Catalina Island Ranks 19/150 For Small Towns You Should Visit

CATALINA ISLAND— The travel website, FamilyDestinationsGuide.com, surveyed 3,000 families to determine the top 150 small towns they would like to visit this year. Of the 150 small cities, Avalon was ranked 19th and was the highest-ranked town in California.

Avalon was voted higher than Sausalito, who won spot number 26, and Ojai, 63rd.

Nonetheless, Avalon was voted higher than both of those lovable cities. According to the article published on the site, “it is a great vacation destination for families due to its stunning natural beauty, the abundance of outdoor activities, and variety of family-friendly attractions.”

Although this isn’t new news to us Southern California residents, it is just another bragging right for Catalina. In January of this year, Travelandleisure.com writer Carrie Dennis published a list of the “20 Most Beautiful Small Towns in the U.S.” That article ranked Avalon at No. 3, topped only by Girdwood, Alaska, and Sedona, Arizona, for towns with a population under 20,000.

Other lists are more activity-specific, but some aspects of Catalina brought it into the mix. Also, in January of this year, Backpacker.com posted an article noting the best hiking trails to tackle in 2023, with recommendations for the month to visit them. For visitors joining the Island in February, it suggested Catalina Trail as the place to be. Catalina again made the cut for trails from all over the U.S. and as far away as New Zealand.

Writer Erica Zazo points out that February in winter is an excellent break from the snow and that the Trans Catalina Trail offers a respite between heat and crowded trails, despite the cool-to-cold temperatures, especially at night.

Joining the scuttlebutt among other publications with Catalina on their to-do lists would include Esquire.com, which included Catalina in its “The Best Things to do in Los Angeles” article in early January. So, all in all, the consensus is that Catalina Island is more than your MacOS; it’s the place to be.

February Avalon Harbor Activity