Crescent City

1. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a 10,000-acre state park that is cooperatively managed by the California State Parks service and the National Park Service. The California park was established in 1929, named for the first European settler to explore Northern California's interior in the 1820s.

It has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve for its protected population of California old-growth redwood trees, which preserves more than 45 percent of the region's redwood population.

Fishing, snorkeling, and kayaking opportunities are offered within the park along the Smith River, which is known as a major filming site for the 1936 feature film The Last of the Mohicans. Tent and RV hookups are offered at Jedediah Smith Campground, along with a variety of interpretive campfire programming hosted throughout the summer months.

Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 707-465-7335, View Map, Video

2. Stout Grove

Stout Grove is located within Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and is home to one of the most scenic stands of old-growth redwoods remaining in the world. The grove is accessible from the Stout Grove parking area and can be reached via a short loop trail. At the grove, a visitor viewing platform is offered to protect tree growth from human traffic, creating a spectacular panoramic photo opportunity spot.

The grove is largely protected from the sights and sounds of nearby tourist routes such as Highway 101 and is a largely secluded spot due to the moderate difficulty of its access trail. Minimal development in the area creates a peaceful atmosphere, with spectacularly backlit foliage visible during sunset times.

Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 707-465-7335, View Map

3. Howland Hill Road

Howland Hill Road is one of the top visitor drives within Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, allowing for easy scenic access in a park that remains largely undeveloped with visitor trails and access roads. The access road passes through the park's center and offers one of the most spectacular redwood drives on the American West Coast, with opportunities to see some of the largest and oldest redwood and sequoia trees in the world.

Though the State of California briefly planned to turn the road into a four-lane visitor highway, it remains a narrow dirt road today, allowing for a completely secluded vibe and a feeling of reconnecting with nature in a secretive, undeveloped environment.

Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 707-465-7335, View Map

4. Battery Point Lighthouse

Battery Point Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in Crescent City that was one of the California Pacific Coast's first lighthouses at the time of its 1855 construction. The lighthouse operated a fourth-order Fresnel lens between 1856 and 1953, when it was fully automated. In 1964, the lighthouse survived the strongest earthquake on record in the northern hemisphere and the subsequent tsunami caused by it.

Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and preserved as a California Historical Landmark, operated and overseen by the Del Norte Historical Society. The lighthouse is open to the public during low tide access, available for public guided tours daily during peak season and on weekends during off-season. The former keeper's quarters at the lighthouse are stocked with period furniture as a living history museum, showcasing displays of artifacts, photographs, and documents related to the lighthouse's history.

577 H Street, Crescent City, California 95531, Phone: 707-464-3089, View Map

5. Crescent Beach

Crescent Beach is a public visitor beach located just south of the city of Crescent City, offering free visitor parking near Enderts Beach Road and Highway 101. The expansive beach is a popular seasonal spot for surfing, swimming, beach walking, sunbathing, and beachcombing, overseen by the National Park Service as part of Redwood National Park.

Picnic tables are offered at the beach for day use, along with public restroom facilities and accessibility features. Dogs are permitted at the beach on short leashes with owner supervision. A wetland area at Mill Creek creates tide pools for visitor exploration, and a half-mile hiking trailhead to nearby Enderts Beach is provided at the beach's overlook point, which provides spectacular views of the surrounding beachfront region.

Enderts Beach Rd, Crescent City, CA 95531, View Map

6. Ocean World

Ocean World is a privately-owned aquarium in Crescent City that was originally opened to the public in 1964 as Under Sea Gardens, located within a barge that was specifically constructed in Seattle for use as a mobile aquarium facility. In 1985, the barge was brought onto dry land at the Crescent City harbor, rebranded as Undersea World and later as Ocean World.

Today, it is home to undersea habitats housed within more than half a million gallons of aquarium space, open daily to the public throughout the morning and afternoon hours. Guided tours are available, lasting approximately 45 minutes and spanning the aquarium's touch tide pool attraction and shark, ray, seal, and sea lion habitats. All tours also include viewings of seal and sea lion performances and opportunities to pet live sharks.

304 Highway 101 South Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 707-464-4900, View Map

7. Crescent Trail Rides

Crescent Trail Rides offer horseback riding lessons and excursions near Crescent City for riders of all ages and ability levels. Lessons and tours are available seasonally between October and April, offering opportunities to explore nearby Redwoods and Tolowa Dunes State Parks on horseback.

Visitors may bring their own horses or ride aboard the company's horses, led by experienced tour guides assisting with horsemanship techniques. Rides are offered along beachfront and redwood path areas, visiting area sites such as Kellogg Beach, Mill Creek, and the Yontocket Indian Memorial Site. Riders must be at least six years old, with all riders asked to wear helmets, long pants, and closed-toed shoes for safety.

Crescent Trail Rides, Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 707-951-5407, View Map

8. Rumiano Cheese Company

Rumiano Cheese Company is the oldest family-owned cheese production company in California, originally opened by Italian immigrants and brothers Fred, John, and Richard Rumiano in 1919. By the 1930s, the company had become one of the state's largest cheese producers, operating eight factories within the Crescent City region.

Today, it is operated by third-generation Rumiano family members and is committed to crafting the highest quality cheese products possible with certified kosher, organic, and non-GMO ingredients. All cheese production occurs at the company's Crescent City facility, with a wide variety of cheese products available for sale at its public visitor store. A second factory and store are also offered in Willows, California.

511 9th St, Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 866-328-2433, View Map

9. Boy Scout Big Tree Trail

Boy Scout Big Tree Trail is a popular trailhead within Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, accessible from a trailhead parking lot located along visitor access road Howland Hill Road.

The out-and-back trail offers opportunities to see some of the most spectacular old-growth redwoods in existence anywhere in the world, completely secluded from traffic noise and signs of modern development.

It passes through majestic sections of old-growth redwood forest, traversing a stream and a sloped hillside area that is also populated by hazelnut trees and huckleberry bushes.

Visitors are advised to arrive early in the day during peak tourist times, as the trail can become very busy at midday or on the weekends. It is best viewed during the morning and early afternoon hours, when redwoods are fully illuminated by sunny weather conditions.

Crescent City, CA 95531, View Map

10. Del Norte County History Museum

Del Norte County History Museum is a public museum operated by the Del Norte County Historical Society, located within Crescent City's former 1926 County Hall of Records facility. The museum has been open to the public since 1963, housed within the former County Jail portion of its historic building, with jail cells on the building's second floor serving as exhibit rooms.

It details the social and cultural history of Del Norte County History Museum, with exhibits showcasing the history and artifacts of local Tolowa and Yurok indigenous tribes, including one of Northern California's largest displays of indigenous basket-weaving. Other exhibits include collections of photographic and phonographic equipment, mining and logging tools, and period fashions and furniture from the region's 19th and 20th-century history. In the museum's Bolen Annex, the first-order Fresnel lens used in the Saint George Reef Lighthouse is displayed.

577 H Street, Crescent City, CA 95531, Phone: 707-464-3922, View Map