CATALINA'S WEST END BIKING, CAMPING, KEEPING IT SIMPLE AT TWO HARBORS.

Byline: STORY AND PHOTOS BY ERIC NOLAND

Travel Editor

TWO HARBORS, Calif. - The car culture can wear you down in Southern California. Clogged freeways. Out-of-sync traffic lights. Tangled parking lots. Drivers on the phone weaving in their lanes.

If your road-weariness is nearing a saturation point, take heart: A remedy can be found across 20-plus miles of San Pedro Channel on Catalina Island.

Not so much in the busy tourist town of Avalon, where locals tear around the narrow streets in gasoline-powered golf carts that throw off more noise than a trucker riding the Jake Brake. Rather, for a more thorough disconnect from L.A. and all its transit tribulations, head for Two Harbors.

It's in the northwest corner of the island, where the land pinches together at an isthmus that is less than a half-mile across (the coves on each side give Two Harbors its name). There is just a blip of a town, with a rugged, untamed landscape stretching out on each side.

On a stay of a couple of nights here, a visitor can arrive by boat, walk to and from an oceanfront campground, and, if so inclined, hop on a rented mountain bike for a 16-mile trek on a dirt road where vehicles are an infrequent presence.

That said, a visitor to Two Harbors doesn't necessarily have to endure an unending series of camper deprivations -- you know, dirt in the frying pan, flies on the marshmallows and the eye-watering fug of pit toilets. The campground is just a quarter-mile walk from the town that clusters at the foot of the pier. So vestiges of civilization continually beckon: a general store, a sit-down restaurant, a patio bar, hot showers, toilets that flush.

On a trip here last summer, we spent a restorative first night in the campground but were keen for exploration the next day.

Many Catalina visitors have ridden the tour vans out of Avalon along the mountain-spine road that leads to the Airport-in-the-Sky, but Two Harbors has something infinitely more interesting: the West End Road, which clings to the coastal bluffs for nearly eight miles on a run out to Parson's Landing.

The Santa Catalina Island Conservancy administers this land, and charges hefty fees for the privilege of pedaling a mountain bike over it (a two-day permit is $40). But if you rent a bike at Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center at the pier, a $48 all-day rental charge includes the permit (as well as helmet and map).

We wheeled up to the road at midmorning and were soon passing walkers who looked upon our transport with a distinct note of envy.

The unpaved road is a delight for the casual bicyclist, because it was cut along a fairly flat grade, with no steep inclines to sap your energy and spirit. And what a marvelously scenic route it is.

The West End Road bends in and out of numerous coves along this northern shore of Catalina. Franko's Map of the island (available in the general store) identifies all of them: Cherry Cove, Jake's Beach, Eagle Reef, Little Geiger, Howland Landing and, eventually, the astonishing turquoise waters of Emerald Bay.

We peered down into a number of private camps and clubs, where Scouts and other summer campers get to settle into tent cabins and forget about school for a few days. At one there was an archery range, horseshoes pit, soccer field, basketball court and Ping-Pong tables, as well as stacks of kayaks and a calm cove for swimming. It made you want to be a kid again.

The road itself passes through a scrubby landscape punctuated with cactus -- what all of Southern California would look like if not for sprinkler irrigation.

Eventually, a trail forks off the road, heading to Parson's Landing. The riding was a little rougher here, through narrow, steep gullies -- where at times we had to walk the bikes over boulders -- and into thickets of invasive fennel, the yellow blossoms swarming with bees.

The beach at Parson's makes it all worth it, though, with azure waters washing onto a gray-pebble beach that was nearly deserted. Picnic tables at the back of the beach make this a suitable lunch spot for bikers and hikers, although there is no shade.

As the afternoon sun became intense on the ride back, we were grateful for the occasional breath of salt-scented breeze that reached us from the ocean below. And upon returning, after making a quick trip out to the south edge of the isthmus, we concluded these five hours in the bike saddle by indulging in a cold draft beer on the beachfront patio of the Harbor Reef Saloon.

It became clear during our stay that such creature comforts tempt many a camper at this end of the island. All day long, you see folks on the trail that traverses the hill between Two Harbors Campground and town. They get another bag of ice, an ice-cream cone, more firewood, more beer. One morning, I encountered a guy who had walked into town just for a cup of coffee, because he and his buddies had cooked on charcoal the night before but hadn't thought to bring a stove.

Camping here requires significant advance planning. Ferry boats from the mainland are not permitted to carry propane canisters (even new ones), white gas or charcoal in the hold, because of the danger of explosion or fire. So everyone must buy these provisions once on the island, either from the general store or from the campground rangers.

We found the rangers to be accommodating to a fault. Using a stake-bed truck, they haul your gear from the boat dock to various drop-off points in the campground, so you don't have to schlep it over that hill. We also put in an order for firewood at the dock, and it was delivered to our site.

Previous campers had also left behind camp-stove fuel (they can't take it home on the boat), and a partially used container was brought to us at no charge.

