The Lost Coast is northern California's most spectacular meeting of land and sea. Mountains thrust straight out of the ocean surf, rising 4,000' in only 3 miles up to King Peak. The landscape was too rugged for Highway 1 to be built along the coast here, and today the name Lost Coast captures its essence as one of the longest undeveloped stretches of the Pacific coast, today protected as the King Range National Conservation Area.
We will be hiking the 26-mile Northern Section of the Lost Coast Trail, between the mouth of the Mattole River and Shelter Cove. Often known as the "beach walk", much of the hiking will be along shoreline on varying consistencies of sand, pebbles, and rocks. Some of the trail is on land at the base of the King Range, and our campsites will be at creek estuaries along the route. While the trail is mostly flat, hiking on beach takes additional effort and extreme care. The length and timing of each day's hike is also not flexible, being constrained by avoiding high tides.
The group will convene at a car campground in the Shelter Cove area Wednesday evening. Thursday morning we will leave some of the cars at Shelter Cove (Southern trailhead) and shuttle with the other cars to the Mattole River (Northern trailhead). The group will hike N to S and finish at Shelter Cove on Saturday afternoon. We will then shuttle back to Mattole River to retrieve the cars left there.
All participants must be willing to participate in these car shuttles at the first and last day for the trip to work. There needs to be sufficient space in each car to accommodate riders and all of their gear.
Hike:
Day 1: Mattole River - Cooskie Creek. 7 miles.
Day 2: Cooskie Creek - Miller Flat. 10 miles.
Day 3: Miller Flat - Shelter Cove. 9 miles.
As everyone knows, the weather on the coast is changeable even in summer. We will likely experience a mix of sun, showers, fog, and wind. In return, we will have a true wilderness experience, to be found in few other places.
Level: Strenuous (3A1)
Cost: Participants will be asked to pay their share of the trip costs incurred by the leaders, such as the cost of the wilderness permit, pre-trip campground, and satellite phone support.
Signup Instructions: RSVP from this listing, which will send your application to the trip leader. Please do not email the leaders directly. Once you RSVP, they will send you a link to the application form on which you can provide further details of your experience. If accepted, you will be given directions for paying your contribution to the trip cost via Paypal to reserve your space.
Recommended Items: All normal backpacking gear for a summer trip, with additional attention to potential wind, fog, and stream crossings. A bear canister is required to participate on this trip. The trip is individual commissary, which means you bring all your own equipment and food.
Additional Directions: Directions to the pre-trip campsite will be provided once you are accepted.
Carpool: Participants must be willing to participate in a car shuttle between the trailheads (Shelter Cove and Mattole River) a the first AND the last day of the trip. If you are not willing or able to participate in the car shuttle, you should not apply for the trip. There needs to be sufficient space in each car to accommodate riders and their gears during the shuttles. We will provide a trip roster to arrange ride sharing from the Bay Area to the meeting point.
Note: Carpool transportation is at the sole risk of the participants.