Best Tide Pools for kids in Crescent City, CA
We’ve gathered all the details for which tide pools in Crescent City, CA are best for kids and families. If you’re visiting Crescent City and want to take your children to the Northern California coast, here are the best spots to take a closer look at tide pools with your kids.
What exactly are tide pools? During low tide little pools of ocean water stay along the rocks and you get a perfect window into ocean life living there when the rocks are covered by water when the tide is in. In northern California you will likely find green sea anemones, and purple and orange sea stars (what you might call star fish), all kids of crabs, small fish, and maybe urchins and octopus if you’re really lucky.
If you’re looking for the beaches with the best tide pools that are easy for the kids to see and explore safely you’ve got a lot of options.
Pebble Beach and Garth Beach are side by side and offer great options for kids to explore tide pools. Once you park along the lots along N Pebble Beach Dr. and walk down to the beach head toward the large black rocks. Be patient and encourage the kids to look closely especially on the underside of the rocks. They’ll be rewarded for slowing down and being observant. These beaches have lots of cool pebbles, beautiful sea stacks, and Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge is in the distance.
Battery Point beach is right in town. There is a large parking lot, and probably the easiest sloping paths down to any of the beaches. If you have anyone with mobility issues I’d try this one out. There are a few large rocks over near the pier area that are easy to access. Be sure to explore all the nooks and crannies in the rocks. We found one of the largest sea stars I’ve ever seen (larger than a dinner plate!) There were picnic tables along the path near the bathrooms if you’re looking for a spot to eat. You’re right by the pier, Battery Point Lighthouse, and Beachfront Park. The lighthouse is only accessible during low tide so if you are planning to be there for tide pools its perfect timing to explore the lighthouse and museum.
Point St. George is located past Pebble and Garth Beaches. This one has a little more of a walk down to the beach from the parking lot. Once you’re down there are lots of fantastic spots to explore the tide pools among the rocks. Its typically not very crowded and offers some breathtaking views of the coast.
Enderts Beach is one of my favorite spots we visited in Crescent City. When you’re on South Beach, this is below the cliffs you’re viewing to the south. Enderts Beach has what I think are the most expansive tide pools in Crescent City. They go on and on and seem to have more ocean life than any of the others. With that being said—-Enderts Beach requires you to hike to it. Hear me out- we are not the hiking kind of family. After you park in the small parking lot, you will need to hike a mostly shaded, mostly not too steep, mostly wide path about 0.6 miles mostly downhill to the beach. Parts of the path are open sided down the mountainside into the ocean so if you have a toddler who is a runner be prepared to carry them. There are only one or two steep descents on the path itself, but the path ends on a big rock cliff that you’ll need to climb down to get to the beach. It is extremely doable even with young kids. Just keep a level head and navigate it together. We did it with a small child and a large dog, and we are not rock climbing people by any means. Tennis shoes are a must for the hike and just throw beach shoes in your backpack to change once you’re on the sand. Going back up the rocks was much easier. Be prepared you may end up carrying a kid all the way back to your car- uphill.
So why on earth would you tackle this adventure with small kids? Well just look at it. Its not crowded because parking spaces and willingness to hike here are limited. Let your kid play in the sand and enjoy the beach while you get jaw dropping gorgeous pics for your walls (and your memories). Walk through the rock archway to find a stream running under a huge fallen redwood with more cliffs in the distance. This is where the redwood forest meets the Pacific Ocean and where your kids became explorers.