The Catalina Island Conservancy manages about 88 percent of the island's land area as a protected natural reserve, keeping it free of development and open to hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife viewing. The interior is surprisingly rugged — Mount Orizaba at 634 metres is the island's high point, and the terrain between the coasts is a mix of rocky grassland, scrub oak woodland, and coastal sage.
The Conservancy runs guided eco-tours and operates the Trans-Catalina Trail, a 38-kilometre route crossing the island end to end. Day hikes from Avalon into the interior require a free permit from the Conservancy visitor centre on the waterfront; trailhead transport is available. The endemic Catalina fox — a smaller subspecies of the island fox — is frequently seen on the trails, and the island has a remarkable diversity of birds including the Catalina quail subspecies.