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Garth's Reef, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Crescent City

Watch this spot We email you when Garth's Reef is worth the trip.

Crescent City California harbor aerial view
Crescent City, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Garth's Reef

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

The spot faces SW (213°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (33°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Crescent City, 4.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 11 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. 1 h 50 from the airport to Garth's Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Crescent CityAd

    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 Crescent City · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Crescent City · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Garth's Reef on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct447 ft8 ssoft653kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct426 ft9 ssoft577kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct507 ft9 ssoft779kJ12°C
Wed 21Oct225 ft7 smushy175kJ13°C
Thu 22Oct174 ft6 smushy90kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct175 ft9 ssoft331kJ13°C
Sat 24Oct165 ft7 smushy232kJ12°C
Sun 25Oct196 ft7 smushy318kJ12°C
Mon 26Oct386 ft8 smushy373kJ12°C
Tue 27Oct54 ft7 smushy165kJ13°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to ACV, changing at DEN, then 1h 50 by road. About 11h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Enderts Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Lake Talawa

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Lake Talawa

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to ACV, changing at DEN, then 1h 50 by road. About 11h 35 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Crescent City each day: Crescent City South Beach, Enderts Beach, Garth's Reef, Lake Talawa, Pelican Beach, Point Saint George, Whaler Island.

The trip from Crescent City, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,020–£1,850 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
Hire car6 days, shared£115–£190
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£1,020–£1,850

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

Places to eat near Crescent City

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.