How to hike the Trans Catalina Trail (TCT) in two long weekends

For the beautiful island backpacking trip, the Trans Catalina Trail, I recommend hiking it as I did, in two long weekends. Helpful hints; you do not need to pack food for the time you are in Avalon or Two Harbors as they both have restaurants and grocery stores. This trip is not for the low budget backpacker as the ferry is $75 round trip, permits are $25 per night, per person, and firewood and water in a locker is $20 for each stop, plus I recommend enjoying the food that the island has to offer rather than backpacking food. If you want a big campfire, reserve 3 bundles of wood. Also, I always bring a tiny 1 lb. backpacking chair for when there is a campfire. I also recommend taking the ferry to the island, the day before your hike, and leaving the day after your hike so you can hike in the morning on the first day, and not rush to catch a ferry on your last day. The trail is completely uncovered so if it is not foggy, you will be in direct sun the whole time. Bring your sun protection shirt. My itinerary does not follow the official TCT but is what I believe to be the best route. Here is my itinerary:
Trip 1
Day 1: Ferry San Pedro to Two Harbors and camp there. Two Harbors campground is a .5 mile walk from the ferry, it is beautiful and most campsites have ocean views. There are lockers here if you want to bring a bag with extra things for when you return.
Day 2 - 15 miles: At 8am get a breakfast burrito at the cafe. Hike along the ridge (very steep) to Parson's Landing (5 or 6 miles). Drop your stuff at camp and hike 10 miles round trip to Starlight Beach and back to camp. Pre order your firewood and water for you in the locker. This campsite is amazing, you will be sleeping on the sand.
Day 3 - 7 miles: Hike from Parson's Landing to Two Harbors along the service road along the coast, beautiful! In the summer, on weekends the restaurant has live music outdoors, very fun. Camp at Two Harbors again. Two Harbors has a shower building where you can pay for a warm shower.
Day 4: Ferry home, or stay for another beach day!

​Trip 2
Day 1: Ferry to Avalon. The Hermit Gulch campground is a 1.5 mile from the ferry, it is also underwhelming, crowded in a canyon with no ocean views. If you can splurge on a hotel, do!
Day 2 - 16 miles: From Avalon hike up the Hermit Gulch Trail (1 or 2 miles of steepness) to Blackjack Campground (10 miles thus far), to Little Harbor (6 more miles). When we hiked to Blackjack there were times we walked on the road rather than the trail because there was less up and down, an option if you are feeling tired. We didn't stay at Blackjack because when we got there, it was hot, full of yellow jackets and had no view, so we kept going to Little Harbor. We skipped the airport, hiking a more direct trail to Little Harbor. Little Harbor is gorgeous, quiet, relaxing, the cliffs on either side of the beach are spectacular.  Pre order your firewood for here too. There is a beach shower with no privacy but at least you can shower! If you have time, you can stay an extra day here enjoying the beach.
Day 3 - 7 miles: Little Harbor to Two Harbors, hike along the steep ridge for 6 or 7 miles, ocean views, hopefully you will have some fog to keep you cool. Camp at Two Harbors. If you buy firewood at the general store you will have to carry it .5 mile to your site.
Day 4: Ferry home, or stay for another beach day!
You can also do this section backwards, ending with a comfortable hotel in Avalon. If you have extra time, one of my favorite summer activities is snorkeling in front of the Casino in Avalon.

FYI, I have friends who have done the whole trail in 3 days, racing from the ferry to the campsites and back in time for the last ferry. This is possible if you have limited time and are looking to say you hiked the TCT! I would not recommend hiking it this way but rather taking your time and enjoying the island, one of my favorite places in California. For my full backpacking gear list, read this post!