If there is one backpacking trip that I would do it all over again as if it was for my first time, it’s got to be Lost Coast Trail up in Humboldt County California. Lost Coast is breathtaking 25 miles stretch in King Range Conservation Area that harbors endless beauty of oceanic vegetation and rich aquatic biology untouched by human. Here, nature takes lead on the way for living.

Lost Coast Trail
(Mattole Beach to Black Sands Beach – 25 mi.)

GPS Coordination to Shelter Cove Trail Parking (End Point): 40.045518, -124.077740
GPS Coordination to Mattole Beach Parking (Start Point):
40.288970, -124.355729
GPS Coordination to Park Office to Acquire Permit, Tide Chart, and Maps: 40.055395, -123.975036 (This coordination may be slightly off, but you will find the office pretty easily on Shelter Cove Road)

Parking/Entrance = Free but requires overnight permits for backpacking (See below).
Permits Required for Overnight Camping: YES. Reserve overnight permits at recreation.gov. Maximum group size per order is (5) and $10 fee is required.

Hiking distance/Time: 25 mi./5-7 hours over 3 to 4 days.
Difficulty: Strenuous.
Best season to hike: May-October.
Essential Carry: Bear canister is always required. This is enforced by park regulation.

Downloadable Maps can be found here.
You can also purchase the waterproof copy at park office for $5.

Preparation and method of properly getting “Lost” in Lost Coast.

Lost Coast got its name for a reason. It is completely isolated from civilization. To enjoy and preserve the beauty of this unharmed sanctuary please remember the following:

• Leave no trace rule is enforced: pack in your food disposables and other scented items (including sunscreen and toothpaste) into bear canister. Human waste must be deposited into a ‘hole’ or into the mother ocean.
• Carpool must be coordinated to get to the trailhead. I will touch on this later.
• Prepare for harsh and unpredictable weather. Ocean weather is fickle: in the morning you may experience heavy fog and downpour with strong gust, and in the afternoon the beating sun will make you strip off layers. Be prepared.
• KEEP THE TIDE CHART. Great way to monitor day-to-day tide is doing research in advance through useful database such as this one. At King Range Office, you can also obtain the latest tide chart to navigate your hike through certain impassable areas that become difficult to cross during the high tide hours. Again, I will touch on this later.

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Getting to the Lost Coast

Typically, Lost Coast Trail hike is done over the course of 3 to 4 days from Mattole Beach at the northern tip of King Range Conservation Area down to Black Sands Beach. This means, hiking is one-way journey. You may park one car at Shelter Cove Parking at the end of Lost Coast Trail then shuttle up to Mattole Beach with another car to start the hike.

Although the distance between end point and start point does not seem that far, drive between two points takes almost 2 hours because of single lane traffic and uneven roads. It is most economical to have two cars to shuttle but it is also possible to book shuttle service through local business to abridge the dreadful 2 hours drive after the hike.

Watching the tides

Lost Coast’s trail condition is 100% dependent upon tides and has 3 parts along the coast that become impassable during the high tide. These tricky parts of trail are clearly marked on the map so it is definitely worth assessing time it takes you and your group to approach these portion of trail.

It is highly recommended to do tide research in advance and obtain the latest copy of tide chart at King Range Office. Low-tide below 3ft is considered “passable.” If tide is any higher than 3ft you should not take the risk and stay where you are until the tide subsides.

Lost Coast Trail is do-able in 3 days for most experienced backpackers, but giving it additional one day makes this adventure more manageable if the weather condition becomes gnarly.

In this post, I will share my experience with 4 days backpacking.

If you are planning to start early on Friday, I highly recommend to time your breakfast break at Woodrose Cafe in Garberville, a small town located at the entrance to Shelter Cove Road. This place has phenomenal organic omelet, eggs benedict, and shiitake burgers!

Started my morning at Woodrose Cafe with this delicious Eggs Benedict. Five Stars.

First stop you should make is King Range Office on Shelter Cove Road en route to Shelter Cove Parking at the South end of Lost Coast Trail. Get your free camping permit and waterproof maps ($5) here. Also, it is good idea to consult the park ranger for current condition of Lost Coast Trail and learn what to expect.

Lost Coast Trail is right in the heart of bear country. You always have to carry bear canister and store all scented items inside to keep the curious creatures from confused attacks.

Rather overpacked rear view of my Prius at Shelter Cove Parking. We dropped of one car here for the last day and shuttled ourselves up to Mattole Beach on the North side to commence the epic journey.

If you have forgotten or missed to acquire permit at King Range Office, you may pick one up at Mattole Beach. Keep in mind the copy is first comes first served and number is limited during the summer season.

Bear canister is ALWAYS REQUIRED. Make sure to include this item to your packing essentials.

Mattole Beach Trailhead

The beginning of journey

We have decided to start the trip on Friday the week before Memorial Day Weekend. I’ve met up with my friend in San Francisco and drove separately towards Garberville in Humboldt County. We arrived at Garberville around 9:30am and had a delicious breakfast at Woodrose Cafe then proceeded West to approach Shelter Cove Parking situated at the southern end tip of Lost Coast Trail next to Black Sands Beach.

