Welcome To Del Norte

Southern Oregon’s Josephine and Jackson Counties lie east of Curry County and offer warm summertime temperatures, winter skiing, white-water excitement, wineries and Shakespeare. The major communities of these counties are situated along Interstate 5. Quaint villages can be found along east-west routes such as Hwy 199 and Hwy 62.

Del Norte County in California is located 366 miles north of San Francisco via Hwy 101 and 383 miles south of Portland via Interstate 5 and Hwy 199. One of the many attractions of this county are coastal redwood parks. Towering redwood forests can be seen in Redwood National Park, Jedediah Smith State Park and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

Crescent City (population 7,542) is the county seat and Del Norte’s largest city. The Redwood National and State Parks Visitor Center is located at 1111 Second St. Attractions include Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City Harbor, scenic drives, public fishing piers, a history museum and the Elk Valley Casino. The town also has a wide variety of stores, restaurants, RV parks and lodging facilities. Nearby, the majestic Smith River flows to the ocean and offers a number of recreational activities, including rafting, tubing, kayaking, fishing and more.

A short distance north of Crescent City is the quaint agricultural community of Smith River, where the river of that name enters the Pacific. Located on coastal terraces 13 miles south of the Oregon border, the flat, fertile land attracted settlers and farmers as early as 1852. Each year several hundred acres of lily bulbs are planted in Smith River and along with Brookings to the north, they account for 95 percent of the Easter lilies sold in the nation during the holiday.

Just north of the Oregon/California border is Brookings (population circa 6,000), the southernmost town in Oregon’s Curry County. It offers a wide variety of large and small retail amenities and is near spectacular coastal parks, such as Harris Beach and Samuel H. Boardman State Parks.

Farther north, Gold Beach (population circa 2,000) and the tiny village of Wedderburn flank the mouth of the Rogue River, where fishing is a major activity year-round. The Rogue also is well-known for its jet boat trips. High-powered, low-draft vessels take passengers and mail 30-plus miles upriver to Agness or to Paradise Lodge which is 50-plus miles upriver in the federally-designated “Wild and Scenic” section of the Rogue. Gold Beach is the county seat and hosts the Curry County Fair in the summer and the Seafood & Wine Festival in May.

Hwy 199 travels east out of Crescent City and into Josephine County. The picturesque
Highway is known as the Smith River Scenic Byway along the portions that parallel the wild and scenic waterway of that name. After crossing into Josephine County, the road leads to Cave Junction, a quaint village named for the nearby Oregon Caves National Monument. Several family-run wineries offer tastings along or near Hwy 46, which leads to the national monument and its historic chateau.

Farther east, Hwy 199 intersects with Interstate 5 at the Josephine County seat of Grants
Pass (population 25,700) that is also situated on the Rogue River. Local outfitters offer jet boat trips down the river, as well as raft and kayak excursions. Josephine County sits amidst the foothills of the Cascade, Siskiyou and Coast mountain ranges, where hiking, fishing, picnicking and other outdoor activities are prevalent. The Grants Pass Visitors Center provides historic walking tour brochures.
Medford, the county seat of Jackson County is located 30 miles southeast of Grants Pass, and with a population close to 64,000, it is one of the largest cities in Southern Oregon. At the north end of Medford, Hwy 62 intersects with Interstate 5 and leads northeast to Crater Lake National Park, and has a vast array of dining, lodging and shopping opportunities.

A visitor center is located at the Harry and David Country Village, which can be reached by traveling west on Barnett Road from exit 27 on Interstate 5. Other attractions include the Southern Oregon History Center and the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre, both in the downtown district.

Ten miles south of Medford is Ashland, known far and wide as the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The town has maintained many of its historic homes and commercial buildings. Next to the town plaza is beautiful Lithia Park, which has 100 beautiful acres of gardens, duck ponds, grass and trails, to enjoy by all who visit. South of town is the Mt. Ashland ski area, which offers day and night, skiing and snowboarding. Its 23 runs are served by four chairlifts.

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