Little Harbor Campground

neanderthal camp at little harbor for birth day last Mundane. Very fun! Stay in campside number 12. This campsite include fresh water, two pick nick table, area for to make fire, char cold grill, and near shower.
Out of all campsites, this one might be most close to beach. it practically on the sand. that very cool, because you watch sunset or sunrise over oshun from inside of tent if want. but downside is that there less privacy in this campsite, since nearby campsites who use fresh water or walk to beach will likely walk through your camp side.
felt like had beach to self. very beauty, and so much pretty. camp side also home to many foxes. when neanderthal hear this, instant though, «oh how cute» but these fox is not cute at all. look like little gremlins, and constantly try to eat my food. they lucky neanderthal in good mood, otherwise give them my food to fatten them up, and then make THEM my food! Ha ha i just kidding in case you reading this little devil fox, but stay away from neanderthal food or you pay.
at first, not see much wildlife. see one bison kind of far, but that it. but then, on hike back to two harbor, turn corner and see big bison on trail only 15 feet in front of us! at first, very alarm since neanderthal no bring spear for to hunt. so neanderthal and cave wife calmly walk back words a little bit, and then watch bison cross trail and go down mountain side. as neanderthal and cave wife get ready to continue, we see another bison cross in same spot right after! Wow! two bison in row, right in front of us! but then… it continue even more. family of 10+ bison all cross path in front of neanderthal and cave wife, and climb down mountainside to small pond. neanderthal and cave wife watch as bison play near water, rolling on ground and splashing around. very cute! and to think neanderthal even had notion of busting out spear for to kickass. bison now neanderthal friend, even invite to easter party but no workout due to logistic of being separated by specific oshun. oh well, maybe next year!
mortal of story is this. if neanderthal is father of catalina, enjoy so much to when I leave I say «bi son!» hehehe do you even get?!

This place is pretty awesome. Went with a group of friends this past weekend and we stayed in site 15A, which is on top of the bluff overlooking the cove, beach, and the rest of the campsites. It was coupled with three other sites up on the hill with one big shared fire pit along with individual fire pits. We had two basically private porta potties up there since everyone else in the campground used the ones below the hill. There was a beach shower down at the bottom of the hill, but then you have to walk back up the dusty hill to the campground and just get dirty again. Ahaha it’s fine. It’s freaking camping. It’s not a clean experience.
Our campground was super dusty because of the drought. Other campgrounds below had a little big of grass and big ass palm trees for shade, but we pretty much had to just rely on our shade structure and were pretty exposed to the elements. The wooden structures built over the tables are great and really do provide good shade. We only had one table and the site was supposed to hold 12 people, so the reviewer below who said each site gets 3 tables is incorrect. Actually everyone up on the hill with us only had 1 table. We also only had 1 spigot up there, which was fine because you’re getting fresh water pumped directly to you on a friggin island, but I did notice that the sites down by the water had much nicer facilities and hot & cold water spigots on a cement block instead of a mud pit like ours. Luckily it gets enough sun that it dries up every day. Oh there’s also like no flat land on 15A. All of us had tents on a hill and we had to work throughout the night to not slide down in them.
The cove is beautiful. We went on an unusual weekend where it was crazy crazy windy (our tent damn near ripped out of the ground and I had to tie it to trail posts to stabilize it) so the water was really choppy and those $ 19/​day snorkels we rented back at Two Harbors went to waste. Couldn’t see anything. A ton of kelp gets washed up on the beach and there were a lot of flies all over, which I was told is not normal. I guess normally the cove is pristine for snorkeling and swimming. Shark Harbor on the other side of this big rock was even choppier. Lots of surfing going on there.
There are amazing sunsets every night cause it faces west into the ocean. Definitely the highlight of the trip.
The rangers were great and we felt very bad for them cause they were all extremely overworked and taking on extra jobs because there was no one else to do them. When I say extra jobs I mean as simple as driving the bus/​van from Two Harbors to Little Harbor. There are no drivers this time of year so the rangers have to do that in addition to their normal jobs, and then people ask them to make extra runs to the store, which they do on their free time for no pay, so make sure to tip them!
Speaking of the bus from Two Harbors… it’s a van. Not a school bus like we imagined. It seats 12 and we trucked about 16 with us over to Little Harbor. All our gear had to go on a gear haul truck and we waited a few hours for it to show up before we could put up our tents. But it all worked out fine.
Basically I loved this campground cause (and Catalina in general) cause it made me feel like I was on LOST. Everything’s extremely outdated and feels like time hasn’t changed in years and years. I could totally see the Dharma Initiative living with us down at the campsites. :)

