Garden to Sky Hike T
he Garden to Sky hike is the most popular and accessible of Catalina Island’s many trails. The trailhead is to the right of the Wrigley Memorial in the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden at the very top of Avalon Canyon. It’s a moderate hike of just 1.2 miles (2.4 miles round trip) to a ridgeline that rewards trekkers with a breathtaking 360-degree view of Avalon, the Pacific Ocean and San Clemente Island. Along the way, hikers will see Catalina’s plant life and the history of the Island’s formation.
Passing through the gate on the right side of the Wrigley Memorial, hikers can easily access this wide trail and admire the riparian ecosystem on the right. But don’t get too close. Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) is mixed in with the other plants. Following the basic rule of “leaves of three, let it be” will protect against an itchy aftermath.
About 100 yards along the trail, hikers will see Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) trees with their fruit that can be made into wine and the Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), which grows into a tree on the Island but is only a shrub on the mainland. Please don’t pick the fruit!
Poison Oak
After the first switchback, the trail becomes steeper but rewards hikers with sweeping views of the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden and the City of Avalon.