No matter how many times you’ve visited Catalina Island, there’s always something new to discover. Whether it’s plunging beneath the surface of the sea, immersing yourself in history at the museum or hiking Catalina’s rugged interior, the island takes a lifetime to explore.
One place to scratch the surface of all that Catalina Island offers is located just past the Catalina Island Visitors Golf Course on Avalon Canyon Road. The Nature Center at Avalon Canyon was first constructed in the mid-1990s by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation as the Catalina Island Interpretive Center. Its operation has since been taken over by the Catalina Island Conservancy and the Catalina nature center is a great place to discover more about the island and its biology, geology and ecology.
With its location, perched on the edge of Catalina Island’s interior, the Nature Center at Avalon Canyon is ideally situated to introduce visitors to Avalon to the rest of Catalina Island. The Conservancy does that with exhibits focused around the acronym PURE Catalina, which stands for Protect, Understand, Renew and Explore. Photographs, exhibits and artifacts allow visitors to discover more about how the island was formed, the forces that influence it today and the Conservancy’s efforts to protect the island’s fragile ecosystem.
Admission to the Nature Center at Avalon Canyon is free and it is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For details, call 310-510-0954.