The campground itself is ideally situated, occupying a hill that slopes steeply away from Little Fisherman's Cove, such that just about everyone has an ocean view. Each site is outfitted with a ramada for shade (you'll likely be grateful for that on a summer day), a stand-up barbecue unit and a fire ring. If you're looking for even softer accommodations, there are some tent cabins for rent, though they are well up the hill, far from the beach.

Camping here can be expensive -- which seems to be the rule for just about every undertaking on Catalina. Whereas most governing agencies -- National Park Service, California State Parks, etc. -- charge by the campsite, the Santa Catalina Island Co. charges by the person. So a family of four will spend $36 per night for a basic campsite. (By contrast, that same family would pay less than half that, $17, for a night on the shores of a lake in Yellowstone National Park.)

It didn't take long to get attuned to the special attributes of this beachside campground. After the dusty tasks of pitching our tents and setting up our gear, we walked a trail to the cove and plunged into the clear, cool waters.

At dusk, brown pelicans skimmed along the surface of the cove. Campfires began to flicker to life on the hillside.

As night progressed, it was startling how dark the skies could be just 23 miles from the mainland. There was a brilliant display of stars, including a glittery swath of the Milky Way. Out in the harbor, hardware clanged against the masts of moored sailboats, sounding like wind chimes -- and having just as soothing an effect.

Far across the channel was a thick band of light along the Palos Verdes Peninsula. A lot of it was undoubtedly thrown off by vehicle headlights.

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GETTING THERE: Catalina Express offers a daily boat from San Pedro to Two Harbors at 12:30 p.m., with more options on the weekends. Daily return service is offered at 2 p.m. (2:15 p.m. on Sundays), with more options on the weekends. An adult round-trip ticket costs $59. There is also service between Avalon and Two Harbors. www.catalinaexpress.com; [phone]. The Catalina-Marina del Rey Flyer runs to Two Harbors from Marina del Rey on a varying schedule, with at least one trip daily except Tuesday. Adult fare is $69. It, too, offers service between Avalon and Two Harbors. catalinaferries.com; [phone].

RESTRICTIONS: Campers will have to be judicious in their planning, because they are not allowed to check propane canisters (even new ones), white-gas-burning camp stoves, charcoal, firewood, fire starters or matches into the hold of the ferry boats. Also, passengers are limited to two items of checked baggage -- a duffel bag and an ice chest, for example -- and one small carry-on. (That's the rule, anyway. There were some people on our boat who appeared to be outfitted for a journey on the Oregon Trail, but no one on the boat crew turned anything away.) Remember that the prohibited items may be purchased at the Two Harbors General Store, and the campground rangers will rent you stoves and lanterns, sell you charcoal and firewood, and sometimes provide fuel left behind by other campers. "We encourage people to take fewer things," said Catalina Express' Jamay Beebe. "You can rent everything over there. Don't take the store."

CAMPING: For information about camping and reservations, visit the Santa Catalina Island Co.'s Web site, www.visitcatalinaisland.com. Click on "Two Harbors" and find "Camping" in the pull-down menu. Campsite fees are $12 for adults, $6 for children -- charged per person, per day. A campground map on the site lists all the numbered sites, and in the reservations process you can designate a particular site -- to get closer to the ocean, for example. But if you're a first-timer, it might be wise to call in your reservation -- [phone] -- to make sure your ocean view is not obstructed by a berm, or isn't next to the pit toilets. We concluded that the site we lucked into -- No. 37 -- was the best in the campground.

BICYCLING: This is one situation where a rental might be the most cost-effective option, given that a two-day back-country bike permit costs $40 -- and Catalina Express charges $6 to transport a bike over on one of its boats. You can rent a bike for a day at Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center for $48. For information, visit www.visitcatalinaisland.com and click on "Two Harbors," "Activities" and "Bicycling." Rentals are available for shorter periods ($15 per hour) -- and all include permit, helmet and map. If you're going to be visiting Two Harbors over a potentially busy weekend, or you don't want to risk having the rental bikes snapped up by early birds, reserve one in advance by calling the center at [phone].

INFORMATION: Catalina Chamber of Commerce: www.catalina.com; [phone].

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) James Anderson of Oak Park gets comfortable for a little sunset reading at Two Harbors Campground on Catalina Island. Most of the campsites have sweeping ocean views.

(2 -- 3 -- color) A mountain bike is the best way to explore the West End Road, which winds along the bluffs near Two Harbors, providing a Catalina Island cycling experience that is second to none. Along the road, crude wooden signs, left, point the way.

(4) The lifeline of all who camp at Catalina's Two Harbors is the town grocery store, where all kinds of forgotten or depleted provisions may be acquired. The campground is only a quarter-mile away, and the pathway in between is regularly trod by campers who just need more stuff.

(5 -- 7) Clockwise from left, starting from where these bikes are resting on some old anchors in Two Harbors, the West End Road runs 7 1/2 miles along a coastal bluff to idyllic Parson's Landing; campers have quite a view; and kayaks are available for rental.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

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