Day Eight: Crescent City & Klamath, California
After a week on the coast, we weren’t quite ready to head home, but it was time. My daughter and I got up early and took a long walk on the beach. The tide was low and there were tide pools not far from the hotel.
By the time we got back to our room, the boys were packed and ready to go. I convinced the crew that we should drive into the redwoods. After all, we were almost to California.
What to Do
We drove south down Highway 101 crossing the state-line, from Oregon into California. Crescent City is about a 30 minute drive from Brookings. We grabbed some caffeine from our favorite coffee spot, Dutch Bros, and then followed the signs to the Battery Point Lighthouse. Yes, another lighthouse! My family groaned at the prospect, but as it turned out, this was their favorite of our lighthouse stops. At low tide, you can walk across the land bridge to the small rocky island where the lighthouse sits. We hadn’t planned this in advance, so we were fortunate that we came at low tide. My kids loved climbing on the rocks around the lighthouse and peering into the tide pools surrounding it. Like all of the other lighthouses we stopped at, this one was closed to the public. Typically it’s open for tours during summer months.
As we continued south on 101 along the coastline, we drove into the “Redwood Highway,” and were in awe of the tall trees all around us. We drove about 35-minutes to Klamath. We stopped at the Tour-Thru Tree (430 CA-169 in Klamath), a roadside attraction since the 70’s. A large tunnel is carved into the base of a redwood that cars can pass through. There are just a few of these oddities left in California so we felt compelled to check it out. The tunnel is narrow, so be sure to fold in your sideview mirrors before entering. For just $5 you can go through as many times as you like. Once was enough for us.
Knowing our drive was long and our time was limited, we headed back North up 101 to the Trees of Mystery (15500 US 101). This is another classic roadside attraction. It’s easy to spot from the highway. Just be on the lookout for Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. They stand tall in the parking lot, welcoming guests.
The attraction opened in 1946. Some of it feels frozen in time, like the “Trail of Tall Tales” which tells the story of Paul Bunyan through carved wood sculptures. It’s a bit silly. But there’s also recent modernizations, like the SkyTrail gondolas that were added in 2001. The cars take guests over the top of the redwoods, a third of a mile up a mountain. The view is spectacular.
In 2020, the Redwood Canopy Trail opened. Netted suspension bridges hang between the old-growth redwoods, some as high as a 100 feet. There are ten platforms and eight suspension bridges. Of course the real stars here are the redwoods, the trees make your jaw drop, especially when you know how big and how old they are. One of the trees is 2,000 years old. Another, the Cathedral Tree, is actually nine trees growing together as one.
Admission is $20 for ages 13-59, $16 for 60+, $11 for ages 6-12 and kids under 5 are free. Expect to spend a few hours here.
After we were wrapped up at Trees of Mystery, we still had six hours to drive before arriving back in Portland. We were glad we’d made the short detour into the California Redwoods and vowed to return soon. But now it was time to go home.
Related Content: 3-Day Itinerary to Del Norte County, California
This road trip was memorable for so many reasons. We drove the length of the Oregon coast during a pandemic! No easy feat. (Fun fact, we packed more face masks than underwear.) Most importantly, we appreciated the quality time we spent together as a family, and were grateful for the wide open spaces that allowed us to get outdoors for safe, physically distanced fun.
