The 24.6-mile Lost Coast Trail is a bucket list adventure, but it requires multiple days, a permit and a return shuttle ride. The good news: you can day hike the Lost Coast Trail, too.
Mattole Beach to Black Sands Beach
This is the whole shebang: the full 24.6-mile Lost Coast adventure. Technically, the Lost Coast Trail extends even further south into Sinkyone State Park (we’ve included day hikes in that area), but the classic, multiday backpacking experience is this northern section through the King Range National Conservation Area. Because the trail can be dangerous at times, with impassable sections at high tide, going with a group or hiring a private guide is highly recommended. Lost Coast Adventure Tours (lostcoastadventures.com; guided tours from $900, shuttles $95pp) is a popular and well-respected pick. They offer both north-to-south hikes (five days, four nights) and south-to-north trips (four days, three nights). They provide meals, bear canisters (required for all hikers) and shuttles. If you prefer to go it alone, you can still book a shuttle with Lost Coast Adventure Tours to get you back to your car.
Mattole Beach to Punta Gorda Lighthouse (Day Hike)
No need to pack a sleeping bag for this one. A day hike that starts at the same point as the long-haul trek, this out-and-back route is 6 miles total, traversing sand and coastal shrubbery, with the now-defunct Punta Gorda Lighthouse as a turnaround point. From Ferndale, it’s about a 75-minute drive along winding, remote roads to the Mattole Beach Trailhead. There, you’ll find a campground, parking and public bathrooms. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at the lighthouse, where you’re also likely to see large groups of elephant seals lazing on the sand below.
Black Sands Beach to Gitchell Creek (Day Hike)
If you’re staying in Shelter Cove and want to stretch your legs along charcoal-colored sand, this is a convenient choice. Just minutes from the main part of town, Black Sands Beach is the southern point of the multiday hike. There’s a parking lot and bathrooms near the trailhead, then it’s a 7.4-mile out-and-back trek. You’ll walk Black Sands for about two miles before passing Horse Mountain Creek, at which point the terrain becomes a bit more rocky and trickier to navigate. At your turnaround point, Gitchell Creek, you’re likely to see overnight campers, as the next 4.5-mile stretch just beyond that becomes impassable at high tide.
Needle Rock to Whale Gulch (Day Hike)
Within Sinkyone State Park, Needle Rock Visitor Center (parking $8) gives you even more access to coastal hiking. From the visitor center, you can head south to Bear Harbor, or take this 4.6-mile route north. You’ll travel grassy sections (with a couple spur trails that lead down to the water), and pass Jones Beach before reaching Whale Gulch. Wildlife abounds.
Needle Rock to Bear Harbor (Day Hike)
While much of the southern section of the Lost Coast Trail includes forest, this out-and-back 6.2-mile hike, leaving from Needle Rock Visitor Center and heading south, has plenty of ocean views. Tides, though, aren’t a concern, as the trail is inland enough that you won’t have to battle soaked pathways. The turnaround point, Bear Harbor, was once the western terminus of the Bear Harbor Railroad, built in the 1890s. You can still spot rusted rails in the area today.
