Local Sights

Our Top 10 Things to Do:
Staff picks from the Redwood Hostel

1. While the tide is low, walk to Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City. It's the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the country. The lighthouse links to the mainland via a 200-foot sandbar that disappears with the rising tide, so check our information board for the tide chart and step out only at low tides. They say a ghost haunts Battery Point, which turned 150 years old in 2007. Open April - September. Directions: Drive 12 miles north of the hostel into Crescent City and turn left on Front Street. The lighthouse is visible on your left.

2. Take a hike. Just a stone's throw from the hostel you'll find dozens of trails zigzagging hundreds of miles through redwood forests, marshland, prairie, coniferous forests, and woodland. Here are a few of our hostellers' favorites:

a) Hostel to Trees of Mystery and Beyond (4 or 8 miles, fairly easy)
Climb the steps next to the hostel and hike 2 miles to the Trees of Mystery (see #3). Cross the road and continue a half-mile to Hidden Beach, which is tucked out of sight from the world. On your way back, the trail meets up with the Coastal Trail. Take the Coastal Trail south to the Klamath River Overlook (if you take this route, your roundtrip hike will be 8 miles), or go north to return to the hostel (this shorter hike is 4 miles roundtrip).

b) Tall Trees Area
Drive 17 miles south on Highway 101 to the Redwood Information Center, just past the town of Orick, and grab a free permit to Tall Trees Grove (only 50 vehicle permits are issued each day). Hike Tall Trees Trail (1.2 miles, moderate) to see the world's tallest trees on the alluvial flat formed by Redwood Creek. The trail connects to Emerald Ridge Trail (2.8 miles, moderate), which meets Dolason Prairie Trail (4.75 miles, moderate) and leads to a back-country camp in the middle of the wilds.

c) Damnation Creek (2.5 miles each way, strenuous)
Drive a few miles north on Highway 101 to milepost 16 and park at the west-side turnout, then walk down a steep trail that drops 1000 feet to edge of the Pacific. Which indeed means it will be a 1000-foot climb back up, but folks say it's worth every laborious step. Time your hike to arrive at low tide for a bit of tidepooling before making the upward trek. Old growth meets the sea, spectacularly.

d) Fern Canyon (various trails, easy to moderate)
This lush, deep canyon near the coast is decorated with seven fern species lining the walls like a Jurassic landscape. From the hostel, drive 20 miles south on Highway 101 through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and turn right at Davison Road. Follow the gravel road to Gold Bluffs Beach, and continue another 15 minutes to Fern Canyon. Day-use fee of $6 per vehicle.

e) Lady Bird Johnson Grove (1-mile loop, easy)
Herein lies the spot where President and Mrs. Johnson dedicated Redwood National and State Parks in 1967. This loop is a nice old-growth walk with detailed ecological information. Drive 15 miles south of the hostel on Highway 101 to Bald Hills Road, turn left, and follow the signs.

f) Tolowa Dunes State Park (25-mile network of trails, easy)
More than 300 bird species migrate to the Lake Earl Wetlands in Tolowa Dunes State Park, located just north of Crescent City. It's the largest coastal lagoon in the West, and very, very sacred to the Tolowa people who, despite the army's best genocidal efforts of the 19th century, have survived colonialism, consumerism, and everything else we've thrown at them. So, with that said, please walk humbly while you're here (Heck, walk humbly everywhere!). Drive 12 miles north of the hostel into Crescent City, turn left on Northcrest Drive, then left on Old Mill Road.

3. Ride a gondola into the Trees of Mystery. Excellent for families and anyone else who love the trees, but doesn't want to work too hard reaching them. It does cost money and the gargantuan statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox strike some as kitschy, but everyone needs a little kitsch now and then. Don't miss the Native American museum (free!) and gift shop (also free, unless you buy something). Directions: 1.5 miles south of the hostel on Highway 101. Look for gargantuan statues on the east side of the road.

4. Visit injured seals and sea lions at the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center. Harbor seals, endangered Stellar Sea Lions, and other critters live outside in pens and can be visited anytime. Best to arrive during feeding time: daily at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. The center is a working hospital and not designed as a tourist attraction, so it's low key, but visitors are welcome. Directions: Drive 12 miles north of the hostel to Crescent City, turn left on Front Street, left into City Park, right onto Howe Drive, then drive to the end.

5. Go tidepooling. The nearest spot is just across the street at Wilson Beach, and at low tide you can scramble onto the rocks for a look at marine life. Also visit Lagoon Creek a quarter-mile south of the hostel, and Enderts Beach, a half-mile walk down the Coastal Trail from the Crescent Beach Overlook, about 11 miles north of the hostel off Highway 101. Check our information board for the tide chart, or log on to plan your tidepooling (click on "Crescent City" at the bottom). Be careful near the sea. "Sneaker waves" have been known to pull unsuspecting tidepoolers into the ocean...

