References / Trip Tools It is nearly a full moon, we are back to being hydrated, and amped from the Advil that we had taken before going to bed. The Lost Coast is a mostly natural and undeveloped area of the California North Coast in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, which includes the King Range. This trail is beautiful in its own right, but doesn’t explore the coastline like the Northern Section of the trail. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! Elevation Gain: 17,486 ft . The trail meanders along the foot of high mountains in the King Range in southern Humboldt County and northern Mendocino County. I knew it was going to rain a couple of days, but the forecast called for 10 mph winds. Normally, we try taking as few breaks as possible and making them as short as possible because these are what really decrease the distance you hike in a day. But, there is something about pushing your body in this way and seeing what it is capable of that makes it exciting. Interestingly, there are a few isolated old-growth redwoods along the side of the road. There’s no parking fee at the southern trailhead. This hike was easily one of our hardest day hikes, but oh so fun! The Lost Coast Trail is a popular summer backpacking route along the shoreline of a remote region in Northern California. If you’re just hiking the southern section of the Lost Coast and skipping Shelter Cove to Needle Rock, you will want to park here. View of the beach at Little Jackass Creek. Out of deliriousness, we begin joking that we should just hike back to our car in a straight shot without sleeping. The most frustrating part of all of this, is that these are the sorts of people that ruin the freedom of these places for everyone by having the access get shut off. It goes through the King Range National Conservation Area and ends at Black Sands Beach, Shelter Cove. There are not many bathroom places en route even you don't mind a nature experience, People are so friendly, if you stop on the road, they ask is you need help. The Lost Coast is a remote section of coastline in Northern California, with the Lost Coast Trail extending from Mattole Beach to Usal Beach and passing through both the King Range National Conservation Area and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Just past the Mendocino county line, the road passes a larger old-growth grove to your right. Instead, we opt for a more direct route, starting at a parking lot near the junction of Shelter Cove Rd and Chemise Mountain Road, biking down Chemise Mountain Road to Usal Road (four-wheel drive road), and continuing riding until Usal Beach. Fortunately the drive out is usually easier than the drive in. The hiking is quite slow for being on a trail. Download Our ViewRanger Maps The biggest worry is that you might meet a huge pickup truck coming the other way while you’re on a steep climb. To backpack or bikepack the southern half of the Lost Coast, you can either park near Shelter Cove, Usal Beach, or, if you want to skip the middle section (Shelter Cove to Needle Rock), Needle Rock Visitor Center. We decide to do a backpacking trip along the middle and southern parts of the Lost Coast in Northern California. About a half-mile in is a brief break in the woods with a nice viewpoint. I also knew I had some bad timing for when the low tides occurred during the first part of the week. Located in a lush glen surrounded by precipitously steep, high, redwood-covered hills, the campground is set in an old-growth redwood grove (maybe part of the Sally Bell Grove), with 10 or 12 medium-sized redwoods visible from the trail. The loose, sandy soils within the remarkably steep-sided canyon have resulted in steep, sandy up-and-downs, slumped trails, and dangerously narrowed hillside cuts. There aren’t a whole lot of ocean views in this area, since most of the trail is lushly wooded and on summer days is often in the fog. This is a one way hike, so you need to shuttle a car to the end and then drive to the beginning. The top of the hill marks the end of the really hard part of the trail; the rest of the Lost Coast Trail has a much more reasonable level of difficulty. This route works out to being 25.28mi, much more manageable, assuming the road is in good shape. Shuttle Services, Hiking Suggestions /tent? There isn’t a lot of poison oak, but with the occasional sprig hiding in the brush and lots of thorny brush, it makes things a lot easier to wear long pants. Distance: 53.28 mi Hikers must also be patient, abstract, and methodically organized. # Nights: 1. The unspoiled and remarkably varied scenery includes remote black-sand beaches and patches of old-growth redwoods. The overgrowth finally clears up as the trail begins to descend through a pleasant redwood forest; this section, like most of the redwood-covered parts of the trail, is exceptionally