Catalina Island - California Dreamin' California Dreaming Out in America's Wild West, there is one place the deer still play and buffalo roam free. It's one of the best kept-kept holiday secrets in the entire United States. In this park, a premium is placed upon clean air and quiet. Cars are banned. Air access is restricted by the island rulers, who also control all commercial and residential development.
Camping is confined to a few sites.
Even bike riders need permits to pedal into the interior of the island. The protection is more stringent than at any national park. That's because nearly all of Catalina Island is privately owned, preserved by an unusual conservation organization empowered with the funding and authority to maintain Catalina's serenity for present and future generations. Once a sanctuary for the privileged few who fled by yacht from the urban sprawl of nearby Los Angeles, Catalina Island is now a small ecotopia for the masses. And it's, a paradise not only of scenery, but also of spirit.