Beaches in Del Norte County

About Del Norte County

Del Norte County is the northernmost county in California and, like Humboldt County to the south, it has more wild remote beaches than urban beaches. Crescent City is the largest city in the county and it is located near the mid-point of the Del Norte Coast. There is a wide variety of beaches near Crescent City including the long wide sandy Crescent Beach, the protected beach on the harbor, and the rocky coves of Pebble Beach. The rugged southern coast of Del Norte County has many wild driftwood-covered beaches. Some of these are easily accessible from Highway 101 including Klamath Beach, Lagoon Creek Beach, and Wilson Creek Beach. Others require a hike to reach them including Hidden Beach, Damnation Creek Beach, and Enderts Beach. North of Crescent City there is Point St. George where an historic lighthouse six miles offshore is visible on clear days. Between Point St. George and the Smith River there are remote beaches in Tolowa Dunes State Park and Lake Earl Wilderness Area. Between Smith River and the Oregon state border there are few beach access points. Look for signs to Clifford Kamph Memorial Park and Pelican State Beach if you want to pull off Highway 101 to do some beachcombing in this far north area.