6. Play on your computer. While it's not exactly wilderness trekking, we understand that sometimes the day is best spent whiled away with free WiFi and $2 coffee. For the closest free WiFi access, drive 2 miles south of the hostel to Woodland Villa, or 6 miles south to the Pem-Mey store/gas station in Klamath. Espresso, snacks, Subway sandwiches, and an unsecured Internet connection await you. Must have own laptop.

The other options are 12 miles north of us in Crescent City, and include a corner coffee shop (Coffee Corner on the corner of Highway 101 South and 5th Street, which also has a computer for rent); a bakery/diner (Glen's on 3rd Street); a restaurant with some fine vegetarian options as well as good beer (the Good Harvest Cafe, in front of Home Depot); and a deli (Chomperz Deli, off Northcrest Drive). If you don't have your own computer, try the Del Norte County Library off Front Street (Tuesday - Friday, 1-6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.) or Tech Town Computers on Highway 101 North at 4th Street, next to Denny's.

7. Watch the birds. Del Norte County is a migratory hot spot, with myriad species clamoring for space across the road from the hostel at False Klamath Rock, or off the coast of Crescent City at Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge. Follow the California Redwoods Birding Trail or print a copy of Del Norte County's birdlist (PDF download).

8. Swing. At City Park in Crescent City, you'll find a public swimming pool and Castle PlayLand for kids big 'n' little--with plenty of swings -- as well as a fantastic view of the ocean, picnic tables, the Crescent City Cultural Center, and the Chamber of Commerce. The lighthouse is nearby and the library is across the street (Tuesday - Friday, 1-6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.). Directions: Drive 12 miles north of the hostel into Crescent City, turn left on Front Street, then left on Play Street.

9. Drive a little... see a lot. We must admit, sometimes it does rain a bit. Okay, it can pour. This is an opportune moment to remind everyone that without 60+ inches of annual rainfall, those glorious redwoods filling the memory cards of our digital cameras would turn brittle from thirst, and their shallow roots would weaken into scraggly threads, toppling tree after mighty tree. "Without rain, there is no life."

For those soggy days, hop in the car and pick a route:

a) Drive 10 miles south of the hostel to Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, which leads into Prairie Creek State Park (thick clusters of redwoods, herds of Roosevelt Elk, creeks, prairie).

b) Drive south over the Klamath River and take the first exit to the Coastal Drive. This meandering 8-mile crawl is an unpaved marvel. Stop when you spot two farmhouses below. These "houses" were actually a U.S. military outpost built after Pearl Harbor, when Americans feared a Japanese attack by sea.

c) Drive 10 miles north to Elk Valley Road, turn right and then turn right again onto Howland Hill Road, which is 9 miles long and takes 40 minutes to drive (the closest you'll get to driving through a tree without paying $5.95).

10. Get in the water! You can swim, surf, kayak, or canoe the rivers, oceans, and lagoons. Our most recommended kayak outfitter to the south is Kayak Zak's (for lagoon kayak rentals or guided sea kayaking), and to the north is Lunker Fish Trips (for kayaking the Smith River), (707) 458-4704. Both outfitters are seasonal, usually from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Our fave surfing outfitter is Noll Surf and Skate in Crescent City. If you want to get crazy and charter a boat into the ocean for deep-sea fishing, try Tally Ho II, (707) 464-1236.

Bonus Points: If the above recommendations don't keep you busy all day, try a jet boat tour up the Klamath River with Klamath River Jet Boat Tours (May - September), tour the redwoods in the Fun Bus, or watch the sea lions and schooners at Crescent City Harbor.

A few of our favorite links

Redwood National and State Park
Print trail maps, study the park's natural and cultural history, see if your child is eligible for Junior Rangers, or download the annual Visitor Guide.

Tolowa Dunes State Park
A modest website, yet if Tolowa Dunes is for you, read this and you'll know.

Smith River Alliance
Another list of favorite things to be doing, with a watery focus. From the folks who brought you the last un-dammed river in California.

Great Outdoor Recreation Pages
GORP gives the wilderness trekker perspective on Redwood National and State Parks -- hiking the wilder sides, that is.

Northern California Adventures
If you're traveling to/from San Francisco, this regional site highlights the must-see and must-do, from the Bay Area through Napa Valley, pit-stopping on the Mendocino Coast and northward into Del Norte County.

Explore Del Norte
Resources for people who like verbs: surfing, kayaking, fishing, rafting, hiking, bird watching, and be-ing.

Klamath Chamber of Commerce and
Crescent City - Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce
Our local Chambers, and we love them so. Look closely for some down-home details, the kind overlooked by those "big city" websites.