This was a park of contrast! We stayed right on the coast in Crescent City and started by exploring the area. There is a lighthouse you can walk out to when the tide is low enough!
Views from the small island were stunning. I love the California coast! The weather was almost 20 degrees cooler on the coast so it was very refreshing.
First thing the next morning we made the drive down to Fern Canyon. This hike seemed like it took place in a completely different world! All you could hear was the sound of the forest, dulled only by the canyon walls that rose slowly taller as we explored. We crossed over a small river a few times getting different views of the fern covered walls.
I love hiking in the morning – the sun always looks incredible as it begins peeking through the trees
In addition to this exploration we also hiked in a few different tree groves. The towering giants are hard to capture in a single picture! My favorite thing was standing at the bottom and looking straight up into the sky.
We also had some great wildlife sightings! There were a few lone elk hiking around and at one point we saw an entire grove full of them! Don’t be fooled – they were never in the “wildlife viewing areas”. They were always somewhere completely unexpected.
Abby and I explored the coast a bit more and we saw some of these guys sunning themselves off on a floating pier! They were far away but we could still make out some antics! The second picture shows one who was doing some afternoon aerobics! The rest of them didn’t seem to appreciate all the movement and seemed happy to lay there basking in the warm sum
Aside from some crazy mosquito attacks when hiking down to Tall Trees Grove this park was perfect! No matter how many times I see these giant trees they always seem to stun me. The number of years they’ve grown is incredible!
Kelsey's Climb to 59 (+4) 