! During the event | Top-of-the-line customer service everywhere I went at the event! The crowd was really friendly as well! I also saw plenty of familiar faces, as I've been to Catalina Island Avalon many times! There were so many cute dogs too! At the end of the event, you turn in your restaurant scorecard for a chance to win prizes! Fun!! Overall | Yes, Please! It's a super fun event, I discovered a few new restaurants and I would easily go again in a heartbeat! Great food, refreshing drinks, delicious desserts & and all-around good time!

I had printed out maps of two hikes on the island, but I wasn't sure which one to do. Moreover,…read morethere was very little detail on either map on where the trail started or where the turns were. When I presented my dilemma to the nice woman working there, she said one hike was significantly better than the other. Then, she pulled out a map of the area, and proceeded to mark the hike turn by turn, with a Magic Marker. OMG that was so helpful! She was even nice enough to mark the scenic spots. We did the hike without any problems. We always knew where we were, and where to go next.

Aaron and Jess were life savers! When we realized we had the wrong size tent at BlackJack, Aaron…read morenot only lent us a larger tent, but set it up with 2 cots, and a cooler of ice cold water that was waiting for us at Little Harbor. When we arrived, my wife had 9 blisters so there was no way we were going to make it to 2 harbors the next day. Aaron saved the day by giving us a ride the next morning! He made the whole experience a joy despite all of the other mishaps! They provide a great service!!

Jess and Aaron are incredible humans. If you are planning a trip to Catalina to stay anywhere…read moreoutside the civilization of Avalon you need to know about them and I'd recommend utilizing their services. They take packs and humans to each campground along TCT. We learned about them as we were dangerously hot near mile 9 of TCT and found they generously provided ice water. Our crew of 7 were so grateful. The next day after a long hike into little harbor we decided we would like to get our packs taken for us so that we could continue to hike the TCT but without the toll of a 25lb pack on our backs. Jess was so kind and helpful. Immediately booking the transaction taking our bags from LH to Parsons. Sadly shortly after my daughter started throwing up and we decided we needed to cut our trip short. I asked Jess for help on recommendations how to get a ride out. She quickly made adjustments to her schedule and said "we can take you". Aaron was there early to ensure we had plenty of time to get on the boat while providing tour level information about the island during the drive. We can't say thank you enough! These people are gold and backpacking Catalina, while beautiful, is no joke. I wish I knew about their service before starting TCT. I highly recommend connecting with them to help you with your trip.

Fez and the captain wee amazing! Thank you to them for all the great information and taking us to…read moresee the dolphins.

My kids love aquariums...and they love boats....so this seemed like a win-win, and it sooooo was!…read more We met the boat at the end of a small pier. The boat had an enclosed bench-seating area with all seats facing the center of the boat, which was made of glass and several feet below where we all sat. I was amazed by how clear the water was-even right next to shore. As we moved, our guide shared some local history and information about the marine life below us. We paused at several fish sanctuary locations, and the guide threw fish food into the water to attract more fish than we could count. The tour, which lasted an hour, was a delight for the whole family. All of the kids and kids at heart were thrilled by the many types of fish we saw. We were even fortunate enough to see a diving cormorant! The waves were not too bad on the day I went...even though my stomach usually gets queasy on smaller boats, this one didn't bother me. Maybe I was too entranced by the fish to notice. If I ever visit Catalina again and have time to do it, I'll be more than happy to go on this tour again. It was just long enough, and you never know what you'll see down there! Note--there is a public restroom at the beginning of the pier, but much of it was out of order, leading to some pretty long lines. Make sure you go before you get on the boat-no restrooms on board.