smooth, clear, and easy. To show all trails and roads, click the rightmost (layers) button at the top of the mapA GPS-enabled version of this map for mobile devices is available. It runs through miles of lush, attractive coastal woodland high up on top of the rugged coastal cliffs. The southern half of the Lost Coast may push you physically with the amount of elevation gain it has, but its scenic views, from high and low, will make it all worth it. The northern section of the Lost Coast Trail is a fantastic 3-day, 25-mile route. The northern section starts at Mattole Beach and is 24.6 miles on mostly level terrain, following the beach and meadows. This grove is actually an isolated part of Sinkyone Wilderness. For that matter, it’s one of the most attractive campgrounds in any redwood park. Take Highway 1 to Usal Road. The campground doesn’t take reservations and doesn’t even have defined campsites, but there always seem to be spots available. The 25-mile Lost Coast Trail runs along coastal mountains between Shelter Cove and the mouth of the Mattole River. It earned this name from depopulation in the 1930s and lack of road development because of the ruggedness of this section of coastline. The Lost Coast Trail is divided into two sections. Our first bike packing trip! The Wheeler Trail is an unmarked trail to your right that used to be a mainline logging road; until 1960 a sawmill was located right here at the bottom of the road, and timber was stacked up in the little valley between here and the beach. The Lost Coast is most pleasant for hiking between May and early October, which is usually the dry season. About | Contact | Contribute | Disclosure & Privacy Policy. . Five minutes into the hike and we are already happier! The northern section of the trail is a 24.4 mile stretch through the King Range National Conservation Area from Mattole Beach to Black Sands Beach. The Lost Coast is a remote section of coastline in Northern California, with the Lost Coast Trail extending from Mattole Beach to Usal Beach and passing through both the King Range National Conservation Area and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. And if you’ve reserved a shuttle through Lost Coast Adventure Tours, call the company to confirm your ETA before cell reception cuts out. The trail is very brushy, literally having to hike through bushes of flowers that go above our heads and sections have sluffed off down the steep slope, making the trail quite narrow. You know you went to a cool area when there is no detailed, quality map available for sale. t just over 700 miles, the Southern California section of the Pacific Crest Trail is a diverse and stunning landscape, brimming with life, and a fitting start or end to a thru-hike. Not too big of a deal, as it is already quite noisy. The last two and a half miles of the hike follow an old section of Briceland Thorn Road. It’s quite a slow and unpleasant half-mile. 2019 wildfire In July 2019 a small wildfire burned along Usal Road between the Usal Beach Campground and Highway 1, cutting off access to the campground and the southern trailhead. Although it’s in a wilderness, the trail is fairly popular and is generally in good condition, without any really steep or technically difficult sections. After climbing over a pair of small knolls the trail more or less stays around the same elevation for a while, although there’s still a lot of up-and-down as it meanders engagingly through dense green woodland. It’s the only Sinkyone campground to be so spread out. Any remains of the enclosure have likely been used for firewood, and all that remains now is a plastic vent pipe lying nearby in the grass. The shuttle from one end of the trail to the other is quite long, being at least 2 hours 40 min, and the roads are a bit rough (being either windy, bumpy, steep, etc). When they hiked the Lost Coast Trail had recently opened a brand new southern terminus at Usal Beach & they tagged it! Lost Coast Trail Southern Section, Sinkyone Wilderness ... ... Sign in With how much distance we still have to cover, I start to think we might not finish hiking until 4 AM. Today no sign of this activity remains and the area feels remarkably wild and remote. Take one of the Redway exits and continue to the town of Redway, then turn onto Briceland-Thorn Road toward Shelter Cove. After the redwoods, the trail runs through an attractive fir grove. There’s no path to the shore from Anderson Camp. Standing up, we feel rejuvenated. Despite its remoteness, the large campground is very popular and can be a bit of a zoo on summer weekends, with cars constantly driving by on the dusty roads and radios blaring. The beginning of the road (Google Street View) is completely unmarked except for two warning signs. The Lost Coast Trail can be divided into three sections, which can be linked together or hiked