Catalina Island Ghost Tours: Haunted Avalon After Dark

Where Catalina’s ghost tours actually happen

Catalina Island sits about 20 miles off the Southern California coast, and unlike almost everything else on a Los Angeles itinerary, it cannot be reached by car. There is no bridge, no causeway and no tunnel — the only way across is by ferry, and that single fact shapes everything about planning a ghost tour here. This is different from a haunted-history walk in Downtown LA or Hollywood, where a visitor can simply drive up, park and join a tour on a whim. On Catalina, the boat schedule comes first, and the ghost tour comes second.

The island itself is large, but its ghost and true-crime tourism is not spread across it. Almost everything bookable is concentrated in Avalon, the small waterfront town that has served as Catalina’s main settlement since the early twentieth century, when the island was developed as a resort destination (famously with backing tied to the Wrigley family).

Avalon’s compact, walkable core, its older buildings and its layered history of shipwrecks, casino-era glamour and small-town intrigue give it a genuinely atmospheric backdrop after dark — and it is where the walking ghost tours, EMF-detector experiences and golf-cart tours all operate. This page treats “Catalina Island ghost tours” and “Avalon ghost tours” as effectively the same thing, because in practice they are.

If a broader island stay is part of the plan, pair this page with the general Catalina Island destination guide or the two-day Orange County and Catalina itinerary, which frames the crossing alongside nearby coastal stops like Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Dana Point.

Getting to Avalon: the ferry crossing

Because there is no direct road connection, every ghost tour begins with a boat. Ferries to Catalina Island typically depart from mainland ports such as Long Beach and Dana Point, landing at Avalon’s harbor. The exact crossing time depends on the departure port, the operator and sea conditions, so it is worth checking the current schedule and stated duration directly at the time of booking rather than relying on a fixed number picked up elsewhere — this is one of the details that changes most often and matters most for planning an evening tour.

This ferry-first structure means a Catalina ghost tour has to be built around two decisions that don’t apply to a mainland attraction:

• Day trip or overnight? Some visitors do a same-day round trip, catching an early ferry out and a late one back, timing the ghost tour into the evening window before the last boat departs Avalon. Others prefer to stay a night in Avalon, which removes the pressure of catching a specific return sailing and allows the tour to run at its natural evening pace.
• Which mainland port fits the rest of the trip? A visitor based near Orange County’s coast may find Dana Point more convenient, while someone anchored closer to central Los Angeles or the South Bay may prefer Long Beach. Either way, factor the return leg into the same-day plan if not staying over.

Advance reservation is recommended for both the ferry and the ghost tour itself — Avalon is a small town with a fixed number of evening tour slots, and summer weekends and holiday periods can sell out.

Long Beach and Dana Point are the two ports most visitors default to, but they are not the only option. A ferry from Newport Beach also lands at Avalon, and it can be the more convenient choice for anyone basing their trip further south along the Orange County coast rather than in central Los Angeles or the South Bay.

a ferry crossing from Newport Beach to Avalon on Catalina Island

Whichever port ends up being the closest fit, the underlying logic is the same: pick the ferry first, then work backward to see which evening ghost tour slot it leaves room for.

What the Avalon ghost tours actually cover

The publicly bookable ghost and true-crime experiences in Avalon come in a few distinct formats, and it’s worth understanding what each one actually is before booking, since they are not interchangeable.

Walking ghost tours. The core experience is a guided walk through Avalon’s older streets and buildings after dark, with a storyteller-guide covering the town’s reputed hauntings, unexplained incidents and darker historical footnotes tied to specific buildings and locations. This is the most traditional format and works well for most adult visitors and older children.

a guided evening walking ghost tour through Avalon’s haunted streets

EMF-detector tours. A more hands-on variant adds handheld electromagnetic field detectors, in the style of televised ghost-hunting shows, letting participants “scan” locations along the route themselves. Because of the equipment and the tone of the experience, this format is restricted to participants aged 12 and up — a real restriction, not a suggestion, so it is not a fit for a family outing with younger children.

Golf cart tours. Avalon’s compact size and hilly streets make golf carts a common way to see the town, and a golf-cart-based tour format is also available for visitors who prefer covering more ground with less walking, whether framed around general sightseeing or worked into an evening plan around the town’s history.

For anyone who would rather not walk the hillier stretches of town after dark, a private golf cart tour with a driver-guide covers similar historical ground while keeping the pace easy and the group self-contained, which can also suit visitors travelling with older relatives or anyone managing mobility concerns.

a private golf cart tour of Avalon with a driver-guide

Family-friendly alternatives to the EMF tour. Because the EMF-detector format is restricted to ages 12 and up, a group with younger children who still wants an evening activity with a storytelling, history-driven angle can look at a guided scavenger hunt built around the town’s history instead — it keeps the interactive, exploratory feel of the EMF tour without the age cutoff.

a guided scavenger hunt through Avalon woven around the town’s history

Adventure and inside-access experiences. For a broader look at the island beyond the ghost-tour angle, an inside-access adventure tour covers more of Avalon and its surroundings in a single outing.

an inside-access adventure tour around Avalon and its surroundings

It is worth being direct about what is not on offer: there is no publicly bookable ghost tour that ranges across the whole island’s interior, and none of these tours are positioned as suitable for every age group without restriction. The EMF format’s 12+ limit should be checked directly against the specific listing before booking with children in the group.

Why Avalon lends itself to ghost stories

Part of what makes Avalon work as a setting for this kind of tour is simply how old and layered the town feels compared to most of the mainland stops on a Los Angeles itinerary. The waterfront core has been standing, in one form or another, since the early twentieth century, when the island was developed into a resort with backing tied to the Wrigley family — the same name attached to the landmark round Casino building that still anchors the harbor view.

