Del Norte Coast

The Del Norte coast, California's most northern coastal county, is a pleasant continuation of beautiful beaches and rugged coastline, so it made leaving Oregon a bit easier.

Among the big attractions here are the redwood trees and the vista points, such as Klamath Beach Road, where excellent views of the Klamath River mouth opening to the Pacific can be had.

Stunning views such as this can be had from various vista points along the Highway 101. This one was taken just south of Crescent City, looking south.

Klamath Beach Road shoots off the 101 and leads to a small state park with picnic tables, bathrooms and these gorgeous views of the Pacific in both directions. The next several shots were taken from there.

Another beautiful panoramic vista is that of the Klamath River Overlook, as seen above. These people are seeing whale spouts as I took this shot. The mouth of the Klamath River is to the left and can be seen in the following shots..

Here is the mouth of the Klamath, the sandbar and the ocean on the other side, this shot taken from sea level. From up on the bluff, we could not see the hundreds of birds that were there, except through binoculars.

The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, also off the 101, is the main road through the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Obviously, there are stately redwoods lining the road, but elk can usually be seen also.

To be honest, this tree, named "Big Tree" appeared to me no bigger than any of the other redwoods. But, it was given the name, had a sign pointing to it and had a fence around it. It measures 304 feet high. Its diameter is 21.6 feet, and its circumference is 68 feet. It is thought to be older than 1500 years.