Seal Rock began its life as a vacation destination for early pioneers who enjoyed the small resort town. Located south of Newport, Seal Rock State Wayside features large off-shore rock formations that provide habitat for seals, sea lions, sea birds and other marine life. The beach includes interesting tidepools as well as excellent ocean views and a sandy beach. While the geology is millions of years old, the ocean life here is constant and thrives.
One of Del Norte County's overlooked hiking gems, the Damnation Creek Trail offers visitors solitude among magnificent virgin coast redwoods and a scenic pathway to a nearly inaccessible stretch of rugged coastline. Located in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park 8 miles south of Crescent City, the trail meanders through massive old-growth redwoods before plunging 1,000 feet to open up on Damnation Cove and the Pacific Ocean.
Damnation Creek Trail features a spectacular grove of 300-foot monsters in the Del Norte section of the Redwood National and State Parks system. This patchwork collection of parks protects what remains of these old-growth Northern California forests, only 5 percent of which remain unchanged. The history of Damnation Creek's name is imperfect, but the best evidence suggests that it's derived from settlers who found the going fairly rough there during the 1800s.