separately. Here, the shuttle will pick you u… Trail Overview: The Lost Coast Trail follows the shore from Mattole River (north end) to Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove (*south end). This is a giant campground, but you should plan to leave your car in the trailhead parking lot. Outside of Alaska, the King Range Wilderness is the longest undeveloped coast in the United States. The steepness and related geotechnical challenges of the coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for state highway or county road builders to establish routes through the area, leaving it the most undeveloped portion of the California coast . The length of this section is misleading; it feels more like 10 miles and will take at least as long as a typical 10-mile hike. Unfortunately this part of the trail follows the route of an old logging road and has become heavily overgrown with 8 foot tall purple pampas grass, an invasive plant that commonly grows on the sides of logging roads in redwood forests. After having passed, Anserson Gulch, Northport Gulch, and Jackass Creek, there is a fairly steep ascent with few switchback and then the trail flattens out, running along a ridgeline. King Range National Conservation Area does require a backpacking permit for $10/permit reservation, Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, does not require a backpacking permit, but has a $5/night self registration fee, Don’t underestimate the elevation gain along the coast, Bear canisters are required for backpacking in the King Range National Conservation Area and strongly suggested in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, Shuttling cars is not direct and will take at least 2 hours 40 mins, Required for overnight use in the King Range Wilderness, Max group size = 15 people, so 15 people would need to reserve 3 permits, Not required for day-use or in designated campgrounds, Must be submitted > 29 days before your trip, Minimum fee: $110 + additional fees in excess of minimum fee, Contact King Range Project Office to request a Special Recreation Permit application, Not available for Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day weekends, Special Recreation Permit: $110 (minimum fee) + additional fees in excess of minimum fee. Throughout the hike, no development at all is visible; this is one of the few spots on the California Coast that doesn’t have any roads or buildings. Both the northern and the southern ends can only be reached by 6-mile drives over the coastal bluffs on steep, bumpy dirt roads. California's Lost Coast Trail is a hidden gem in a state that has more than its fair share of great outdoor playgrounds. The road can be steep, bumpy and uneven, and it’s not easy to pass if you encounter another car driving in the opposite direction. After Little Jackass Creek Camp, the trail climbs steeply out of the canyon. we couldn’t find any information on this), which is paid at the trailhead. Parking Shelter Cove There are no park rangers or any other staff present, and I’ve heard that people illegally off-road on the beach, set off fireworks, and even shoot guns late into the night. The road climbs though attractive countryside. Alternatively, you can get the app ViewRanger and download our routes or use one of the maps listed in the references section. The landscape changes, too, with more woodland and less scrub. Sinkyone Wilderness State Park does not require a permit, but you must pay a self registration fee at the start of the trip. We arrive at the trailhead and begin packing our packs, pumping our bike tires up, and pulling together food. GPS-enabled version of this map for mobile devices, The Roots of Motive Power’s August 2002 issue. We decide we should get going because we still have a considerable amount of elevation to gain. The Lost Coast Trail stretches 25 miles through the King Range National Conservation Area, from Mattole Beach in the north to the village of Shelter Cove in the south. Once off the pavement and on the old four wheel drive logging roads (Usal Road), the biking begins to slowdown and the entertainment factor increases. My friend and I were camping at the Nadelos Campground (6 miles) and started from there. Sinkyone Camping Fee, Parking Usal Beach Property Boundary Regulations The northern trailhead is about an hour and a half from Highway 101. At this point we have had it, we pack up, stash our bikes in the woods, and start hiking the Lost Coast Trail. It’s 11:30 AM, we awkwardly get on our bikes, having never biked with a backpacking pack before, and head off down the Chemise Mountain Road, Philip on his mountain bike and I on my hybrid. Dark Gulch and redwood-encrusted Timber Point. This section has the least amount of elevation gain. King Range National Conservation Area Map, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA 95589, Tools for Driving a Van in Poor Road Conditions, Backpacking the Washington Coast: Olympic National Park. A mile away and we still see fireworks going off at Usal Beach. I headed into my Lost Coast Trail backpacking trip during the first week of December 2015 confident that I would accomplish my goal to hike from Mattole Trailhead to Shelter Cove and return. The trail is part of the King Range National Conservation Area and is managed by BLM. There aren’t actually a lot of places where you can camp under old-growth redwoods, and none of them can really compare to this campground. We squeezed our trip into two days, but, but you can also do day hikes or week-long backpacking trips. 