Backpacking California's Wild and Remote Lost Coast

The Trip

Northern California’s Lost Coast boasts a ruggedly spectacular undeveloped landscape, where mountains and creeks meet the sea, and coastal wildlife thrives in woodlands, secluded coves, sandy beaches, and tidal zones. When the builders of State Highway 1 were confronted with this area of Northern California’s rugged, rocky, and steep terrain, they were forced to move the planned road inland about 30 miles. With no access available, this remote and beautiful stretch of land became known as the Lost Coast.

The Northern section of the Lost Coast is situated within the King Range National Conservation Area, encompassing 60,000 acres and stretching southward over 35 miles from the Mattole River to below Whale Gulch and the boundary of Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. The native Mattole and Sinkyone people thrived for centuries on the bounty of this land, and still use it for ceremonies and festivals. Later, settlers brought shipping, ranching, and logging to the area. We’ll backpack 25 miles of the Lost Coast Trail, starting from Mattole Beach on the northern King Range and ending at Black Sands Beach, (our meeting point), near the town of Shelter Cove. We will likely encounter sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, pelicans, gulls, deer, and Roosevelt elk. We will walk amongst elephant seals sunning themselves on the beach, choosing our route to give wide berth, perhaps scrambling to a high bluff just to avoid them. The Lost Coast is also home to black bear, mountain lion, and raccoons. Our campsites will never be far from the sound of the sea, which will lull us to sleep each night.

Trekking along rugged shoreline, over seawater drenched rocks, to the tops of bluffs, skirting tidepools, through woodland groves, and into stream canyons banked with ferns, we’ll test our mettle against nature's forces, which often include salt spray, sneaker waves, windblown sand, and rain. Our hiking itinerary and pace will be coordinated to ensure our group safety and we will heed ocean tide schedules. Given the challenging elements of mixed terrain and environment, this trip is suited for experienced backpackers who demonstrate confidence hiking over exposed bluffs, navigating steep narrow trails, and carefully traversing long stretches of slippery rocks alternating with soft sand. The modest mileage and scant elevation changes do not do justice to the ruggedness and difficulty of this trip.

Day 1: The backpack will start from the Mattole Recreation Site area near Petrolia, CA, and end at Black Sands Beach near Shelter Cove. Participants are responsible for their personal transportation to and from Shelter Cove, where a shuttle service will pick us up around noon at a location where we can safely leave our vehicles. The trip leaders will meet you there. After a 2.5-hour van ride to the Mattole Recreation Site, we will set up camp at a site nestled in the dunes, or possibly hike a mile and set up on the beach. A trip orientation will be held this evening.

Day 2: After breakfast together and a brief trip orientation, we’ll embark on the Lost Coast Trail. With the wind to our back, sandwiched between the ocean and verdant hillside, we’ll travel 7 miles south with minimal elevation changes on mixed terrain of rocky (bowling ball-sized boulders), pebbly and sandy beach, and dirt terrace, to camp near the driftwood strewn Cooskie Creek. We’ll pass by the historic and abandoned Punta Gorda Lighthouse (first lit in 1912). We’ll wander amongst California's newest elephant seal colony, established around 2016, keeping safe distance from these huge marine mammals which may top the scales at over 5,000 pounds.

Day 3: We’ll continue hiking southward, on rugged shoreline, with almost no elevation changes, hiking 5 miles to camp near Spanish Creek.

Day 4: We’ll continue hiking southward 7 miles on sand, cobbly stone, and dirt trail on low bluffs just above the beach, with minimal elevation change. We’ll camp near a creek outlet on the beach or slightly inland, protected and shaded by trees, at expansive Miller Flat. The deep creek often affords a brisk freshwater swim at the end of the long hiking day.

Day 5: We’ll have a long day of hiking, travelling 9 miles mostly on sandy and rocky shoreline, shadowed by steep cliffs, and with little elevation change, to Black Sands Beach, our final destination. To celebrate an accomplishment of this magnitude, the group may gather at a local restaurant for a well-deserved meal (not included in trip price).

Getting There

Early the first day of our trip, we'll park our vehicles at a safe location in the town of Shelter Cove, which is located at the southern terminus of our backpack, approximately 240 miles north of San Francisco and 250 miles northwest of Sacramento, the closest major airports. The closest commercial airport is at Arcata, 2 hours and 100 miles north. Garberville, the nearest town on a major road, is 25 miles to the east on Highway 101. There are ample motels, alternative lodging and restaurants in Shelter Cove, a nice town to spend a night or two.

Once at Shelter Cove, we will meet our privately hired shuttle and travel 2.5 hours, and approximately 50 miles, to Mattole Recreation Area. Impassable road conditions resulting from heavy rain may hinder our travel plans; however, our four-wheel-drive shuttle van makes this unlikely. We can eat lunch en route; however, the first provided on-trip meal will be dinner at Mattole.

Our starting point for the backpack is the Mattole Recreation Area, located west of Petrolia, nestled in the dunes adjacent to the Mattole River and Beach. There is no water at the camp so we will need to bring our own. We intend to explore this scenic area prior to heading south along the Lost Coast Trail.

