Southern California Museums

Nature Center at Avalon Canyon, Avalon (natural history, Catalina, LA County)

Nature Center at Avalon Canyon
1202 Avalon Canyon Road, Avalon, CA
310-510-0954
http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/index.php?s=visit&p=nature_center_at_avalon_canyon

Summer Hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day): Daily: 10a-4p
Winter Hours: Fri-Weds: 10a-4p
FREE admission


The Nature Center at Avalon Canyon is a twenty-minute stroll up Avalon Canyon from town center. Its close proximity to the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden and the Hermit Gulch Trail Head make this a perfect place to start your visit to Catalina.

The Nature Center features self-guided exhibits focusing on natural history and conservation efforts on the Island. There are hands-on activities for kids, videos, and a Resource Center.

The Center’s exhibit is titled, “PURE Catalina,” “PURE” an acronym for “Protect,” “Understand,” “Renew” and “Explore” form the exhibit sections.

In the Nature Center’s lobby, images of the scenic wild side of the Island welcome visitors, including rugged landscapes and secluded coves with their crystal waters. An array of exhibit panels framed in “islands” made of natural materials will introduce visitors to Catalina’s natural wonders and the Conservancy’s conservation programs.

Visitors learn about everything from the geology of the Channel Islands, to how species arrive on islands. The concepts of “biodiversity hotspots” (of which there are 200 in the world) are explored, and why Catalina is part of the one that stretches along the West Coast of the United States.

Contact the Conservancy for latest information