Late Summer in the PNW

Late Summer in the Pacific Northwest

An itinerary for exploring the Redwoods and the Northern Coast of California

We boarded our flight in Denver and landed in Medford, Oregon around 9:30, located the lifted Jeep Wrangler we rented on Turo, and hit the road north. We rested our heads in a small town called Prospect, at the quaint Prospect Historic Hotel Bed & Breakfast. The creaking wrap-around porch, the old brown Westclox alarm clocks, and the cozy outdated floral bed comforters, made this feel like a time capsule from the 1990s, which only made us wish we could stay longer. But, up at 5:30 the next morning, we hit the road once again and arrived at Crater Lake National Park to see the sunrise behind Wizard Island and took a scenic drive around the west side of the lake.

On our way back, we passed through Prospect again and stopped to see some of the beautiful nature it had to offer: Rogue River Gorge, Pearsony Falls, Mill Creek Falls, and Barr Creek Falls. After an eventful morning, we were finally going to California. *Que Led Zeppelin*

Shortly before crossing the California state line we stopped for lunch at Babe's Bakery in Grant's Pass, where we enjoyed some delicious sandwiches. Over the next few hours we experienced the gloomy Pacific Northwest weather, but as we made our way into the Redwoods and closer to the coast, the wetness from the rain illuminated the life in the trees around us. Our first peek at the Pacific was when we drove through Crescent City, and we took a short walk along the beach, covering our toes with the damp black sand. Heading further south we took a detour from Highway 101 and turned onto the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway, which brought us through Prairie Creek in Redwoods National Park. It was here that we felt fully immersed in a jungle of giants. The Redwoods, when you stand beneath them, are simply breathtaking.

After lots of afternoon exploring we arrived in Trinidad and checked into our Airbnb, a tiny coastal shack that was loaded with amenities, including a hot tub and sauna, and perched perfectly atop a cliff near Patrick's Point. There was a steep but short trail that led to a private beach below where we spent some time exploring the tidal pools and watching the sunset.

For dinner, we found a 24 hour diner in Arcata called Toni's, which we would end up returning to 2 more times before our trip was over. This was, without a doubt, the best cheeseburger I have ever had. After a long day, we laid down in bed and were lulled to sleep by the distant sounds of crashing waves, sea lions, and birds.

The next morning we stopped at the Trinidad Bay Eatery for brunch, where we enjoyed clam chowder, oysters, and albacore sandwiches. It poured for most of the day, so instead of hiking we explored the towns of Arcata and Eureka, and ended our day eating rockfish sandwiches from LoCo Fish Co while overlooking Old Home Beach.

On our third and final day, we woke up early in preparation to explore the coast and other areas of the Redwoods. We drove north back through the scenic byway where I captured stunning morning light, intense fog among the tall pines, and majestic bull elk roaming through the valley.

After wandering through the vibrant sun beams that crawled through the forest, we stopped at the Tour Through Klamath Tree, and snapped some typical tourist shots of our jeep squeezing through the massive body of an ancient Redwood. Right down the road was our favorite breakfast stop on the trip, the Log Cabin Diner. Another vintage time capsule, this place gave us the warmest, homiest, and coziest vibes. After a filling and delicious meal of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits and gravy, we hit the road once again towards Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

In this park, we walked on top of massive fallen trees that had widths twice our height. The lush green moss mixed with the abundance of rainforest plants created an environment of ultimate tranquility. To stand among giants that have been around for 1500 years, feeling like an insect in comparison, puts a lot of things in perspective. I took a series of fairy-tale styled photos of Steph frolicking around the trees.

We made our way southwest towards the coast, where we found a hidden lookout point with an amazing view of the vast and jagged Pacific landscape. Steph put a white flower in her hair and stepped into the vibrant green foliage in front of the picturesque coast as I snapped more photos of her dancing around. The turquoise blue ocean and steep rocky cliffs made this spot feel like Hawaii.

Continuing south, we once again stopped in our favorite area, Prairie Creek. At this point, the sun was beginning to set, and the beautiful beams of light began to illuminate the trees, creating another perfect photo opportunity. We walked into the forest quite a bit, in complete solitude, and found a comfortable nook surrounded by huge moss-covered stumps, fallen dead trees, and moist soil . The soft natural light reflected off of Steph and off the trees, giving yet another tranquil and relaxing vibe.

Getting closer to our Airbnb, we stopped in an abandoned town called Orick, where we picked up some delicious brick oven pizzas from a food truck called Mojo Pizza. We drove 10 more minutes down the coast to Redwood Creek Beach, right off of Highway 101. We popped the top off of the jeep, climbed up on the roof, and cracked open some lemonade we bought from a local market. There air was very still with no wind, the ocean was extremely calm, and the sky was perfectly clear to enjoy a California sunset while enjoying a hot pizza. For the next 30 minutes as the sun slowly disappeared beneath the horizon, we relaxed in satisfaction of a successful and wonderful trip that unfortunately went by way too fast. The next morning, we took one more ride through Prairie Creek, and got to see tons of Elk battling each other in the valley. In the next 3 hours of driving back to the airport in Medford, we talked endlessly about when we'd return.