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Hermit Gulch Campground
15 reviews for Hermit Gulch Campground
15 reviews in English
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Review from Nomadic N.
Monrovia, CA
7/29/2011
Great campground and price. Here is some advice:
1.) Don't hesitate to stay here if u just want a place to relax outside. Flush toilets, running water, microwave available, gear for rental. Choose ur site on arrival (lots of shade sites).
2.) Put your food away at night. Friend woke up to a baby fox sniffing her hand by the food. So funny, but harmless. Deer were rustling thru our food too.
3.) Hitchhike(we met several nice locals) or use the trolley to get between campground and beach ($2 a person per ride). BUT they don't "allow bags" on it, so not on ur way up or down. Discriminate against campers and backpackers :-(
4.) Check if the water is clean enough to swim in. Check the LA county health departments "beach report card". Avalon's beaches sometimes have "no swimming" or "swim at ur own risk" signs. Too many Chemicals or sewage bacteria. Gross. I got quite the intestinal upset thanks to not knowing.
5.) Overall this campground is excellent, and very woody. But the city and beaches of avalon are not too impressive for avid nature lovers. Id almost rather just come to the grounds and hang out. -
Review from Marty C.
Glendale, CA
8/27/2011
As an active Sierra Club member, I've stayed at quite a few campgrounds. What impressed me most about this one is IT REALLY HAD HOT SHOWERS! Wow! It was 4 quarters for four minutes - enough to get your hair and body clean.
I stayed here for 3 days. The toilets, which flush, always had toilet paper and were clean. While I was here, the camp patrons were amazingly well behaved, it got very quiet right at 10pm, and stayed that way until morning every night.
The guy that takes care of the grounds did his job, maintaining the place to a good standard. He was helpful with information, although I wouldn't go as far as to call him friendly.
During my stay, the camp was remarkably bug free! Really a huge plus! Even at night, with the restroom doors open and lit, there were hardly any bugs. I think I squished one bug in my tent in 3 days, an all time low.
They have lockers, vending machines, a microwave, and some camp supplies available on site (like charcoal, propane lanterns, etc) Oh, and free styrofoam ice chest rental.
Ya, there were critters like ravens and deer here that will steal your food, but it's a campsite, so to me that's just part of the experience.
A few bad things. The shower floor was always totally wet, making it hard to take off your pants without them getting wet. I don't mean just the shower floor being wet, I mean the whole shower room was always covered with a 1/16" or an 1/8" of water.
The ground was hard as a rock, making driving stakes for your tent very difficult.
Could use some more shade.
Campsites were fairly close together.
Cell phone reception there is iffy.
Ya, the road to the Wrigley Memorial Gardens runs right by the campgrounds, but no big deal to me. We aren't taking 18 wheelers all night on the interstate, we are talking a few golf carts here.
I would come back. -
Review from Karen C.
7/11/2011
This is a great place for camping with large groups. We got a cabin-tent with wooden floors and it was much larger than I expected. The cots were roomy and even with six of them in the cabin there was room to stretch with everyone's gear, didn't feel claustrophobic at all.
Do bring a broom or bug spray since there are tons of spiders crawling in the corners, I'm not afraid of spiders but having a large web with what looks like egg sacs hanging over your head at night isn't soothing. Since it was summer the tent does heat up during the day, so upzip all the windows and roll up the "doors" so there is air circulation but before you go to bed check the walls around you for the creepy crawlies.
Camping here felt a lot like backyard camping you had all the luxuries. There were electrical outlets placed all around and you can charge your cellphone and other electronics. Great reception here too! Hot showers that were run by quarters, be wary there's no setting for temperature so steamy hot showers it was! There are only two showers so you have to time it right, in the morning there is a rush and also as the sun is setting too. Major thumbsdown to the woman with the ginormous family who hijacked one of the showers and just ran a marathon shower ushering one family member after another. D=
Great plus is how a lantern and stove is provided with fuel! =D Stock up on supplies from the Vons in Avalon combined with an ice chest and you are gold, you can take the trolley to haul it all back. Don't keep your food on the floor, hide it or hang it out since there are squirrels/chipmunks everywhere! (I don't know because they run so fast) No joke a bag of English muffins disappeared and bagels got gnawed into. With other wildlife I saw deer and quail, late at night there are these small fox like animals.
