Circle of Discovery

 
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Cave features and a river
The River Styx at Oregon Caves National Monument

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Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve

~2 hours/70 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
~2¾ hours/113 miles from Orick, Calif.

Deep inside the Siskiyou mountains lies the "Marble Halls of Oregon". The caves formed when acidic rainwater dissolved the surrounding marble, creating one of the few marble caves in the world. The monument's ancient forests contain endemic Port Orford Cedar and one of the largest Douglas-fir trees in Oregon.
 
 
Crate Lake
Wizard Island and Crater Lake at Crater Lake National Park

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Crater Lake National Park

~3½ hours/172 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
~4½ hours/213 miles from Orick, Calif.

Crater Lake has inspired people for hundreds of years. No place else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding cliffs almost two thousand feet high; two picturesque islands; and a violent volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty and an outstanding outdoor laboratory and classroom.
 
Japanese American's in an internment camp
Citizens pass through Tule Lake Segregation Center

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Tule Lake Unit of WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument

~4.5 hours/208 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
~5 hours/250 miles from Orick, Calif.

The Tule Lake Unit, WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument includes both the Tule Lake Segregation Center, the largest and most controversial of the sites where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, and Camp Tulelake, which was first a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, then a prisoner of war camp, and finally an additional facility to detain Japanese Americans.
 
Volcanic peak at the park
Brokeoff Mountain at Lassen Volcanic National Park

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Lassen Volcanic National Park

~5½ hours/295 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
~4¾ hours/253 miles from Orick, Calif.

Come witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. Nestled within Lassen's peaceful mountain forests you will find that hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land.
Come witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. Nestled within Lassen's peaceful mountain forests you will find that hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land.
 
View of mountain and lake
Autumn colors along the edge of the lake.

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Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

~4¼ hours/209 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
~3½ hours/168 miles from Orick, Calif.

Beautiful crystal-clear waters, surrounded by mountain peaks, waterfalls and pristine mountain creeks. Miles of trails to explore the history of the California Gold Rush.
 
Ladder in a lava tube
Blue Grotto Cave at Lava Beds National Monument

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Lava Beds National Monument

~5 hours/228 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
~5½ hours/269 miles from Orick, Calif.

Lava Beds National Monument is a land of turmoil, both geological and historical. Over the last half-million years, volcanic eruptions on the Medicine Lake shield volcano have created a rugged landscape dotted with diverse volcanic features. More than 700 caves, Native American rock art sites, historic battlefields and campsites, and a high desert wilderness experience await you.
 
Map of the parks in the Circle of Discovery
Seven national park units are within a days drive of each other.

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Last updated: January 30, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1111 Second Street
Crescent City, CA 95531

Phone:

707 464-6101

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