Lost Coast Trail

Hike Name: Lost Coast Trail Location: northwest CA Length: 24 Submitted by: Karl Brandt Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more California trail reviews California national parks California state parks
For more trail descriptions and topo maps, try a Free Trial Offer from Trails.com

Description
The traditional way to hike this is starting at the mouth of the Mattole river and heading south to Shelter Cove. The theory is that since the prevailing winds are from the north you'll get to hike with them. In reality, you'll get winds from every direction but heading southbound is a nice way to hike this.

This hike is mostly on soft sands and the eroding bluffs above the beach which can make for some slow and tiring hiking. Also, there are two spots where high tide can make it impassable so bring a long a tide table. They're readily available in Shelter Cove.

A few miles after leaving the Mattole, you pass the abandoned Punta Gorda lighthouse. Aside from being a beautiful spot all on its own, it is also the convergence of the North American, Gorda, and Pacific Plates. That make the whole region very seismically active and is responsible for the rugged terrain.

Continuing south, you pass Sea Lion Rock which, big surprise, is frequently covered with Stellar sea lions.

At Big Flat you'll often see people surfing. Even though this is miles from the nearest road, the surf is apparently worth the trouble.

Directions to Hike
From 101 exit in Garberville
Take Shelter Cove rd. towards Redway (west)
The southern trailhead for the Lost Coast is on the north side of Shelter Cove at Black Sands Beach

Contact Information
King Range National Conservation Area
Redway, CA 95560
707-825-2300

submit a new trail review

---

About Our Reviews

Many people ask us to recommend a place to go hiking. Instead of us deciding what places are best, we let the backpacking community help out. The reviews on budget-travels-tips.com have been submitted by our viewers. Some reviews are positive and some are negative. If you don't agree with a review, feel free to submit your own trail review.