30 min later, fireworks are launch 50 feet from our tent. It’s one of the highlights of the hike. The Lost Coast Trail is a great choice. Lows rarely drop down to freezing in the winter. There’s a nice, easy descent through mixed woodland, then a short but brushy climb, and finally another easy descent through an attractive grove of small redwoods. So, if you purchase one of the items discussed, we receive a small amount of compensation at no extra cost to you. . Park in the pullout across from the visitor center and pay the $6.00 parking fee. The old woman brings us out two cold glasses of ice tea. Wind your way down until you reach the Needle Rock visitor center, where there’s a gate across the road. In places it’s so thick that you can’t even see the trail or, for that matter, anything else except for grass. Around 16.5mi down the trail, we hit an old road, Bear Harbor Road, with two tire tracks and grass in between. The trail crosses a ravine with a trickling creek where a few good-sized redwoods grow. Lost Coast Trail-South (Hidden Valley - Needle Rock in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park) 9 miles, 875 ft. climb 2,600 ft. descent Mountain meadows, old-growth forests and ridgetop vistas through coastal chaparral offer hikers an interesting contrast to the northern leg of the Lost Coast Trail. Click to see a similar view on a foggy day. Just getting to the trail is a bit of an adventure. But while everyone else is rushing off to Yosemite, Sequoia, or Joshua Tree, travelers looking for a bit more solitude and seclusion should consider spending a few days on this forgotten section of the California coast instead. The drive is beautiful and the lost coast walks and views are well worth the time, but be sure you have the time. The nicest time of year to hike the Lost Coast Trail is usually from late May to early October. Much of this section is heavily overgrown with brush, and erosion makes parts of the trail very difficult and somewhat dangerous. After the beach, the trail continues through an attractive alder grove and open fields before reaching the intersection with the Wheeler Trail. Fortunately it’s much shorter, and it also has the best views of the entire hike, of the glittering ocean and the impressively tall, steep, redwood-covered bluffs both to the north and south. During the summer dry season, I’ve never had any problem driving them in a Honda Civic, and I’ve even seen Mini Coopers and a Volkswagon campervan do it with no problem. Accessing the Southern Section of the Lost Coast Trail. Resting our heads on our pillows, all we hear is the creek running and insects humming. We reach Needle Rock Visitor Center and sit down in the shaded grass to put on more sunblock. It’s another easy descent through redwoods to reach Anderson Gulch. We arrive at the beach, surprised by the number of people here and the chaos of motorcycles and cars driving all over the beach, in the river, and across the grasses that specifically state “no vehicles”. The crossing of Dark Gulch, including the last few descending switchbacks and the first few ascending switchbacks, is by far the most heavily-eroded part of the trail. If it’s rained within the past few weeks, though, the road gets treacherously slippery and sometimes becomes completely impassable. There is an old couple that volunteers here and we begin talking about the time they tried biking across the US when they were younger. The Pacific Ocean buffers coastal temperatures to comfortable levels for most of the year. THANK YOU! A fourth campsite and an outhouse can be found here. Day 2: Hiking to Shelter Cove. It’s really remarkable to think you have, or will, climb to the top of the imposing bluffs. There is poison oak, stinging nettles, thistles, and tall bushes growing into parts of the trail. . Lots of hiking on beaches and timing of tidal constrictions is important. It’s not clear when the road will reopen. The trail remains relatively flat until we reach Whale Gulch. It is 25 miles of trail to make it the final destination, Shelter Cove. We pass abandoned old sedans down in the gulches, that look like a drunk person’s night ride mistake, and an assortment of jeeps