Make sure you take your valuables with you and lockup anything else. It seemed pretty safe during our stay but a friend had his bike stolen right in front of the cabin! The staff was helpful in filling out a police report, but that bike is gone forever. =(
There is a short but moderate hiking trail about 4 miles long that ends up in the Wrigley Botanical Gardens save $5! =) -
Review from Maynard C.
Grants Pass, OR
8/11/2011
After reading several reviews here of Hermit Gulch, and seeing the 4+ star average, I was really surprised when I actually got there and saw what a pit of a campground it really is. The only reason I didn't give it one star was because it did have showers, flush toilets, and a microwave for guests to use. But the things I generally look for in a good campground were almost totally absent - at least a little space between sites, trees or shrubs between sites to provide a little privacy, and LEVEL ground to pitch your tent.
Firstly, when we reserved our site online we were able to choose the specific site we wanted. But upon arrival, we were told "that's just to hold a place for you - you have to go see what's not taken and grab one of those." If that's the case, the website should say that and not allow selection of specific sites. In the end it really didn't matter much, since the website offers no map of the campground so you don't really know if the site you're picking is any good anyway, unless you've read something somewhere else or have stayed there before. We had read a review that said site 14 was decent, so picked that one, for what good it did. We ended up in site #2.
Besides that, the check-in office was closed when we arrived midday, even though the hours posted in the window indicated it should have been open. A sign on the door said to go to the house nearby for assistance. I did, and after knocking at the door was met by a young, shirtless guy with a mouth full of food who did not look too happy about me interrupting his lunch, if that's what it was (it was 2:30 pm). But he checked me in and told me to go pick whatever site was available.
After we wandered around the entire campground, finding nothing but sites all crammed on top of each other, we finally picked one and got set up. There was no place to put the tent that didn't have some slope to it, but we managed. It turned out that nobody took the site next to us during our two-night stay, which was a plus, but that was just dumb luck.
Besides the tight space and lack of privacy, the road to Avalon runs right by this campground so you hear those gas-powered golf carts and other vehicles all day long and half the night. If you're not a heavy sleeper, ear plugs are highly recommended. Lucky for us, all the other guests there that weekend were quiet at night. If there had been any partiers, it would have been unbearable due to the close proximity of all the sites.
As far as the bathrooms, the lighting was horrible. At night it isn't too bad as there are indirect lights that light up multiple stalls. But during the day time you have to wait for your eyes to adjust when you walk in and close the door, and even then it isn't light enough to see what you're doing in the "mirror" (really a shiny piece of metal), like shaving or putting on makeup. And most of the toilets were out of toilet paper for most of the time we were there. Nobody seemed to be checking on them at all.
Maybe part of the problem is that I live in Oregon, where there are a multitude of good, inexpensive campgrounds, where the showers are usually free and bathrooms are clean and stocked with soap and paper towels. California's campgrounds are generally inferior, and more expensive.
Just to clarify, I am not one of those people who needs a "home away from home" when I go camping. I've stayed in lots of primitive campsites, BLM and Dept of Agriculture, as well as lots of boondocking in National Forests with zero services. But in those cases it's either free or quite inexpensive. When you pay $84 for two people for two nights, which is what Hermit Gulch cost us, you tend to want something in return for the exorbitant prices. But what we got for that ridiculous price was really pitiful. Unfortunately, the only other option for overnighting near Avalon is a very expensive hotel, so we held our noses and camped at Hermit Gulch anyway.
Not recommended, but it's really your only choice other than a very expensive hotel room, if you want to be near Avalon. -
Review from Kaard B.
