Camping Along Highway 101 – Crescent City | California

 

Our stop at Crescent City was a short one, but our experience there was magical. Driving down Highway 101 was as stunning as I had hoped it would be. Though our drive out of Cannon Beach got a later start than we had hoped, the sunset we watched along the California coast made it seem like we had planned the whole thing. We feel very lucky to have stopped at the place we did. We were driving through a couple small towns in coastal California along the 101 when we saw the words “Ocean View” with a big arrow on the pavement. We had no idea what we were coming up on, but decided it was worth a shot. Sometimes blind turns with a camper go well, and sometimes it can get us into a pickle (backing up in tight spaces is pretty complicated- there is no such thing as an easy 3 point turn with a camper).

This stop was one of the best roadside views of our trip so far. There was plenty of space to park our camper up on the bluff, and we nearly had it all to ourselves. As we watched the sun set, we saw fog rolling into the cliffs across the way. It was such an epic experience. As we were sitting there, a man told us we could camp for free right there on the bluff. Man how I wish we could! We had already made reservations and had obligations in Crescent City, but I have every intention of coming back to this spot. I can hardly imagine waking up in our camper to that view in the morning. Wow!

As dusk fell, we continued on for another hour on the road to Crescent City, California. Our campground was located right on the harbor. We could hear the fog horn blowing as we set up our camper for the night and could hear the roar of the ocean nearby. Feeling excited about our new destination, we took a night walk with Migo to see the harbor. To our surprise, there were a dozen seals and sea lions swimming around and sleeping along the docks. My friend actually almost walked right into one sleeping on the ground in the dark. Man, good thing he recognized that silhouette! We enjoyed watching the energy of the seals flapping around in the water and the old boats that surrounded the harbor.

The next morning, we woke up to do yoga on the beach. Then I took my camera and wandered around the Crescent City harbor to see if I could catch any seals. Well- what we thought were a dozen seals and sea lions was more like a hundred! They covered the docks and rocky ledges roaring and whelping. I love the little pose they sit in. Its almost like their doing the Cobra.

I must have timed my walk with the low tide, which was lucky. As I explored the coast and drank my coffee, I saw bunches of bright orange starfish along the rocks. Most were too far to get a good picture of, but they were still exciting to see. I peeked around some rocks near the water and discovered tons of colorful anemones. How magical to see a glimpse into this underwater world!

After finishing my coffee, I returned to our camper to get ready for a bike ride into the redwoods at Jedediah State Park. More on that in my next post!

Thanks for reading!

Shelley Hartman, North Carolina + California Wedding Photographer