Exploring Crescent City, California

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At the end of March, my family went on an amazing West Coast road trip that concluded in the Crescent City area, in northern California. This area is GORGEOUS and there is so much to do in Crescent City and Klamath. I am excited to share about our trip and the great places to explore in Crescent City, California.

Crescent City, CA on the Northern California Coast LIne
The coast line in Crescent City, CA near Battery Point Lighthouse

After our time in Eureka, CA visiting the southern Humboldt County Redwoods we headed north to Crescent City. We were going to spend 3 days and 2 nights in the area. But plans changed. But more on that later….

What To Do In Klamath, California

On our way up to Crescent City, we spent the first day in Klamath. Klamath is only about 20 miles south of Crescent City, CA and has some fun places to stop and explore.

Trees of Mystery

*I received free admission for myself and discounted admission for my family to Trees of Mystery in exchange for sharing our experience with my readers. All opinions are my own.

Trees of Mystery just south of Crescent City, CA
The giant Paul Bunyan statue at Trees of Mystery is easy to spot from Highway 101

The main reason for our stop in Klamath was to explore Trees of Mystery. I was super excited to take my family here because I had been there as a child. The one thing I remember from that trip was the giant Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox out front. So when we arrived, that was my first order of business was to get a picture of my kids in front of those statues.

You can stop by and see these giant statues for free, as they are right there in the parking lot. But I strongly suggest you stick around and explore the trails. You will learn a lot, see some amazing Redwoods, and find an amazing view.

Trees of Mystery about 30 minutes south of Crescent City, CA
Our crew heading up the trails at Trees of Mystery

We started out with our packs in hand to wear the babies on the trail. But the twins had done so well on the previous trails, I asked Mike to stop in and ask how steep the trail was. Well, he worded it “how rough is the trail” to which they said “it is a groomed trail.” Which it was. But it did have a lot of up hill and down hill. Our twins actually handled it well, but if you have a little one, you may want to consider wearing them.

Crescent City, CA is just north of Trees of Mystery in Klamath
These fun facts were a great educational tool for our oldest.

On the way up the trail, there are tons of signs to help you learn all about the Redwoods and the Coastal Region. Like, did you know that the bark of the Redwoods is a fire and bug deterrent? That is why you will find so many trees that are hollow from being burnt in a fire, but the bark is still intact.

Trees of Mystery Sky Trail
My poor little guy with sensory processing disorder wasn’t too fond of the gondolas

When you get up the trail, there is a Sky Trail. This is a gondola system that will take you even higher up the mountain, above the trees, to a viewing area where you will have amazing views of the Redwood forests and even the ocean.

The views in the Crescent City and Klamath areas are amazing
You can see the ocean from the viewing deck at the top of the sky trail.

After the ride back down from the viewing area, the trail back down is a trail filled with tall tales of Paul Bunyan and his pals. You will see amazing carvings and you can even listen to audio stations tell stories.

Trees of Mystery in Klamath. About 20 miles south of Crescent City, CA
This was the perfect carving for my husband. FYI- his shirt has a poop joke on it.

We spent about 2 or 3 hours doing the trails. But that was with two-year-old twins walking the entire thing. Trees of Mystery also has a great gift shop and a bakery. The parking lot also has a picnic area and restrooms.

We were so happy we stopped here and did this.

Tour Thru Tree

Another fun thing to do in Klamath is the Tour Thru Tree. In case you haven’t heard, one of the original Drive Through Trees fell over after the extremely wet winter that California had, so we were excited that the Tour Thru Tree in Klamath was intact and open.

Extra day free Disneyland ticket deal. Click to book

But then we didn’t get to do it.

The owners were not in the entrance booth and it had a “leave $5, we trust you sign.” Except we didn’t have any cash. And then we didn’t get any cash before heading north to Crescent City. I did drive through this tree years ago and I like that you are able to stop and take a picture and that it is set up great for a photo opp.

What to Do in Crescent City, CA

Crescent City, California has no shortage of activities. We arrived at our hotel (another AMAZING Best Western-seriously, they are stepping up their game BIG time)in the early afternoon. As soon as we unpacked the car we were ready to head out on some adventures.

Right near our hotel was the Ocean World Aquarium. This is a fun little aquarium that kids and adults alike can enjoy. If the aquarium isn’t your thing, but you are looking for great gifts, you can just stop in and check out there fun gift shop. The aquarium was actually on our list for the next day…but more on that in a minute.

The northern California Coast Line is much different than the coast lines of Southern California. Crescent City’s coast line is more like the Oregon Coast. Rocky with a few sandy areas and very cool and windy. There were a lot of rocks and drift wood.

Coast line in Crescent City, CA
The coast line in Crescent City, CA

Our family headed out for the evening to the Battery Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse is up a steep path is a very cute, quaint lighthouse. Unlike some of the taller tower like lighthouses, this one is attached to the living quarters. It sits on a cliff.

Crescent City, CA has Battery Point Lighthouse
The Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City, CA is still a working lighthouse

We walked up to the Lighthouse, which was not open for tours. It actually was opening the very next day for the season. We got their around sunset. The tour guides that lived there came out and talked to us. They were so nice. They explained to my oldest how the lighthouse works, and even spread out bird food for some seagulls.

Crescent City, CA at Battery Point LIghthouse- seagull
The lighthouse residents have a few seagulls they feed.

We headed back from the lighthouse and called it a night. And that is when things took a turn. Here we were, day 11 of our road trip and the worst thing that happened was a piece of our van blew off in a huge windstorm (yeah, that story is coming soon). Well, Day 12 I woke up sick. I had been having a bit of a sore throat the entire trip, only in the mornings though. I figured the hotels probably had dry air, and then adding in the lack of sleep, I was sure it was nothing…until Day 12. It was definitely something.

So our plans for the aquarium were scratched. I tried to rest in the hotel…with my 3 kids and husband wrestling around in the bed next to mine. Yeah…

Crescenty City, CA in hotel room
There was no real resting with this going on.

So we went out and got lunch. We checked out C C Diner & Ice Cream in Crescent City. It was delicious. They had onion rings…IN the burger. So Mike was in heaven!

Once we finished up at C C Diner, I decided I was done. We went back to the hotel, packed up and decided to head home early. Our hotel was awesome and even refunded us for that night (even though it was a prepaid booking). I figured I could rest better in the van than I could in the hotel room with 3 kids and a husband.

Even with the illness, the last leg of our trip was a blast. We had a lot of fun and we can’t wait to get back and check out the Aquarium and also tour the Redwoods that we didn’t get to do in the Crescent City area.

Have you stayed in Klamath or Crescent City? Is there anything we should add to our travel list for next time we go?

 

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