Lost Coast Trail unveils California’s remote side

The 52-mile Lost Coast Trail runs about 255 miles north of San Francisco. It was named the Lost Coast because of depopulation in the area in the 1930s and because the terrain is too steep and rugged to build a road. If you look at a map, you can see how Highway 1 heads inland north of Fort Bragg.

There are two distinct sections of the Lost Coast Trail. The northern section is a 24-mile relatively flat hike along the beach. The exciting aspect of the trail is that some of it disappears at high tide. The southern section is more in the mountains.

Hiking the Lost Coast Trail north to south is the preferred direction because of the prevailing northerly wind. You want the wind at your back and not in your face.

Take heed of the “no trespassing” signs because people with guns are protective of their illegal crop. Ironically, it’s such a lucrative crop they want to keep it illegal.

Mattole Trailhead is on Mattole Beach. It is a good idea to have a tide chart for the next week and a map of the BLM King Range National Conservation Area that includes Lost Coast. Each day there was a big tide and a small tide. There are rogue waves, and impassable zones, where high tide covers the trail.

Read full story…

 

The following are paid links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.