After a couple of days hiking around the tall coastal redwood trees of Redwood National and State Parks in California, you might decide you’d like a change of scenery. If you are looking to explore other units of the National Park System, the side trips listed below are definitely worth your while. They do vary in mileage, however, with a couple of them better suited for two days of exploration instead of a there-and-back visit. That said, you’ll have a better picture of the northern California/central-and-southern Oregon landscape with these park units.
Note: Distances from Crescent City, California, are via Google Maps.
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve – 72 mi/115.9 km from Crescent City, CA
"Ghost Room," Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve / NPS file
Featured In The Traveler
Musings From Oregon Caves National Monument
Most caves are found in limestone. Oregon Caves is different. It’s actually in marble - limestone that has been metamorphosed by tremendous heat and pressure into the very hard rock that many of our most important buildings are built of. An educated guess by this old geology major says the process of dissolving this cave had to have been a much slower process than producing a cave such as Carlsbad.
To read more, head on over to this page.
Crater Lake National Park – 164 mi/264 km from Crescent City, CA
A summer sunrise at Crater Lake National Park / Rebecca Latson
Featured In The Traveler
Musings From Crater Lake National Park
Rangers there tell us that everyone who reaches the rim and suddenly grasps that first glimpse of the lake has the same reaction. I stopped dead in my tracks – and so did the young couple just in front of me. We stood. Our mouths dropped open and I’m sure all three of us drew sudden gasps. Oh My Goodness!
To read more, head on over to this page.
Photography In The National Parks: A Short Stay In Crater Lake National Park
According to the NPS, Crater Lake has 30 rim overlooks around the 33-mile Rim Drive. Only the most popular overlooks are named on the park map: The Watchman, Cloudcap, and Phantom Ship. During the summer, if you arrive around midday (like I did) anytime between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., the light will be harsh and flat (actually, a summer haze develops any time after 9:00 a.m.). Of course, you still want to photograph what you see.
To read more, head on over to this page.
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area – 204 mi/328.3 km from Crescent City, CA
Serene sailing beneath a smoky sky, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area / Rebecca Latson
Featured In The Traveler
Photography In The National Parks: Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
After a photographic three-day visit to Redwood National and State Parks along the Northern California coast, I drove about several hours east to spend a day-and-a-half at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Because my stay was so short, I spent all my time wandering around as much of Whiskeytown as possible, performing recon work for possible longer photography trips in the future. At Whiskeytown, there’s certainly plenty to do, see, and photograph and I wish I’d spent at least one more day there.
To read more, head on over to this page.
