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Lake Talawa, 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 Lake Talawa is worth the trip.

Crescent City California harbor aerial view
Crescent City, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Lake Talawa

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 very gently: 10 m deep about 6.7 km out (1 in 667). 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Crescent City, 8.9 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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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From Chicago: about 11 h 40 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. 2 h from the airport to Lake Talawa.

    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

Lake Talawa on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct145 ft10 ssoft449kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct106 ft9 smushy405kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct08 ft9 ssoft956kJ12°C
Wed 21Oct534 ft6 smushy140kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct473 ft12 ssoft284kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct255 ft10 ssoft389kJ14°C
Sat 24Oct485 ft8 smushy238kJ11°C
Sun 25Oct164 ft6 smushy119kJ11°C
Mon 26Oct256 ft7 smushy310kJ12°C
Tue 27Oct444 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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to ACV, changing at DEN, then 2h by road. About 11h 40 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 Lake Talawa

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Enderts Beach

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Garth's Reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  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 2h by road. About 11h 40 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.