Hi,

I'm planning to go on a 3-4(5?) day backpacking trip to the Lost Coast during my spring break (April 11-19) with a couple buddies who are all extremely fit with varying levels of Backpacking experience.

Without having all of the information in one convenient location, I'm having a very difficult time planning an itinerary for our trip. For starters, I don't have a map, so I cant tell where the trailheads start. I also am not familiar with the recommended landmarks to visit, so I don't want to run the risk of missing out on them. And logistically, I cant find out where to park, camp, etc.

If it would not be too much to ask for, I would really like to have you input on this. But please treat me as a complete newbie, leaving nothing out. I'm really interested in knowing about routes with cool landmarks (peaks, rivers, lakes, etc). Also, cool places to stay for the night. In addition, were really excited about fishing, so campsites where we could fish nearby would be spectacular.

We are definitely all in the prime of our youths and in peak physical condition, so we are up for the challenge of high mileage, terrain, etc. We actually look forward to any kind of intense physical challenges. Thanks!

been up there a few times.

maps are hard to come by for some reason.

i stitched together photos of a map from up there:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_red/4361699308/

basically you start at mattole up on the top of the map and go down to shelter cove.

a few things to note:

---rainy. 100+ inches a year or something.

---ticks in spring are heavy, and they have lyme disease. like the only place in the west coast or something.

---parts of it you need to be careful with high tide; less about getting swept to sea and more about getting soaked and boots full of sand.

---walking on sand/boulders is gnarly. not as easy as trail. but overall not too bad.

super fun spot, have a good time!

To add to jareds points:

--- Watch out for stinging nettles and poison oak to go with your ticks.
--- There are relatively few camping options on the ridges. The best camping options tend to be on the beaches and these can get *extremely* crowded on peak weekends.
--- Can get very very foggy
--- Dogs aren't allowed on the trails (and can be problematic around the resident Elk herd)
--- Bears live in the area- though cannisters are not required by the park.

rachtak wrote:But please treat me as a complete newbie, leaving nothing out.

If you are going to do the Lost Coast, you should not need someone to tell you what to do. Most of this can be figured out on your own. That being said, the most basic things you do need are a map and tide chart, both of which can be obtained at the BLM office on the way to Shelter Cove. The second thing to figure out is to determine whether you want to do the Sinkyone Wilderness section or the Conservation Area, as well as whether you want to stay on the coast or do a loop through through the mountains.

Bubba Suess wrote:

rachtak wrote:But please treat me as a complete newbie, leaving nothing out.

If you are going to do the Lost Coast, you should not need someone to tell you what to do. Most of this can be figured out on your own. That being said, the most basic things you do need are a map and tide chart, both of which can be obtained at the BLM office on the way to Shelter Cove. The second thing to figure out is to determine whether you want to do the Sinkyone Wilderness section or the Conservation Area, as well as whether you want to stay on the coast or do a loop through through the mountains.

Thanks. I just sent in my check to BLM and am waiting for my map right now. Since I really dont know when its going to come in, I just want to gather all the information that I can without it.

We want a mix of everything, mountains, coastline, ridges, etc. What would be the best choice for this in a 4-day trip.

Thanks for all the notes you guys have been posting. Very helpful.

That's cool that you are doing this trail. It's on my list. I've never done any coastal hiking, always in the Sierra.

Hello,

A good route that is a loop, so you don't need to have 2 cars, but also takes in much of the best scenery is the Buck-Rattle-Saddle loop. Take off from the Saddle Mtn trailhead, head down Buck Creek Trail to the beach, that's a good camping spot the first night, then north along the beach to Big Flat, good exploration spot, also a good base camp spot. Then up Rattlesnake Ridge to King Peak, there's some water about 1/2 way up, then over along the King Crest trail back to Saddle Mtn. It's a great 4 day trip, less if you wanna move, more if you wanna chill at Big Flat, which is worth it.

This time of year: plenty of water, likely rain, likely fog, poison oak should be leafing out and ready to go, if it's raining watch the crossing of Big Flat Creek, it can be a little rough.

Reference map: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/ ... reyMap.pdf

As a part-time resident of Shelter Cove - one who lives right above part of the Lost Coast trail, and hikes, jogs and kayaks the area all the time - I think I may have a few things to add. First off, if you're planning a backpacking trip in this area especially between late Fall and early Spring forehand knowledge of weather as well as road conditions is critical. Don't assume that, because Shelter Cove is on the coast, the road from Redway to the Lost Coast Trailhead heading north from Black Sand Beach is going to be passable (at least without chains or a 4-wheel drive vehicle) or that you'll even be able to get your car close to the trailhead heading south in the Sinkyone Wilderness out of Bear Harbor. Weather, of course, is a critical factor. There are times virtually every month of the year when the weather is fantastic but here when it rains, it pours - sometimes nearly horizontally, so before heading out make sure you've studied the 3 to 4 day extended forecast. I actually triangulate - Mendocino, Shelter Cove and Eureka forecasts then make my best guess while making sure not to forget a bottle of 14-year old Scotch for those times for those stuck-inside-the-tent days. Timing is also critical to parts of this experience in another respect - there are days when there are more favorable tides than others. If you plan well and find a good sequence of favorable days particularly days that offer one or even two low low tides (minus tides are the best) during prime hiking, walking, hours you can cover a lot more ground and have more fun in the process. Failing to take note of the tide tables even if you're only going on a day hike in this area is just plain stupid.