As the park ranger suggested to us, drive form Shelter Cove to Mattole Beach was brutal and slow with lots of uphills and narrow lanes. It took about 2 hours to get to the starting point of our hike. Once we arrived at Mattole Beach we were reasonably sick of driving and ready to get on our hiking boots!

Watch the video documentation of Lost Coast backpacking experience.

Majority of Lost Coast Trail hike was on sandy beach which made the walking very slow and challenging with extra weight on the back!

Every step on Lost Coast Trail reveals fresh signs of prolific biology tucked away beyond mountains of King Range.

Walking on sandy beach is big business.

Sea lion driftwood.

There were quite few of these seemingly abandoned log houses along the trail.

Day 1 of 4 ::  Mattole Beach to Cooskie Creek [6 mi.]

Since we have not started the actual hiking until well past 2:30pm in the afternoon, we decided to make an easy 6 miles to Cooskie Creek. Walking on the sands for the most part of first day was a great introduction to our calves who are so used to solid grounds. For most part of hiking we battled the soft sandy coastal trail.

About 2 miles into the hike we entered the first impassable shore zone just in time during the low tide.

Punta Gorda Lighthouse.

Colony of elephant seal has welcomed us to impressive aquatic biology of Lost Coast.

We found this couple stranded at Shelter Cove Parking sadly missed the shuttle service. We decided to shuttle up to Mattole Beach together on my Prius all in a while had a great conversation.

Punta Gorda Lighthouse.

Elephant seal.

Brutal reality of nature’s survival.

A view away from ocean near Punta Gorda Lighthouse.

This $5 waterproof map we bought at King Range Office served us very well throughout the hike. MUST CARRY.

Near Punta Gorda Lighthouse, we saw a colony of elephant seals sunbathing by the shore as well as scene of carnivorous birds feasting on dead seal toddler who was separated from the pack.
Aquatic biology that thrives along the coast was quite amazing and cruel reminder of nature’s survival law.

Sea Lion Gulch appeared to be a very popular Friday night lodge that settles right above the coast on steep cliff before the second impassable shore zone. Great perk of Lost Coast Trail is that you can essentially camp anywhere you like. We decided to proceed little further to set the first night’s camp on top of hill near Cooskie Creek.

That’s “hat rock” a symbol of ever impassable coast during all tide condition. A detour path is on your left side once this massive rock comes into sight.

Crooked turn into the hillside detour just before the Cooskie Spur Trail junction. Keep your eyes to the left after you pass the Sea Lion Gulch and get on the shoreline to find this manmade sign.

Ice flowers.

Ice flowers

Ice flowers.

Glimpse at Cooskie Spur Trail on the left (hill) and continuing Lost Coast Trail (right) where we will walk on tomorrow once the tide recedes.

Night 1: Pitched the tent right on the cliff overlooking Sea Lion Gulch.

Campsite near Cooskie Creek. This wall of rock shielded us from strong wind and let the fire grow.

Day 2 begins.

A morning view from my tent.

Another abandoned log house near Cooskie Creek.

Cooskie Spur Trail Junction – We choose right and continued on Lost Coast Trail along the shoreline.

Day 2 of 4 ::  Cooskie Creek to Miller Flat [10 mi.]

Day 2 on Lost Coast started with heavy downpour that drenched the landscape including our backpacks and rain flies. The weather in Lost Coast is so fickle that you definitely appreciate the protection of rainproof outer wears. Not discouraged by the gloom of heavy rainfalls, we packed out items and continued on the hilly path down to Lost Coast Trail.

Succulent near Randall Creek.

Spanish Flat.

Spanish Flat was covered with spring flowers.

Spanish Flat is evenly surfaced 2 miles stretch along Lost Coast Trail, which gave us comfortable break from sandy beach trail. The whole area was covered with heavy fog that illustrated mysterious ambiance. It was not until we reached Spanish Creek where we saw few other hiking groups contemplating when the sun will come out as it was promised by the weather forecast days before.

Majority of trail was hazy with fogs in the morning.

Abandoned (?) construction truck we saw near Spanish Flat.

Lush green forest was welcoming entrance to Spanish Creek.

Refilling water at Spanish Creek.

Fog started to lift around lunch time.

Blue sky opened up in the afternoon.

Last stretch of Spanish Flat and unto Oak Creek and Kinsey Creek.

Sky opened up and the sun blessed us hikers in the afternoon.
After passing through Spanish Flat we got back on the beach and continued to Kinsey Creek. I must confess Kinsey Creek was the most memorable and beautiful of creeks that I have witnessed throughout the hike. We don our backpacks and dried rain soaked gears under the scorching sunshine. I took decent half hour nap listening to the sound of flowing creek.
It was serene sense of peace that embodied my soul and body completely.

Kinsey Creek.

Watching the creek water flowing into the ocean at Kinsey Creek.