Laguna Beach, CA
6/16/2011
Hermit Gulch was a great alternative to the hotels on the island and actually was more pleasant then I expected. The sites were a little close for my liking but I was lucky enough to enjoy peaceful neighbors. The proximity to the Hermit Gulch trail that leads up to the Trans Catalina Trail was a great plus.
Check out a more in depth review with photos on my blog here:
http://campca.blogspot... -
Review from Rebecca F.
Los Angeles, CA
5/14/2011
My friends and I stayed at Hermit Gulch for the weekend to save some money on hotels.
Overall, it was a good experience, and the campsite was pretty nice as far as campsites go.
We stayed in a tent cabin, which holds 6 people and includes a lantern, cots, and a stove. The tent cabins have a wood floor and frame, and the brown tent cabins are larger for bigger groups of people. I don't know about the reviews about no spiders or anything in the tent cabins though-- they were fairly clean but there were some pretty massive spiders in the ones we checked out. Bring some spider killer and you should be fine, though.
The showers are operated with quarters, and the bathrooms were pretty clean. The rangers were also very nice and accommodating. Make sure you check into the campground before 5 though, and don't forget about checkout time.
Apparently there is a red shuttle that comes up to the campsite like once an hour? We never actually saw it, and either walked or took a camp. It is quite a walk so wear walking shoes. The cabs are RIDICULOUSLY overpriced-- a flat rate of $15 for what should be a $3 ride, and no sharing! You can't even rent bikes or a golf cart overnight to take to the campsite, so it would be worth it to bring your own bike on the boat.
There are vending machines and lockers at the campsite, although the ranger said they havent had any problem with stuff getting stolen so we didn't bother using the lockers.
I would recommend making a reservation for Hermit Gulch. If you do it ahead of time, you can do it online. If you do it same day, you have to call on the phone, which will take you appx 1 HOUR. There seems to be one operator for all of Catalina, and we had to wait forever on the phone anytime we tried calling. -
Review from Simona D.
Los Angeles, CA
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good, clean toilets, decent showers, always plenty of hot water.
Coke machine ate my quarters (gasp!) - I was warned of its moodiness by the handwritten sign ahead of time, but did it anyway....
There is a single plugin to refresh your cell phone charge, on the side of the ranger's hut. We, being the clever travellers we are, brought a splitter, making it possible to share charging time with another 2 campers, as you sit on the bench and make new friends, while your cell phone gets some juice. Pretty pathetic, I know.... -
Review from Jeffrey C.
Thousand Oaks, CA
4/30/2011
Camping dates: 3/27/2008 - 3/29/2008
What's different about this camping spot compared to others that I've been to is that you can't just drive your car there, duh~! since it's on an island! However, that's what made this trip so exceptional.
We basically had to carry all of our camping gear [sleeping bag, mats, backpack, ice chest (I brought a mini one), etc.] with us onto the boat so it was really important to pack light. I ended up borrowing my friend's backpacking bag which was extremely usefully. We also brought our bikes onto the boat (for an extra fee, $5 or $10?) but it was well worth it because we had planned to bike around Catalina and it's much cheaper than getting rentals. Furthermore, the campsite was a few miles away from Avalon, and the bike just made it easier to get into town to buy groceries and explore. Otherwise you'd either hike down (which might take 15-20 min going downhill).
Our campsite was like any other campsite; grill, picnic table, flush toilets and even a microwave which we ended up using to head up some nacho cheese! From what I can recall, we had decent shade as well. The campground was empty during that time of the year which was nice because we didn't have to worry about noise levels.
Overall, it was definitely a camping trip I won't forget! -
Review from Loren B.
Orange, CA
7/1/2010
We camped here in a tent cabin with our 2 kids for 3 nights - Monday thru Wednesday night. The cabin was clean and the cots were huge and comfortable. Park Rangers were friendly, informative and always willing to help - they get an A+++. The bathrooms were always clean as well as the showers; which are coin operated hot showers. Take sandals and quarters! You will see quail, squirrels, mule deer and if you're lucky you will see a fox like we did. A big bonus is there are zero scary critters here. No lions, tigers or bears!