Now, in terms of route options, if you don't want to spend a ton of money on a shuttle from Shelter Cove to the Mattole, or Usal Beach to Bear Harbor and want to make the most of your time I recommend either starting as well as ending at the trailhead in Shelter Cove (Shelter Cove to the Big Flat area and back when conditions are good can be very nice). While I actually run this round trip in under 5 hours when straddling a low tide in Summer when stream crossings are negligible, 2-3 nights with packs when the weather's nice and it's not a major holiday (and beach camping can mean sharing an area confined my higher tides with yahoos who's idea of a good time in a spectacular wilderness setting is lighting fireworks in an area prone to fire hazards) can be awesome. Also not to be missed, though, is the Sinkyone Wilderness section. When the insanely narrow, mostly one lane, dirt (when not muddy) road to the Sinkyone is passable this is a wonderful area. Specifically, the Lost Coast trail heading out of Bear Harbor to Little Jackass Creek and back is quite nice and gives you, what I think is, the best taste of the coast's mountainous, wooded interior between beach stops which for many reasons (few, if any bugs/ticks, no/ or avoidable poison oak, killer views, nicer camping) are really the best part of camping in the Lost Coast. Not officially part of the Lost Coast trail but accessible from the trail leading from the Needle Rock Visitor station, a day or two spent below and just above the bluffs on the spectacular beach north and south out of Jones Beach can feel like a slice of deserted island paradise. One downside of the Sinkyone besides the aforementioned access road is that, unlike the BLM section of the Lost Coast between Shelter Cove and the Mattole, dogs aren't allowed. Don't test this - the elk residents of the Sinkyone REALLY don't like dogs. Finally an earlier poster recommended the Saddle Peak –to Buck Creek-to Big Flat- up Rattlesnake Ridge to Kings Peak and then back to the car. This can be fun, in a grueling sort of way, however here's a few things to keep in mind - the mountainous trails in this entire area are pretty long, steep, and a bit claustrophobic, inland (above the frequent coastal fog) can be surprisingly hot, aside from some nice camping pretty high up on Kings Peak the inland camping's just not as nice, is definitely buggier, potentially poison oak-ier at times limited where water is actually available to a trickle and, last time I checked, the lower part of the Rattlesnake Ridge trail was a bit of a mess requiring route finding in an overgrown washed out area. Also - if you do this route only about 4 miles is actually on the beach (the best part). But, on the other hand you sure won't run into many people ‘cause they’re on the beach…

A few more notes. You can avoid the treacherous road and still reach the Sinkyone via the section of the Lost Coast Trail that pops over Chemise Mountain and then relentlessly plunges down to the beach - if you want strenuous you've got it especially if you have to head back the same way. I think it's fun but a recent travel writer in the LA times sure didn't (something about frequently getting lost, brush, paranoia about stumbling into some pot grower's turf, a relentless slog etc. -totally missed the point of where it gets you if you ask me). Notes of caution about bringing your dog to the Lost Coast - long stretches of very rocky and step coast and mountainous trail can be really tough on your dogs feet and legs (especially the long distance hikes). Aside from the occasional skunk, bear, coyote/mountain or sea lion encounter, possible inland poison oak and ticks on foliage, and the potential for punishing heat, even on the beaches for heavier coated dogs, on the warmest of Summer days - the thing you've got to watch out for the most is those idiots who don't know how to control their dogs and, in my opinion, don't deserve to have 'em. Take it from me as one who's, more than once, helped carry an unprepared backpacker's 60+ pound completely exhausted, distressed critter several miles down the beach back to the parking lot or down a mountain trail, spent time in a car with two freaked out skunk sprayed dogs, and been forced to repeatedly kick and punch more than one unthinking jerk's huge dog to fend it off from charging 200 yards up the beach to attack my large leashed dogs. Hey, if your unleashed, unfamiliar, dog is racing towards my critters spare me that moronic "are your dogs friendly?" query and start worrying about just how unfriendly yours truly is capable of becoming. Now a word about bugs, ticks, poison oak, rogue waves, mountain lions and bears (oh my!!). Keep in mind that this is a pretty wild area - it's one of the things that make this one of the last best places in the contiguous US - but, particularly if you stay on top of the weather and tides, spend most of your time on/near the beaches, bring bear canisters, don't try wiping your ass with the local foliage and maintain a healthy respect for the power of the surf (don't even think of taking a dip, there are times when even knee high wash up on the beach can knock you down, suck you in and that's a one-way trip and folks die every year thinking they can swim here), you can have a fabulous, nearly bug free, poison oak free, predator free time. Take it from me - I call it home.

This stuff looks like my kind of fun.