Catalina Island
Catalina Island is a short boat trip from Los Angeles or Orange counties but very far off in ambiance and charm. You can very easily forget you are in California and let your imagination take you to a Mediterranean Island.
Visiting the island today, it is hard to believe that it is started as a home for Native American tribes and later as a beef ranch. The development of Catalina into its current status as a tourist destination happened in waves. The person with the biggest influence on the island’s development was the chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr. He purchased the majority of the island around 1919 and got to work improving it.
In 1975 Wrigley son Phillip handed his shares of the island to the Catalina Island Conservancy which now owns 88% of the island and is in charge of Catalina’s conservation, education and recreation.
For a more detailed history of the islands go to Wikipedia. s of Avalon Confectionery. Several tours and activities start from this tour plaza.
A few minutes before the tour we climbed on the huge hummer and were handed cold water bottles and blankets. The blankets may
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You can start by hiking to the gardens – a 20 to 40 minute hike from Avalon depending on your pace – and spend some time at the botanical gardens. You will need to buy a ticket for around $7 general admission. While there you can also walk up a flight of stairs to visit the Wrigley memorial. The trailhead to the hike starts from the gardens – but if you prefer to avoid paying for the entrance fee you can take the Hermit Gulch trail around it. The sky trailhead is hidden behind the stairs to the memorial. The hike to the top is 1.2 miles and takes you to a view point from which you can see the ocean from both sides of the island. At this point you can backtrack through the garden and to Avalon or you can continue on a 4 mile loop with more breath taking