Now about the hike from town up to Hermit Gulch. When you exit the boat take a left and look for the storage/luggage delivery area. Pay the money for them to deliver your bags directly to the ranger station, it's worth every penny. Plus, the bags can arrive ahead of your check in, so it gives you time to explore if you arrive on an early boat. Then when you're ready try the hike up to the campground. It's uphill and if it's too much for you then at least you are hiking without your bags the first time. We ended up walking down every morning and then taking a cab back up to the campsite; it was $12 each night. Again worth spending the money for us.
Other random helpful hints:
*There are no wood burning fires - use charcoal in the BBQ pits
*Vons Express has the main ice machine (yummy rotisserie chicken) and everything you need for the kitchen camp and then some
*No electricity at camp - plan for it
*again...bring quarters for hot showers (the ones closer to the ranger station are steamy hot!)
*Tuesdays/Thursdays are cruise ship days - busier in town so it's a good time to have breakfast or lunch at camp
Like other people have said, this is Catalina camping or if you are just on a budget its great too. My kids loved camping here and it was a great adventure for all of us. Highly recommended by both parents and kids and we will return. -
Review from Jonatan C.
Harbor City, CA
8/6/2010
Definitely one of the best Campsites I've ever been to.
You can either bring your own tent or if you like you can try to book one to the Tent Cabins, which I highly recommend.
It's a bit pricey, being that you not only pay for the Tent Cabin, but also pay per person. But it turns out to be well worth it cause you also get a propane stove, a lantern, and all the propane you need. So the additional cost offsets the need of bringing much more than your sleeping bag.
It's FAR! We brought our bikes which helps tons, and there is a shuttle that comes and goes every so often but you have to pay $2/ride/person. So I recommend bringing bikes with you to this site.
The bathrooms are very clean and best of all there are hot water showers on site as well, just bring quarters for the showers, but again very very cool that there are showers on site.
Lockers on site as well but the campground seems very safe so no worries on that.
Just wish there was a few outlets around the restrooms to charge cell phones with.
Highly recommended way of camping if you are adamant about doing it on Catalina. -
Review from Bryan R.
Long Beach, CA
10/3/2009 6 photos
I was a little apprehensive about staying at Hermit Gulch (or anywhere in Avalon). I just wanted to camp, snorkel, and swim. No interest in the tourist trap that is Avalon. But man, did this trip change my mind! Avalon (and especially Hermit Gulch Campground) was great!
We were there Tuesday-Thursday the last week of September and we had the entire place to ourselves. Never saw a single other person at the campground the entire time we were there. Saw plenty of deer, elk, quail, hawks, and other creatures though! The deer would come right up to your tent to investigate.
Hermit Gulch looks FAR from Avalon on the map, but really it wasn't a bad walk at all. We walked multiple times a day to/from Avalon with heavy backpacks on our backs. My girlfriend HATES walking and she never complained once! You could make it to town in maybe 10-20 minutes? It's easy to lose track of time because the walk down is seriously beautiful, tons of animals and cool stuff to look at.
The campsite is privately owned so it was SUPER clean. The bathroom was maybe cleaner than my bathroom at home. Very well maintained grounds, everything here looked brand new.
Off season is $12/person per night for the campsite. We rented sleeping pads for $3 a night as well. They also rent out wood floored 6 person tent cabins, complete with cots that look like they've never been used, for $45/night. If I got a group together I'd definitely consider renting one of those out. -
Review from John P.
Santa Monica, CA
5/24/2010
Just spent the weekend at Hermit Gulch and I was a little unsure how much I would enjoy camping, but it was awesome. This was my first time camping in maybe 10 years. Basically Hermit Gulch is the perfect spot for people who aren't expert campers but want to give it a try. You show up, meet at the check-in place and the ranger will give you your tent, sleeping bags/mats, fire logs and a lantern if you need. Everything was clean and in good condition. There are a few showers and bathrooms, all pretty clean. Showers have heated water and are coin operated, one quarter per minute, so bring some quarters!