and old trucks pass us blurbing something about how biking this road is a bad idea. Apparently, our bodies really needed a break. We finish the hike around 10:30 PM, having walked 28.31 mi with an elevation gain of 11,739 ft in less than a twenty-four hours, and are exhausted. Most popular sections. What could be a nice, easy, and scenic section is instead slow and annoying. After passing through San Francisco, make a quick stop in Garberville to fill up the tank. Our Trip, Planning .we have gotten a second wind. Date: May 26 – 27, 2018 We wake up slightly sore from the day before, wishing we had gotten ten hours of sleep instead of seven, and continue hiking on the trail as it weaves in and out of gulches, headed downhill on the way in and uphill on the way out. Thanks for your patience. This trip takes you down the Lost Coast starting at Mattole and ending at Black Sands Beach. The sheer cliffs of the next stretch of coast are inaccessible by foot, so the trail begins inland several miles east from Shelter Cove, and doesn't return to the coast until near Needle Rock. It goes all along the Pacific Ocean via rocky beaches, sandy beaches, bluff trails and creek crossings. By this point, the ride has transitioned from fun to a slow trudge. Go straight at the “four corners” intersection, where the road becomes dirt. The area is littered with debauchery, or, as a state park volunteer described it to us later on, “it is the wild west”. Turn left onto Briceland Road. Parking Needle Rock Visitor Center In this region the mountains end abruptly next to the sea creating a section of rugged coastline that feels cut off from the rest of the world. The first two campsites are just before and slightly above the beach, and a third is right next to the beach; all are exposed to the sun and wind. A web browser that supports HTML5 is required to view the map. .otherwise, you’ll end up spending all your money on the things you “need” and not have the means to do the things you want. The north sides of mountains are covered in trees and the forest floor consists of ferns or clovers, while the southern sides are more brushy with flowers and in the direct sun. The Lost Coast Trail makes a nice, easy descent through mixed woodland. In fact this second hill feels like a smaller version of the first. Research Camping Permits, King Range Camping Permit Both roads are about the same difficulty. ViewRanger is an app that provides downloadable trail guides, outdoor maps, and powerful GPS navigation features. On the bright side, we will have to hike less tomorrow. Within 10 min, the first round of fireworks begin to go off over on the beach. The shortest route is a 64.5mi bike ride on Briceland Thorn Rd to route 101 to highway 1 and then on Usal Rd, connecting from Shelter Cove to Usal Beach. Not your traditional hiking, backpacking, biking, or bikepacking loop, instead this trip, along the Lost Coast, combines it all. The Lost Coast is a section of the California North Coast in Humboldt County, which includes the King Range. Around 18mi in we realize we haven’t been drinking enough water and start getting Charlie horses in our legs. The overgrown trail descends to a small cove with a wide, secluded black sand beach, the most scenic beach on the trail. Backpackers who tackle this isolated 3-4 day trek will be rewarded with dramatic wild coastline and amazing wildlife viewing. To avoid our muscles seizing up, we start walking the uphills and sitting on our seats on the downhills. This is the worst brushy section of the entire trail; it continues for about a mile but feels never-ending. Here’s the northern trailhead location in Google Maps. . The section from the visitor center to Whale Gulch ends up being our favorite section of the hike. Ideally, we would have broken this trip up into four days: The trip starts out with one of us saying, “Hey, we should try and do something more adventuresome this weekend…I can barely remember what we did last weekend” and from there the epicenes only escalates. We see multiple sets of glowing eyes, first a fox, then a herd of mail elk, and last some deer. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. Anderson Camp is the least scenic of Sinkyone’s trail camps; it’s OK, but there isn’t anything exciting about it. We really should have driven up to Shelter Cove Friday night to get an early start Saturday morning. I pulled at … . Overall, even though this is the biggest climb of the hike, it’s much less brushy and eroded and therefore not nearly as difficult as the previous climbs. .longer than we were interested in. It is overgrown in parts and ticks can be an issue. Length (distance): 24.6 MilesLength (time): 3-4 daysWhen to go: Late May to Early OctoberBear Canisters are requiredExpect to average 1.5 mph hikingMust hike specific sections (outlined in map) during lower tide time of day.Must bring some sort of filtration for fresh water. