Little Harbor

The mad dash from Sheep Chute road to Little Harbor before sunset





We have a plan. Hike from Avalon to Little Harbor via Middle Ranch Road then back via Sheep Chute and Airport Road.

So much for best laid plans.

It’s about 10 miles from Avalon to the Airport in the Sky. They don’t tell you that it’s 1600 feet of elevation too.









It’s the first foggy morning in Newport in a while. There’s a heatwave that extends into the weekend that will be ideal for camping. You wouldn’t know from Avalon, Saturday morning, where we land thanks to the mighty Catalina Flyer.





The hike begins. Within 5 minutes we wind up a few streets and are above the clouds. We look down toward Avalon and across toward Long Beach - nothing but a blanket of fog.





We cut from Airport Road to the Trans Catalina Trail but continue on the road after only a mile on the trail.

Want to take the Trans Catalina Trail? It’s super aggressive with ups and downs the entire way. Airport Road is much smoother and a little more scenic.

At Airport and Middle Ranch Road a Catalina Island Conservancy drivers tells us Middle Ranch will too long. “Shoot down Sheep Chute. It’s way easier.”



We take her advice, thankfully.

Lunch at the Airport & Middle Ranch Road

White’s Landing, below

Buffalo are all over the island. We spot a herd near the airport. The biggest, a bull, definitely runs things. He dances around, rolls in the dirt and enjoys himself.

A sole bison just below the airport runway





The next shot is one of my favorites. A glorious sunset just above Little Harbor, our destination. We pick up the pace a little so we don’t have to set up camp in the dark. Of course, you don’t want to snap photos because it creates a little delay. I’m also trying to decide how and when to snag my headlamp and a thermal out of my bag. The temperature drops as we descend toward the coast.









More sunsets from Saturday



Shark Harbor, next to Little Harbor

Sunrise, Little Harbor and my tent

Low hanging fog toward the back of the campground

Little Harbor

North side of the Little Harbor Campground

Shark Harbor

Lancing kit. Blisters on this trek were by far the worst

A cruise ship parked outside of a tourist-packed Avalon









Snapped the last photo at the top of Sheep Chute. It’s a steep road, at points. This is an hour after sunrise and a fond farewell to a beautiful campground.

My knee gave during the descent of Sheep Chute on Saturday. By Monday, I could make it to the airport but a 10 mile descent meant my knee could be absolutely wrecked, beyond repair, after. So I paid $16 bucks and took a van down. Way worth it.

