Hike Along California's Picturesque Coast To Reach This Beautiful, Secluded Beach

From the brown sands of Rockaway Beach to the soft sands of Sunset Beach, California offers a luxurious collection of incredible shoreside escapes, with each coastal destination offering its own special charms. If you're looking for a getaway that pairs beachy views with rugged natural beauty, you'll want to head to the wonderfully secluded Enderts Beach.

Located within Redwood National and State Parks and three miles from Crescent City, Enderts Beach invites visitors to marvel at bold cliffs surrounding a slice of uncrowded ocean paradise. Even the hike to reach this hidden oasis is full of stunning old-growth forest landscapes along a section of the California Coastal Trail. In an area known for its famous forests, this oceanfront area shows travelers a new side to the Redwood region. If you're a nature enthusiast itching for a serene vacation investigating tidepools and watching waves crash against rocks, this destination should be at the top of your list.

So, what makes Enderts Beach worth the hike to get there? The answer lies in the area's fascinating blend of awe-inspiring beachy vistas, flowering forests, and untamed wilderness. Lush vegetation and eye-catching flowers decorate the craggy cliffs surrounding this serene destination. Standing on the sand, visitors can gaze up at the towering landscape of rocks and forest unique to the Enderts Beach Coastal Plain.

While the beach's cold waters and challenging currents don't make for good swimming, sightseeing, and tidepooling promise to keep explorers entertained. As you bask in the wonder of Enderts Beach's dramatic scenery, look for the pair of interpretative panels that share information about local wildlife, plants, and habitats. Naturalists will love searching the landscape for bears, seals, and fascinating rock formations like the Franciscan assemblage. Meanwhile, tidepooling fans can head to the beach's north end to search for a diverse array of invertebrates like California mussels, hermit crabs, ochre seastars, and more.

[Featured image by John Chao via Flickr | Cropped and scaled | CC PDM 1.0]

Adventurers who want to witness Enderts Beach's beauty for themselves will need to prepare for a hike and plan around the tides. The National Park Service recommends visiting the area during low tide to catch the best views and avoid dangers like sneaker waves, strong, stealthy, and fast-moving waves that can overtake or drown visitors.

After determining when to expect low tide, schedule enough time to complete the walk down to Enderts Beach. This hike takes you along the Last Chance section of the California Coastal Trail. Earning its name due to a reputation for having numerous landslides, the Last Chance hike challenges travelers to navigate tricky pathways that have been impacted by overgrowth and erosion. No dogs are allowed on this trail, and you may encounter wildlife during your trek. Confident cyclists are permitted to take their mountain bikes on the trail.

While strenuous, the hike to Enderts Beach is popular for both its gorgeous end destination and inspiring Redwood National Park views along the way. Look around as you tackle the Last Chance hike, and you'll see massive redwoods and Sitka spruce trees watching over you, and once the region's chilly winter weather starts warming up in the summer, hikers can also spot wildflowers on the trail.