Rippers Cove

As far as Catalina’s Boat-In Campsites go, Rippers is the premium location. No toilets or latrines and limited privacy, but otherwise excellent facilities— level ground for tents, picnic benches in great shape, a clean Sandy beach with pumpkin-sized rocks scattered about, good elevation for Sites 1 & 2 above the high-tide line, a little trail that leads to a beautiful little overlook of the Cove c... As far as Catalina’s Boat-In Campsites go, Rippers is the premium location. No toilets or latrines and limited privacy, but otherwise excellent facilities— level ground for tents, picnic benches in great shape, a clean Sandy beach with pumpkin-sized rocks scattered about, good elevation for Sites 1 & 2 above the high-tide line, a little trail that leads to a beautiful little overlook of the Cove complete with a flagpole (and circular symbol near the top), bench, memorial, and a guestbook diary for leaving well-wishes and experiences. There is a trail at the west end of the cove that leads up the hill and connects with private gravel roads that are connected to the other parts of the island (beware: trails/roads have no signage, it’s easy to get lost, trials/roads are not maintained by the Conservancy, and Empire Landing is a tiny community of small shacks which is not friendly to campers/hikers). If you are willing to venture, Two Harbors is a challenging yet doable 6.5-mile hike from Rippers one-way. Campsites 1&2 are intimately close (best for larger groups to reserve both). If your neighbors are up late, you will hear them, and they likely need to cross through site 2 for beach access. Anchorage is excellent at Rippers—there were a dozen boats of all sizes anchored here over July 4th weekend and several crews visited the shore. There is a kelp bed on the west side of the cove, excellent for fishing and snorkeling (if your mask fits!) but beware the boat traffic as you venture out in the open water. The Rippers seabed is largely sand, so a fluke anchor may work here for smaller vessels, but a Bruce with 15 ft of heavy chain was sturdy against 25 kt winds & incoming tide in the afternoons, good anchoring tackle for just about anywhere around Catalina). A stern anchor is highly advised to keep your vessel off the rocks, and there are several well-established trees that can serve as a tie-down point. Those same trees afford valuable shade at Rippers while providing a nice bed of pine needles to lay down tent underlayment (some nice camper also left giant rubber mats here, perfect for tents!). Campsite #2 is especially shady and windy, so take advantage of the ground which is not too stony to drive tent stakes into (breezes keep bugs away, and is light enough to wake up to in the AM, builds by early afternoon, then blows strongly in the dinner hours before settling back down at dusk). Also, Empire Landing is mistakenly marked here by Google Maps. Empire landing is not located here, but instead it is located around the point to the west. There is spotty cell coverage at Rippers, but elevation gets you better service here generally— much better than anticipated and much better than other boat-in campsites. Although fires were not allowed, all three campsites have makeshift hearths with fire grates. Be watchful for the Rangers— they will issue fines for rule breaking. Their #1 rule is trash— pack it in, pack it out. All in all, an excellent place worth returning to, and one of the best ways to experience nature in SoCal. Four stars because the campsites are too close together.