Crescent City is the last real town on the California coast before Oregon, and it carries its history in an unusual way. In March 1964, the great Alaska earthquake sent a series of tsunamis racing across the Pacific, and the fourth wave, arriving hours after the first, struck Crescent City with devastating force, destroying much of the downtown and killing eleven people. It remains the worst tsunami disaster in the contiguous United States, and tsunami evacuation signs are posted along the roads. The harbour was rebuilt, and today it serves a fleet of fishing boats and a population of about six and a half thousand.
The town is also the gateway to some of the most remarkable forest on earth. Redwood National and State Parks, a combined World Heritage Site, protect about forty per cent of the surviving old-growth coast redwoods, and the groves of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park begin a few minutes from the centre. Roosevelt elk graze in the meadows of Elk Prairie, and in the morning, you may find them standing on the road. Battery Point Lighthouse, built in 1856, sits on a rocky islet just off the town, and you can walk out to it at low tide, though you should watch the tide carefully.
The ride on Highway 101 north from here runs through dense forest with only occasional views of the sea, passing under immense trees. The road is mostly gentle, with curves that follow the contours of the coastal range, and the surface is generally good, though frost heave and the odd landslide patch the shoulder. The Smith River, one of the last undammed rivers in California, runs a startling emerald green beside the road, and in summer its gravel bars are good for stretching. Fog and drizzle are common, and the air is cool even when inland valleys bake, so bring layers and keep the visor clear.
Crescent City has fuel stations, supermarkets, motels and a handful of cafes and seafood restaurants, so it is a sensible place to fill up and stock water before the long forested stretches. Dungeness crab is the local prize, in season. The coast is damp, with a long rainy season, and summer is the best time to go, though fog can persist into the afternoon. Keep your speed down near the elk, and always be careful at night, when deer are common.