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Freshwater Lagoon, United States

Stay in Orick: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Orick

Watch this spot We email you when Freshwater Lagoon is worth the trip.

Orick, California
Orick, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Freshwater Lagoon

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (280°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (100°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 40). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August and September, with about 2 good days in 7; in January and February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Orick, 4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 10 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN).

    See flights MDW → ACV · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Freshwater Lagoon.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in OrickAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Orick · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Orick · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Freshwater Lagoon on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct07 ft8 ssoft593kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct235 ft8 ssoft341kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct08 ft9 ssoft899kJ13°C
Wed 21Oct534 ft6 smushy124kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct504 ft5 smushy76kJ13°C
Fri 23Oct315 ft6 smushy195kJ12°C
Sat 24Oct385 ft8 smushy241kJ13°C
Sun 25Oct245 ft7 smushy259kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct136 ft7 smushy307kJ13°C
Tue 27Oct624 ft7 smushy134kJ15°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to ACV, changing at DEN, then 55 min by road. About 10h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Dry Lagoon

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Dry Lagoon

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, wind 2 kn (5 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Stone Lagoon

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Stone Lagoon

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to ACV, changing at DEN, then 55 min by road. About 10h 35 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Orick each day: Dry Lagoon, Freshwater Lagoon, redwood creek, Stone Lagoon.

The trip from Orick, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £960–£1,750 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£225–£470
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£55–£90
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£960–£1,750

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Orick

  • EdeBee's Snack ShackBurger · 0.2 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.