Catalina Island - Avalon Beaches

South Beach - Located on the South end of the bay in Avalon. It is the first beach you will come upon when exiting the ferry at the Boat Terminal. It is a nice place to set out your towel and beach chairs and enjoy people watching and boats floating into and out of the harbor. This beach has is located on a sandy, concrete pad with a set of steps with green railings that take you a short distance down to more sand below and the water. The wading\swimming area has markers to keep boats out and along the perimeter there is a small concrete pad out in the water where kids like to climb out and then dive back into the ocean. On summer Tuesday and Thursday evenings from June thru the end of August, there are Beach Bingo games held from 6 pm - 7 pm at the Lifeguard stand - cards are $1. This beach extends towards the Green Pier.

South Beach Pier View
South Beach

Middle Beach - This beach starts from the Pier and extends towards the Casino. The beach ends at the building structures where the Blue Water Avalon and Antonio's Pizzeria are located. It is a nice sandy beach with access to the sand and water below via a short set of steps (like the South beach). This beach is a bit wider and is located across from a few restaurants on Crescent Avenue. It also has shady spots on it thanks to the palm trees planted here.

Crescent Ave view of Middle Beach
Middle Beach View from Crescent Ave

Middle Beach
Middle Beach

Step Beach - This beach extends from the edge of Antonio's towards the Via Casino arches and ends at the Tuna Club, a Private Club for members only. This beach has sand only at the top along the concrete and a set of steps with a metal railing that take you directly into the water. The green railing will keep you from falling several feet into the shallow water below. The water is calm and nice for swimming, stand up paddleboarding, or snorkeling. The beach is just a thin strip of sand, so come early if you want a spot at this beach!

Step Beach
Step Beach

Descanso Beach - This private beach is a bit of a walk past the Casino and continuing on down St. Catherines Way to the end of the cove where the Descanso Beach Club is. There is a $2 charge to use the beach and cabanas, lounge chairs, kayaks, paddleboards, and more rentals are available here. There is a restaurant on the beach for you to enjoy the view while you eat. This beach is also a great place to swim or just float on the ocean in the pretty water while watching the boats. Be aware that the imported sand on the beach club property above stops at the concrete steps down to the rocky beach below. There is a strip of smooth concrete to the water, but if you want to walk on the rocks, bring water shoes to protect your feet.

Descanso Beach
Descanso Beach

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