Incredibel privat harbor.
Has Showers, Campfire, Picnic benches, porta-​podies, safari bus stop, and firewood available for drop off.
The campground leaves nothing to be desired. It is perfect.

We hiked into Little Harbor from Two Harbors (a very strenuous hike with nice ocean views). The campground is very pretty and right near the water. Apparently the reservations are a little loose. We showed up and someone was in our campsite, which sucked because when you pre-​order firewood ($ 9 per bundle pre-​paid at the visitor center in Avalon or Two Harbors) they deliver it to your campsite. This makes an uncomfortable situation when you have to go get your wood from some other campers who think that they scored some free firewood. Also, the water is located at only some campsites, so if your campsite doesn’t have a spigot you have to go to someone else’s site to get water. Also keep in mind that sites 14a-​d are one group site with one fire pit and «showers» are just outdoor beach showers.
Pros:
Near beach, beautiful
Wild kittens everywhere
Grassy campsites
Campsites are nicely spaced apart
Ranger is really friendly
Cons:
Unbelievably foul port-​a-​potties (filled to the brim!)
Bad reservation system (when we reserved there was only one campsite available, but in reality the place was half empty. Other campers commented that they always have that problem)
Some sites have limited shade

Little Harbor is amazing, but you should know what you’re signing up for. It’s a somewhat remote campsite located on the west side of the Island. There are no amenities other than Andy Gumps, water spigots and a ranger with firewood and water. Your cell may not work there.
You get there by Safari Bus from either Avalon (approx. 90 min incl. 20 – 30 min layover at the Airport) or Two Harbors (about 30 min.) Depending on the time of year, the Safari Bus runs 1 – 4 times a day. Other than that, you’re hiking in or hiking out. If you’ve got gear, do your research on the distance and terrain (a lot of windy up and down) and be sure you have sunscreen and plenty of water.
It is a beautiful campground, especially in the Spring, when it is bright green and lush following spring rains. There are two coves… one is better for swimming, one for surfing.
There is a service that will deliver kayaks and select other gear to Little Harbor.
Otherwise, bring what you need, because there’s nothing to buy here except for water and firewood. The closest store is a half-​hour Safari Bus ride to Two Harbors.
The campsites right by the beach are great, but not very private and you’ll have people trooping through all day. I like some of the campsites immediately on the opposite side of the road as well if not better. No one walks through your campsite, and some have low wide palms that provide great shade for a tent. The campsites beyond those and up the hill get pretty big and can accommodate big groups, but many have little cover.
Occasionally the campground is full, but usually it’s not. This is a quieter, more serene experience than Two Harbors. If you want a safe but remote and uncrowded camping experience on some pretty unspoiled beach, Little Harbor’s your spot.
Book campsites online (free) or by phone (charge) through the Santa Catalina Island Company.

I almost don’t want to write a review, as I don’t want this «secret spot» to be discovered by the masses. Perhaps like with most activities camping requires too much energy for most people so this review won’t be noticed.
I am not much of an outdoorsy person, but once in awhile I do require a little unwind and unplug from the Southern California lifestyle.
This campground is just what I desire, but only for a few days, and I’m good.
I like that it does take some effort planning, traveling to, and «living» out on the backside of the island.
The views, campsites, and peacefulness of this location are worth the journey.
***Some might say it has just the basics, water, a bit of shade, and a place to relieve oneself, but it really has so much more.

