Roosevelt Elk Viewing

One of the biggest highlights of traveling Highway 101 from Crescent City to Eureka are the herds of Roosevelt Elk that wander the coastal meadows of Humboldt Bay. The aptly named Elk Meadow — located off Davison Road in Orick — is one of the best places to spy these timid creatures, who can be seen in the early morning and late evening grazing on grass and leaves. Be sure to bring along a telephoto lens for the best shots of these beautiful animals, which are the largest North American subspecies of elk. Other good places to find them are at Gold Bluffs Beach and Elk Prairie in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.