Hermit Gulch is walking distance from where you land on the boat, but if it's your first time I would recommend just grabbing a cab so you can see how to get there and save yourself carrying your gear up hill (it's up hill the whole way, down hill towards Avalon). Cab costs $11.40 flat rate.
Make sure to arrive before 5-ish, because once the ranger leaves for the night, if you need anything you're out of luck. Buy that fire log for your nightly campfire before you leave for town early in the day. Of course, don't forget to bring the marshmellows as well. -
Review from Brenda M.
Long Beach, CA
5/25/2010
Perfect place to stay if you are attempting to do Catalina on a budget and don't mind the limitations of camping in general. $14 a person per night to tent camp. I happen to love camping in most forms, but I realize that coin-operated showers, random creepy-crawlies in the tent, and cooking over charcoal are not for everyone, and so saving extra money may not be worth it. But for me, it was a great experience overall, very relaxing, and a nice way to be able to spend money on other things like eating out or sightseeing. The great thing about this campground are the conveniences: rangers on duty from like 8:30amish to 5:00pmish, who are friendly and helpful; rentals are available in case you forgot equipment or didn't feel like lugging it to the island, such as lanterns, propane, stoves, sleeping bags, tents, and sleeps pads, plus ice and charcoal available to purchase; the showers (one set of bathrooms I was told have hot showers, the other doesn't) are coin-operated--4 minutes for $1, and 25 cents for each minute after. Recommend extra flip-flops to wear while showering. Bathrooms fully stocked with soap and TP. Outdoor sinks are available for washing dishes, your face, or whatever you desire. Trash cans divided into recyclables, etc. Microwave oven near the ranger station. Lighted pathways at night. Vending machines--a bit pricey, but at least they've got you covered if you have a snack attack or desperately need something to drink. Very close to the Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.
The sites are not super-spread out---it's not a huge campground, but my husband and I were still able to find a cute little site closer to the edge of the campground, but not too far way from the bathrooms, and up higher with a big pine tree for shade (#14). It was busy and noisy the Friday and Saturday nights we were there, but only a couple other campers on Sunday night. Each site has a BBQ, but no wood fires are allowed. There are big tent cabins available for rent also for groups.
Hermit Gulch hiking trail was awesome and starts right at the back end of the camp---here in late May and lots of native flowers out, wonderful smelling white sage bushes, wild cucumber plants, tons of birds and lizards out and about---great views once you get to the top--ask the ranger about the different hiking options--there are trails that will take you into town and others that will allow you to see both sides of the island at once with a view of the other Channel islands. Plus a shuttle can be arranged to take you into the interior for a longer hike.
We had a fox visit us a few times at night, not at all afraid of us, and while I was microwaving some hot cocoa, a couple deer meandered down one of the paths, and I was literally face-to-face and about 15 feet away from them--we played the staring game for a bit before my cocoa was done and I decided to make the first move and walked away. You will see lots of quail, and the various birds and ravens will be your alarm clock in the morning.
You can get there by walking about 20 minutes from Avalon, on a main road, Avalon Canyon, with partly designated pedestrain walkway. Or take the same shuttle that brings you up to the Botanical Gardens for $2 each ride, or take a cab. -
Review from Karen A.
Vallejo, CA
6/10/2010
I agree with the other reviewers: camping is a great idea for those who want to experience Catalina Island (and Avalon) on a budget. The campground and facilities are pretty nice. I camp often, and was impressed with how clean and quiet the campgrounds are. There are vending machines for soda and snacks as well as a microwave (not exactly "roughing it" haha). The coin-operated showers with hot water were a plus, and I definitely liked that although the campgrounds were within walking distance of all the action in Avalon, we could also take the shuttle ($2/person) or take a cab ($12/ride). Non-campers (and people like me with bad backs) may still prefer staying at a hotel, but for me it was a pretty good and relaxing experience (yes, even the visits from deer and other wildlife).
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Review from Connie H.
Marina, CA
11/1/2010
Nice Location, cozy, green, not to far from town!
