Catalina Express, San Pedro → Avalon~1 hr. One-way only — the return sails from Two Harbors.
Permit
Free hiking permit, 4 copiesMandatory for everyone, separate from the campsite booking. Fill it out at catalinaconservancy.org and print at home, or collect it at the Trailhead Center, 708 Crescent Ave, on the walk up from the ferry.
Stay
Hotel Atwater, AvalonOne night. Last real bed until Monday.
Resupply
Vons in AvalonFresh items and anything forgotten. Freeze-dried comes from home.
Map
Paper trail map, Conservancy shopCell service drops out across the interior. The printed map also marks water, toilets and food along the route.
Dinner
Avalon waterfront, your pick
Hotel bookedFerry + parking to bookHiking permit
+2,680 / −1,180 ft Sea level to 1,640 ft in three miles, then a saw-toothed ridge. The hardest day.
Route
Hermit Gulch Trail → Divide Road → Haypress → Black Jack
Breakfast
Café in AvalonEat before the ferry crowd wakes up.
Lunch
Trail snacks8 oz per person — the only full snack lunch you carry.
Dinner
Freeze-dried at campOne pouch per person. Water available at Black Jack.
BJ07 · pines, table, fire ring, food locker
Camp
Black Jack — site BJ07Tent site, 8 person max. About 1,600 ft: highest camp, coldest night. Wind layer and a 40°F bag.
Campsite booked
+410 / −1,880 ft Almost all descent after the airport. By far the easiest day.
Route
Black Jack → Airport in the Sky → Sheep Chute → Little Harbor
Breakfast
Freeze-dried at Black Jack
Lunch
DC-3 Grille, Airport in the SkyCall 310-510-0143 to confirm November hours before counting on it.
Dinner
Freeze-dried at camp
LH02 · shade ramada, grass, two tables
Camp
Little Harbor — site LH02Tent site, 20 person max. Best camp on the island. Water and flush toilets.
Campsite booked
+3,160 / −3,130 ft Two full sea-level-to-ridge climbs, the second topping 1,780 ft — the high point of the trail.
Route
Little Harbor → Whale's Tail → Two Harbors → West End Road → Parsons
Breakfast
Freeze-dried at Little Harbor
Lunch
West End Galley, Two HarborsRoughly halfway. Refill every bottle here.
Dinner
Freeze-dried at Parsons Landing
Water
Locker at Parsons — 4 gallons + firewoodNo tap. Pick up the combination at the Two Harbors visitor center on your way through.
PL04 · table and fire ring on the sand
Camp
Parsons Landing — site PL04Tent site, 8 person max. Most remote camp, right on the beach. Breezy after dark.
Campsite + locker booked
+370 / −400 ft Flat coastal road, never above 210 ft. The easy finish it looks like.
Breakfast
Freeze-dried at ParsonsLast pouch. Pack everything out.
Lunch
Harbor Reef Restaurant, Two HarborsBuffalo Milk at the Saloon. You earned it.
Ferry
Two Harbors → San PedroFar fewer sailings than Avalon — check the departure before setting the alarm.
Drive
San Pedro → CarlsbadMonday afternoon; expect traffic through Orange County.
Return ferry to book
Packs
Gear list
Weights and the full per-person breakdown live on
lighterpack.com/r/ma6xay.
Shared items — stove, camera, battery bank, flask — are tracked separately from personal kit.
Still open: Catalina Express tickets both legs, and the San Pedro lot. Confirm DC-3 Grille hours at 310-510-0143. Note that from Oct 22 to Mar 31 the ferry does not serve Two Harbors on Tuesdays or Thursdays — Monday Nov 9 is fine, but there is no next-day fallback.
Distances come from the HikingGuy GPX; elevation is traced from the published profile for that same track, so gain and loss run slightly under — fine wiggle is lost in tracing.