The map location for Little Harbor Campground is mislabeled. Little Harbor is next to Shark Harbor, on the west side of Catalina Island
I went to check out Little Harbor campground for the first time last weekend. I hiked in on a Saturday morning (5.5 miles from Two Harbors) and was NOT expecting to find the whole camp overridden with island locals and their vehicles, blaring their car radios, not observing any campground etiquette, and completely oblivious to the fact that some people go camping to ESCAPE obnoxious noise and advertising…
My review of the campground, means of getting there, and park rangers is still good though. The hike from Two Harbors was really nice, not too difficult because the path is relatively smooth and well maintained, though at times it feels like its all uphill and with many stops it took myself and my husband almost 3 hours to hike it. A camp ranger drove in and delivered the firewood we pre-​ordered. The toilets are portapotties and lucky for us we saw them get cleaned the morning we checked in :) not sure how often they clean them out, but you should never expect ultra-​sanitary restroom facilities on a campground. You deal with it. Each campsite has its own water spigot, shading structure, at least three picnic tables, and the palm trees are huge and offer a surprising spread of shade and screening from the neighboring campsites. We took the Safari bus back to Two Harbors at the end of our trip and I think its a nice convenience that they offer that service.
I would return to this campsite but next time I would plan my trip during the week so I can really enjoy some peace and quiet.

Amazing location, but significantly marred by horrid management.
We stayed here for a week with three other families. The camping itself was great. We were just a few hundred yards from the gorgeous beach and enjoyed the relative solitude, and great weather. Snorkeling in the kelp beds was awesome. Surfing, while a very mellow 3 – 4 ft shorebreak, is quite nice especially for beginners. However, if you’re expecting a State Park Ranger level of competence with things like handling a reservation, getting information, or having a maintained campsite, you’ll be sadly disappointed.
–Wildly Inept Operations Management
I won’t bore you with all the details, but getting a straight answer out of the operations staff on a reservation, bus schedules or billing question is all but impossible. Imagine a cross between the DMV and Soviet-​era Russian bureaucracy. Don’t let the nice voiceover artist on the phone prompts fool you. This is a third rate operation. Want to get your stuff to the campground? Thought that’d be included in the $ 22/​person each way «jungle bus» fare? Nope, $ 150 each way for a gear haul fee. Even when we were speaking directly with the staff, it was totally unclear what the policy was. We were quoted anywhere from $ 115 for a group of 4 families for a gear haul, all the way to $ 150 per family, each way. Depended on who you asked. It really felt like the fees were being made up on the spot. And as you might guess, if you’re paying cash some of transportation fees become a lot more negotiable. Presumably there’s a bit of «informal income supplementation» going on. Whomever is in charge of contracting with the group operating the campground should do a little diligence to see what the Catalina Island Company and the public are getting out of the deal.
–Filthy Facilities
Don’t expect pristine wilderness in the campgrounds. The porta-​pots are quite foul. Theoretically, they’re cleaned once a week, but I’d rather use the bathroom at a gas station on route 5 than what you’d find here. Filled to the brim with waste. Joshua Tree, this ain’t.
There is a ton of trash blowing around. This is as much a testament to the etiquette of the campers as it is of the management, but the fact is, there’s a lot of crap you’ll find strewn about: beer cans, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, etc. It doesn’t help that the garbage cans are well overflowing before they’re emptied. Added bonus: Bison feces! While the Bison are pretty cool to see when they wander into your campground. It’s a bit of a pain, when one of the kids takes a spill into a fresh pile. Yuck!
–Helpful Live-​In Staff
The «live-​in» rangers are as helpful as they can be in the circumstances. They’ll gladly pick up ice for you in Little Harbor and drop it back off for a reasonable tip. Craving a six pack of beer one evening, but didn’t bring it in? No problem. As long as you don’t mind paying the usurious rates of like $ 14 a six that they charge in two harbors, you’re live-​in is happy to oblige. Just remember, they take days off, so don’t count on them being there. We were running out of ice, but figured we’d just wait one more day before we got some. Unfortunately, the next two days, the live-​in was off and the fill in staff was running around like crazy, so we couldn’t easily get ice when we thought we could.
Overall, this setting is awesome. You can surf and snorkel until you get your fill. However, the painful process of getting here and the miserable management make the beginning and end of the trip horrible. You might be happier elsewhere.