Directions to the meeting location will be sent out before the trip. A list of trip members will also be sent to you before the trip to facilitate ride sharing. Unfortunately, there is no public transportation to Shelter Cove, although some private buses stop at Garberville, 25 miles away.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader. Day five will be a long day; expect to arrive in Shelter Cove no earlier than 4 p.m. Accordingly, we strongly recommend that return flights are not booked until the following day. 

Accommodations and Food

Our first provided meal will be dinner on day one. Our last meal will be lunch on day five. We’ll provide vegetarian-friendly meals, snacks, and drinks: instant coffee, tea, cocoa, breakfasts consisting of hot and cold cereals, lunches consisting of wraps, dried fruit, and cookies, trail mix and energy bars, and dinner with soup, entree, and dessert. The trip leader may be able to accommodate applicants with some food allergies and food restrictions. Please ask before signing up. We’ll camp in primitive trail and beach campsites, obtaining (and treating) our drinking water from nearby streams and creeks. Participants will help with preparing and serving meals, and kitchen-camp clean up.

Trip Difficulty

We’ll backpack on sandy rocky shoreline, up onto ridges and bluffs, then down into stream canyons many times over during our journey. This trip is 3-rated (moderate) due to an average of about 6.5 miles per day and negligible elevation gain. However, our last day is almost 9 miles, and requires a brisk pace to avoid high tides. You must be able to sustain a 2-mph pace on rocky uneven terrain and soft sand, with only short breaks every hour. The leaders expect a brisk pace when required by the tides. If your pace is "slow and steady" this may not be the best adventure for you. Any backpack, even an easy one, requires a significantly better than average fitness level to be enjoyable. Carrying a heavy load, being top-heavy, while navigating slippery, unstable boulders is difficult. 

This trip requires participants to be in excellent shape with stamina and leg strength, excellent balance, sure footedness and mental fortitude and flexibility. Coastal weather is unpredictable and can be dramatic at any time of year. We may be hiking and setting up camp in the rain. Poison oak and ticks are abundant much of the year. The leader will teach participants to identify poison oak and take steps to avoid it. We will do tick checks at intervals after passing through brushy sections of trail. Participants are encouraged to wear light colored clothing, ideally treated with permethrin, to repel ticks and to make detection easier.

A regular exercise program to build physical strength and aerobic capacity is essential. This should begin at least 6 months before the trip. Participants should also plan at least one backpacking trip beforehand to test both your stamina and your equipment. Your trip should mirror the most difficult day: 1,000 feet of elevation change on uneven terrain, carrying a 35-pound pack. Please evaluate your pace and report it to the leader if you suspect it is marginal.

The rainy season should be waning, but rain is likely; so, a waterproof jacket, pants and shelter are required. Nights may be cool and moisture–laden air often settles on our tents. It’s important that your boots be at least ankle-high, well broken-in and have thick lug soles; walking mainly on rocks is tough on feet, making foot and ankle injuries extremely common. Your personal gear, including pack, should weigh no more than 22 pounds (excluding water). You must also carry up to an additional 10-12 pounds of commissary gear, including food in bear canisters, so allow space in your pack for this. A backpack with a capacity of 60 to 70 liters is preferred for this 5-day trip.

Equipment and Clothing

Participants will furnish their own personal equipment, including boots, backpack, backpack cover or liner, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, light weight dry-sacks (for clothes and sleeping bag), a "basics" first-aid kit, toiletries, and eating utensils. The Sierra Club furnishes all shared group gear, including bear canisters, stoves, and cookware, a group first-aid kit, a satellite communication device for emergencies, and food, unless otherwise noted in the trip brochure. A detailed clothing and personal gear list will be sent to participants well in advance of the trip.

References

The Wilderness Press recreation map “California’s Lost Coast" covers our route and contains interesting information on both the King Range National Conservation area and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Many leaders use the Gaia GPS app maps, which must be downloaded for offline use prior to the trip, since there isn't cell phone reception. Some are frequently updated and have proven to be more accurate than paper maps in this area.

Conservation

We’ll discuss climatic changes affecting land and sea, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and impacts of persistent drought on the flora and fauna of California’s wilderness areas. We’ll discuss Initiatives currently aimed at saving California’s redwood forests. Of the 450 miles of suitable habitat along the coast for redwoods, only 5% of the original old-growth forest still remains. 

Most of the trip is in federally designated wilderness, the King Range Wilderness. We will discuss the protections this affords the land and what that means for the Lost Coast. Until 2006, when enlarged to 19 acres, the Rocks and Islands Wilderness Area, visible offshore on much of our route, was the smallest designated wilderness area in the United States (of over 760). It comprises hundreds of rocks, pinnacles and reefs, some only visible at low tide, that provide safe breeding areas for migratory birds and marine mammals and support a variety of ocean creatures.

If there are environmental issues in your local area or region that you would like to share with the group, please come prepared to help us learn about them. During our outing, we’ll practice Leave No Trace principles, including packing out what we packed in. Mineral-only sunscreens (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are preferred to chemical-containing products, proven coral reef toxins.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.