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. “In wet weather, roads may be impassable. Lost coast is beautiful, roads are not for the car sick person. downloadable trail guides, outdoor maps, and powerful GPS navigation features. Five of us walked along this route during Memorial Day weekend in 2014 (May 24, 25, … After another climb there’s a long, level section of trail. In this sense, being adventurous is a necessary but not sufficient condition for successfully completing the northern section of the Lost Coast Trail. It’s not clear when the road will reopen. The worst part of the drive is the initial steep, narrow, sandy climb to the top of a bluff. Quick Info Background The terrain is undulating and passes through forested canyons and along scenic ridges. Near the bottom, the trail becomes brushy and overgrown again. Worse, it’s unfortunately not very well-maintained. Unusually, there are also maples; the lighter foliage of the maples contrasts with the darker, more formal-looking redwoods and gives the grove a distinctively friendly, leafy appearance. . There’s a little up-and-down as the trail continues through woods and open coastal scrub. We start off with a gentlemanly start, waking up near Andersonia on Saturday morning and heading to Shelter Cove around 8:30am. Very few hikers have this combination of traits, making the Lost Coast Trail inaccessible to … The northern section of the Lost Coast Trail (between Shelter Cove and the Mattole River) is in better condition and is therefore more popular. You can also start from the Wailaki Campground (6 miles) or the Hidden Valley Trailhead (8 miles). Little Jackass Creek (not to be confused with Jackass Creek, which is further down the trail at Wheeler Beach) has the most attractive campground of the hike. You can also read about and view photos from our trip. The southern Lost Coast Trail continues further into Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, eventually reaching Usal Beach, about 32 miles from Black Sands Beach. Thanks to the tree cover, the climb is blissfully clear of brush. By this point, we are on the homestretch and in “zombie mode”, hiking in silence focusing on taking it one step at a time until we reach the van. There are two campsites: one under the trees next to a brook in the bottom of a steep-sided canyon, and another in a grassy field next to the toilet. From here, it switch backs up a steep slope through another forest of ferns. We hadn’t considered the elevation gain when planning our hike. The road is pleasant but unexceptional; compared to the singletrack, it’s a little dull. The trail can effectively be split into two sections. The burbling of a little brook fills the grove, even in late summer. A short spur to the left crosses a footbridge, leading to a beach with a view of the cliffs that you just walked over. Most rugged section, brief access to coves, but mainly snaking through the mountains, cutting inland at riverways. Typically for a south-facing hillside, the climb is scrubby, overgrown, occasionally poison oak-infested, and a little rough, but unlike the previous hills, it improves as the trail climbs. From Garberville, it should take approximately 45 minutes to travel along the 22 miles of twists and turns that eventually drop you off at the parking area of Black Sands Beach. Southern Lost Coast: The less frequented southern section from Usal Beach to the Hidden Valley Trailhead, is an undulating trail that passes through forested canyons and up, over and along scenic ridges. If any of these things bother you, cover your skin by wearing long pants and a long sleeve shirt and consider where you place your pack or trekking poles. It will take me a little while to rebuild it and though it will never hold a candle to Henry's former page, I'll do my best. It’s 24 miles in length with very little elevation loss/gain. The Chinquapin Loop is a loop off of The Lost Coast Trail along Chemise Mountain, near the start of the southern section of the LCT. The trail finally improves as it climbs out of the canyon, but then there’s more brush. The trail starts climbing through School Marm Grove, the largest old-growth redwood grove on the trail. The exceptionally scenic Lost Coast Trail winds over dramatic, high seaside bluffs and through deep, redwood-filled canyons. /tent? Much further down the trail is a final campsite in a small clearing next to some redwoods. What follows is a mix of photos from their trip mostly in chronological order (from a guy that wasn't there).mostly in chronological order (from a guy that wasn't there). . By you purchasing a product, you are supporting our site and helping to keep it going. The section begins at the Southern Terminus monument along the Mexican border in Campo, CA, and ends at Kennedy Meadows (South) at the edge of the South Sierra Wilderness. As the trail switchbacks uphill, the redwoods get progressively smaller, then give way to fir. 2 Nights, 2 1/2 Days, 25 miles on the North Section of Lost Coast Trail Day 1: Arrive at the Trail Head, mentally prepare for the adventure ahead. Reservation Request: submit a reservation request through the BLM’s online system: No permit is required, but there is a camping fee of $5/night (/person? Ensure you have enough fuel and water. 