Finding Treasure at Battery Point Lighthouse, Beach Camping for the 4th of July!
We are on a 7,000 mile Great American Road trip. You can catch up on our last post: Redwood Highway, California & Avenue of the Giants – Wedging a Sequoia through a Redwood, Harry Potter’s Themed Campground, and Hiking Eel River! here.
Follow the Redwood Highway North towards Crescent City, California. You will find many picturesque views along the way. Among them is the Redwood National Park. On the way, we stopped at the South Visitor Center Orick, California.
Lighthouse Cove RV Park
Arriving at Lighthouse Cove RV Park, we found ourselves on beachfront camping yet again! The Temps are even cooler this far north, but this never stops the boys from exploring the beach.
Battery Point Light House
Next to the dramatic beaches, the picturesque feature of Crescent City is her light house. Continuously operated since 1856, this light house offers tours to the public – when the tide is low.
We took a tour of the lighthouse and met with the lighthouse operators. A grandfather and granddaughter who volunteer for one month a year, every year for the last 12 years.
The highlight of the tour is after you climb to the top of the light house, the excellent view of the Crescent City coast line. Racing the tide, we are the last tour of the day. The tide fast approaches and if we wait too long, we could be wading our way back to shore.
Pebble Beach Drive
Pebble beach drive connects the Light House with Point St. George. 2 mile road follows the coast line and offers many paved pullouts to take in the beauty of the city.
Point St. George
Follow the well-worn trail down to Point St. George Beach, where you can wander around searching for sand dollars, fossilized shells and driftwood!
Redwood State & National Parks
Redwood National Park spans the coastline of Northern California. Redwood National Park is in a partnership with State Parks, which also includes Jedediah Smith State park.
We stopped at two locations: the far Southern end on our drive up which included a visitor center in Orick, California, as well, the far Northern end Jedediah Smith State Park.
Jedediah Smith Redwoods
Taking a day trip back into the Redwood National Park, we hit up the Jedediah Smith State Park section of the park.
This famous park got it’s name from the explorer Jedediah Smith. Jedediah, a fur trader, followed the trail of Louis & Clark, expanding the geographical knowledge of Pacific Northwest at the behest of the United States. He died at the tender age of 34, but his legacy lives on.
Stout Grove
In the heart of Jedediah Smith State Park, is the Stout Grove. Here, you can truly walk among the giants. We saw the largest collection of old growth trees among all the forests we visited (including Muir Woods). The boys did great hiking this 2 mile round trip trail.
Happy 4th of July!
Happy 4th of July to all! We are excited to celebrate America’s independence travelling among the Beauty of our Nation. This is truly a memorable one!
With the California’s beauty (and high gas prices) behind us, we head up the Oregon Coast Highway! Vamanos muchachos!