Decades of hotel guests, seasonal workers, shipping traffic and small-town life leave behind the kind of stories that a guided walking tour can draw on: buildings that changed use more than once, waterfront structures that have seen storms and fires, and the ordinary friction of a tightly packed town where everyone’s business tends to become everyone else’s.

None of this requires the visitor to take the ghost stories literally to enjoy the walk. The tours work as much as a lens on Avalon’s social and architectural history as they do as a scare — the guide’s route past specific buildings, hotels and harbor-front landmarks doubles as a compact history walk that a purely factual town tour might not cover in the same detail. That dual nature is part of why the format tends to appeal to visitors who wouldn’t otherwise book a dedicated history tour.

Practical tips for the evening tour

A few basics make the evening go more smoothly, regardless of which format is booked:

• Wear comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes. Avalon’s streets include slopes and uneven older pavement in places, and a walking or golf-cart tour covers ground after dark when footing matters more than it does in daylight.
• Bring a layer. Coastal evenings on the island can turn cooler once the sun goes down, even after a warm day, and a light jacket is easy to carry and forget about if it isn’t needed.
• Bring a phone flashlight, but expect the guide to lead with their own lighting. Tours are run in a way that keeps the group together and safe; a personal light is a backup, not a requirement.
• Confirm the meeting point in Avalon, not just the departure port. Because the tour starts in town rather than at the ferry landing, double-check the specific meeting location and arrival-time buffer after stepping off the boat.
• Keep the return ferry time in mind if doing a day trip. An evening tour that runs later than expected can create a tight connection to the last sailing back to the mainland; overnighting removes this pressure entirely.

Building the crossing into the day

Since the boat ride itself is part of the experience for many visitors, it’s worth treating it as more than transportation. A scenic boat adventure from the mainland, or a dolphin-and-sea-lion-focused crossing, can turn the ferry leg into its own activity rather than a pure logistics step.

a scenic boat crossing to the island from the mainland a wildlife-focused boat tour that often spots dolphins and sea lions en route

For more on the boat side of a Catalina visit generally, see the dedicated Catalina Island boat cruises guide, and for the island’s marine wildlife beyond the ghost-tour angle, the Catalina Island whale watching guide.

Planning table: day trip vs. overnight

Approach	What it requires	Best for
Same-day round trip	Early outbound ferry, evening ghost tour timed before the last return sailing	Visitors with limited time who want a taste of Avalon and one evening tour
Overnight in Avalon	A hotel booking in town, ferry timing becomes flexible	Visitors who want the tour at its natural pace without watching the clock, or who want to add daytime activities
Multi-activity stay	Overnight plus additional bookings (boat tours, hiking, sightseeing)	Visitors treating Catalina as a standalone 1-2 day trip rather than a single evening add-on

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming you can drive to Catalina Island. There is no bridge or causeway; the only access is by ferry from a mainland port such as Long Beach or Dana Point.
• Not checking the ferry duration before booking an evening tour. Crossing times vary by port and operator, so confirm the current schedule at booking time rather than guessing.
• Booking the EMF-detector tour for a group with children under 12. The age restriction is enforced, not a soft guideline — check the specific listing’s age policy before booking.
• Expecting the ghost tour to cover the whole island. The bookable experiences are concentrated in Avalon town, not the island’s wider interior.
• Leaving reservations to the last minute. Both the ferry and the evening ghost tour have limited capacity, especially on weekends and in peak season.
• Trying to cram Catalina into the same day as an unrelated mainland activity. Between the outbound crossing, the tour and the return sailing, a same-day trip leaves little room for anything else.

More things to do around Avalon and the Catalina crossing

Beyond ghost tours, Avalon and the surrounding coast support a range of other activities worth combining with the crossing: hiking and nature experiences on Catalina Island, private tours of the island, and general sightseeing tours around Catalina.

For the wider Orange County coast that serves as the mainland side of this trip, see Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach, or the Catalina Island day trip from Los Angeles blog post for a broader planning comparison.

Frequently asked questions about Catalina Island ghost tours

Can you drive to Catalina Island for a ghost tour?

No. Catalina Island has no bridge or causeway to the mainland, so every visitor arrives by ferry, typically from ports such as Long Beach or Dana Point. Plan the crossing as part of the trip, not an afterthought.

How long does the ferry to Catalina Island take?

Crossing times vary by departure port and operator, so check the current schedule and duration at the time of booking rather than assuming a fixed number.

Are Catalina Island ghost tours suitable for young children?

Not necessarily. The EMF-detector ghost tour is restricted to participants aged 12 and up, and the walking ghost tour’s themes and pacing are generally better suited to older children and adults. Check the age guidance for each specific tour before booking.

Do the ghost tours cover the whole island?

No. The publicly bookable ghost and true-crime experiences are concentrated in Avalon, the island’s small waterfront town, on foot or via a golf cart tour rather than across the wider island interior.

Should you book a Catalina Island ghost tour in advance?

Yes, advance reservation is recommended, especially since the tour operates on a fixed evening schedule in a small town with limited daily capacity.

Can you do a Catalina Island ghost tour as a day trip from the mainland?

It is possible if the ferry schedule and tour departure time line up, but many visitors prefer an overnight stay in Avalon to avoid rushing the crossing, the tour and the return trip in a single day.

What is the difference between the walking ghost tour and the EMF tour?

The walking ghost tour is a guided storytelling walk through Avalon’s haunted history, while the EMF-detector tour adds handheld electromagnetic field devices for a more hands-on ghost-hunting style experience, and carries the 12-and-up age restriction.

Is Catalina Island part of Los Angeles?

No. Catalina Island sits off the coast of Orange County and is reached by ferry from ports on the mainland; it is not connected to, or reachable through, the city of Los Angeles by road.