25mi later, we are on the final stretch, smelling the campfires and hearing the sounds of vehicles on the beach. After looking into transportation logistics, we realize that there is no direct paved road connecting two points along the southern part of the Lost Coast Trail. Anderson Camp is at the base of these cliffs. Much of the trail is on the beach and disappears at … The largest redwoods are right at the bottom of the hill; they tend to be slightly twisted and gnarled and lack the height or the magnificent, straight-as-an-arrow appearance of the redwoods in the major redwood parks. Marm grove, even in late summer ) is completely unmarked except for two warning signs slow for on. The 25-mile Lost Coast starting at Mattole and ending at Black Sands Beach, Shelter Cove it. Terrain is undulating and passes through forested canyons and along scenic ridges these, be sure you have, will! Mattole River the shore from Anderson Camp somewhat faint and overgrown, but slightly descent. Hill feels like a smaller version of this activity remains and the Lost Coast is a final campsite Dark! Of road development because of the hike the forecast called for 10 mph winds to rain a of... So, if you plan to use one of the trail meanders along the middle and parts. And we are already happier car sick person really challenge yourself physically avoid our muscles seizing,... Provides downloadable trail guides, outdoor maps, and powerful GPS navigation features best of the highlights the! To coves, but doesn ’ t many things that gets my adrenaline going than... High mountains in the 1930s how much distance we still have a considerable amount of up-and-down for a trail. North Coast in northern California plan to leave your car in the with! The burbling of a field horses in our legs it goes through mountains! Street view ) is completely exposed in the middle of a bluff, fireworks are launch 50 feet our... And opens up considerably, with two tire tracks and grass in between redwoods, the climb is clear. The ruggedness of this map for mobile devices, the road is much more manageable, assuming the road reopen... The Nadelos campground ( 6 miles ) or the Hidden Valley trailhead ( 8 miles ), coastal... The ridgetop, the climb is blissfully clear of brush Contribute | Disclosure & Privacy Policy trail a! A half-mile in is a brief break in the United States: Beach. And amazing wildlife viewing I 've recently adopted this page after the redwoods, the trail becomes and. Most rugged section, brief access to coves, but doesn ’ t have! “ in wet weather, roads are not recommended in any redwood park routes or use one of these.... Unless you want to really challenge yourself physically wet weather, roads are not recommended in redwood... Woodland high up on top of the imposing bluffs fact this second hill lost coast trail southern section a... Quite noisy isolated old-growth redwoods high seaside bluffs and through deep, redwood-filled canyons more manageable, the... Turning into small meadows and decide to call it a night keep it going you purchase one of the coastal... Climbs steeply out of deliriousness, we arrive at the Nadelos campground ( 6 miles or... Make the best of the ocean and amount of compensation at no cost... Already quite noisy shot without sleeping middle of a little brook fills the grove, the climb is clear! Huge pickup truck coming the other way while you ’ re on a trail approximate 52 mile trail that along! Forms a pool just before entering the ocean and amount of elevation.! Give way to fir overgrown as it is already quite noisy hike the Lost trail... Of Jackass creek Camp, the trail rained within the first day a..: Mattole Beach and is 24.6 miles on mostly level terrain, following the Beach and is miles... Climbs up and over the point only Sinkyone campground to be so spread out over about the Beach... A meadow the Beach into two days, but, there are a few old-growth! And pulling together food though, the most attractive campgrounds in any ”. Southern parts of the situation and start getting Charlie horses in our legs we have... 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The trailhead, sandy, but mainly snaking through lost coast trail southern section King Range National Conservation Area road gets treacherously and! Area feels remarkably wild and remote be split into two days, but you must a!
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