After lunch break at Kinsey Creek, we continued for another 4.5 miles towards Miller Flat.

Deer.

The land become flat as we passed the hilly trail after Big Creek.

Approaching Big Flat.

Mysterious “Yoga House” in Big Flat.

After Kinsey Creek, we continued to Big Creek through cliff side trail and eventually made it to Big Flat after another 4.5 miles of journey. Big Flat and the adjacent Miller Flat were perfect spot for setting up campsite as there are endless supply of driftwood for fire and tall trees for weather shelter. It has been a long day of hike, and this beautiful campsite really paid off our effort at the end.

Miller Flat.

Miller Flat was such a perfect spot for camping as it has immediate access to creek water, driftwood for building campfire, and also a decent shelter from the wind.

Backpackers setting up their campsites and relaxing before the sunset hour.

Pitching the tent behind the shelter of trees.

This is our campsite for Night #2.

Magic hour in Miller Flat.

Man-made shelter in Miller Flat.

There are man-made shelters all around Miller Flat and Big Flat that has been used by backpackers throughout years. Yep, that’s a real rainbow up in the sky!

Rainbow gazing at Miller Flat.

Sunset at Miller Flat.

Watching the sunset at Miller Flat.

Campers.

There was literally no shortage of firewood supplies in Miller Flat.

Building the fire at our campsite.

Miller Flat has several ready made shelters that was used by previous hikers so it is quite easy to find the solid ground that will be reasonable to spend the night on. Collect the driftwood while the sun is still out and enjoy the starry night sky with swigs of whiskey.

Day 3 of 4 :: Miller Flat to Horse Mtn Creek [7 mi.]

It seems many hikers make Miller Flat as the final campsite before completing the hike on the third day. At this point we have already completed about 16 miles of Lost Coast Trail with approximately 9 more left to go. We could have pushed this third day hard and complete the trip before dusk, but instead we decided to stick with the original plan and split the remainder of 9 miles into two days.

Just outside Miller Flat awaits the third and final impassable shore zone. We have timed this part well and decided to do small hike in Rattlesnake Ridge Trail before the tide recedes under 3ft at noon. This hike, however was not as simple as expected since it does not have established passage over the creek and requires lot of water splashing and wet boots to conquer.

Shipman’s Creek

Buck Creek

At noon, we returned to Miller Flat and continued on Lost Coast Trail towards Horse Mtn Creek. Yet another breathtaking oceanic scenery engulfed my sights throughout the hike. Contrary to previous days’ hike, this part of Lost Coast was filled with lush green and stern coastal cliffs. We took short lunch break at Buck Creek by the cove.

Horse Mtn Creek was Lost Coast’s best kept secret. This creek is rather negligible if you are only focused on the ocean to your right hand side. Following the maps, we spotted a big puddle with pile of giant driftwood in front of green forest. This was the slightest of sign to the entrance to this secretive arbor along the creek.

We set up campsite on Day 3 around 5pm. Time for a sunbathe by the shore and some book reading with whiskey.

A small life I found inside the sand by the beach.

We established the campsite inside the arbor that was used by previous hikers. Horse Mtn. Creek was tucked inside the forest and offered perfect sanctuary for meditation and relaxation. The sound of flowing water was so soothing and lulled me to deep sleep with good mixture of Maker’s Mark.

Day 4 of 4 :: Horse Mtn Creek to Black Sands Beach [2 mi.]

We rise early on Day 4 to finish the last 2 miles hike to consummate our Lost Coast Trail experience. It was light hike along the sandy beach with fair amount of fogs that kept me comfortable with my windbreaker. As we get closer to the end point of hike, we saw a ghostly figure of huge driftwood beyond the haze. Step by step our footprints get closer to the crowd of hikers surrounding the said driftwood. I started to realize this driftwood has rather lifelike appearance, something that resembles that of deflated air house, something that feels familiar and fleshy. It was when the smell of expiring life reached my nostrils that I saw the body of recently deceased baby sperm whale.

The last 2 miles to Black Sands Beach was filled with ghostly ambiance created by fogs.

The body of dead baby sperm whale washed up again the shore on Lost Coast.

Life and death seen on Lost Coast was powerful reminder how living outside of our daily norm reveals the strength and ability we hold. This was my longest distance backpacking trip that I have done in lower 48 States thus far, and it was definitely the most beautiful to say the least. If you ever was curious about Lost Coast, I cannot say more than just go and do it – it’s classic.

Drive-Thru Tree in Leggett California is on the way to/from Lost Coast if you are coming from San Francisco Bay Area.

:: BONUS ::

If you are making slow way down to home in San Francisco or Bay Area, you should definitely stop at some of the attractions on the way. There is a cool woodwork shops along highway 101 that showcase chainsaw sculptures (!) as well as nice souvenirs unique to Mendocino County. Another point of interest is Leggett (pronounce “legit”) which is popular stop for driving through tree; there’s nothing more to it but fun thing to check it out if you never have.

Interested in buying full size version of my photos? Email at kosuke1223@gmail.com for inquiries!