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Lost Coast Trail: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch

August 20, 2014 By Jeff H 10 Comments

Hiking the Lost Coast We drove up Highway 101 from San Francisco, marveling at the beautiful scenery all the way. The golden coastal mountains, dotted with ancient oak trees slowly give way to towering redwoods that darken the skies. We turned off at Garberville and stopped for lunch before making the two hour drive to Shelter Cove. Oddly, our day would begin at the end of the Lost Coast Trail.

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Trail Details
Distance: 5.4 miles
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 50 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round
We unloaded our packs, filled our water bottles and locked up the Xterra. Lost Coast Shuttle sent a dual-cab pickup to take us and two guys who had just finished the trail up to Mattole Beach, another two hours away. Yes, it’s only 25 miles if you hike the Lost Coast, but to drive there takes two hours.

We made it to the Mattole Trailhead by 5:30pm. The shuttle service provided us with a great King Range map and a tide chart that I actually preferred to my own (we were prepared, of course). We filled out and filed our permit at the self-service station and decided that we’d start hiking tonight and leave the car campers behind.

Soft Sand Trail

The Lost Coast Trail starts out in the soft, dry sand dotted with ice plant. Hiking in soft sand is an interesting experience. You have to shorten your stride and slow your pace. The best advice I heard was to try not to use your toes. I’m not sure why, but it seemed to help as we plodded along. The views were beautiful. The beach strewn with driftwood, seaweed and all sorts of interesting shells and artifacts.

Washed Ashore

Soon sand gave way to wave-smoothed pebbles and rocks that crunched under our boots. Hiking the Lost Coast Trail is an art. Most of the time there isn’t an established path — except on the flats — and along the beach your challenge is to find the most efficient surface for hiking. Sometimes that’s the freshly wet set near the surf. Other times its nearest the bluffs where the dirt, stone and sand provide some semblance of stability. Overlaid on a map, our GPS tracks might make us look like drunken sailors, but there was a method to our madness.

Joan on the Lost Coast Trail

When you’re lucky there are bits of real trail on solid ground. Take them. They may not last, as the coastline and the bluffs are constantly in flux, but enjoy them when you can. Every time we made the transition from sand to solid ground, it felt like we turned the turbochargers on.

Our first obstacle was the point up ahead, right at the 2.5 mile mark. We knew had to make it around that point before high tide, when it becomes impassable. No problem. We had our tide charts, had planned ahead and knew we could walk right around it.

As we neared the mouth of Four Mile Creek, we spied our first of several private cabins on the Lost Coast. It’s surprising to see a cabin out here where there are no roads, no power lines or utilities.  They private cabins are all rustic and weathered, and most are no longer habitable — long overtaken by the combination of neglect and the harsh wind, rain and weather of the Lost Coast. Not surprising when you consider that this area often receives over 100 inches of rain per year. 

Beachside Cabin

This particular cabin looked to be in pretty good shape, with an outhouse that had a half door, so you could enjoy the view from your throne. This is as close as we got. These cabins are all private and as curious as we were, we didn’t want to trespass or infringe on their privacy.

We continued on, and soon spied the famous Punta Gorda lighthouse. This historic light house was built in 1910 after a number of fatal shipwrecks on the rocks off the coast. It’s unique in that it’s on the mainland, and it’s short, squat lighthouse. It remained in operation until 1961, when new technology replaced the need for the lighthouse.

Punta Gorda Lighthouse

We were able to explore the lighthouse and climb up the rusty iron spiral staircase to the top. It’s in remarkably good condition even  a century later.

Inside the Lighthouse

The Punta Gorda Lighthouse is 3.75 miles from the Mattole trailhead, making it a great day hike destination for campers. Starting late in the day as we had, we say one other couple who were returning from the lighthouse. These would be the only two people we saw on the trail today.

The sun was dipping lower, and we were aiming to reach Sea Lion Gulch for our first night’s camp, about 1.25 miles further down the coast.

We found a campsite on the bluff overlooking the gulch.

Day 1 Campsite

Sea Lion Gulch is so-named because sea lions and seals frequent the rocks just off the coast. Indeed, there was a cranky old sea lion with is deep wails and the barks of the seals to confirm that we had arrived.

Our campsite gave us a great view down the coast. The next four miles of the trail were impassable at high tide, so by starting here, we could time our entry as the tide was receding and make sure we didn’t get caught by the incoming tide.

Lost Coast Trail: Day One Map

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: Lost Coast Trail Day 1.gpx

Day One of the Lost Coast: Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.

The Trail Begins
Starting at Mattole Beach
Soft Sand Trail
Driftwood
Mattole Beach
Hiking the Lost Coast
Footprints
The World's Best Skipping Stones
Pebbly Black Sand
Washed Ashore
Wild Strawberry
Jeff on the Lost Coast Trail
Looking Back
Looking Ahead
Impromptu Shelter
Taking the High Road
Hiking the Lost Coast Trail
Fence Post
Joan on the Lost Coast Trail
Blooming Succulents
Fuzzy Green Sea-Stuff
Beachside Cabin
Colors on the Lost Coast Trail
Punta Gorda Lighthouse
Looking Through the Tank House
Rusted
Punta Gorda Lighthouse
Window, Bench and View
Through the Window
Punta Gorda Lighthouse
Inside the Lighthouse
Punta Gorda Lighthouse
Small Creek
Twilight on the Lost Coast Trail
Seal
Sunset on the Lost Coast
Approaching Sea Lion gulch
Bluff-top View
Day 1 Campsite

Lost Coast Trail Tips

  • You can camp anywhere on the Lost Coast, but use previously established campsites whenever possible, to minimize impact on the environment.
  • Carry a tide chart and know where the impassable sections are! While in those sections, keep an eye on the ocean. A rogue wave can sneak up at any time, and unsuspecting hikers have been swept out to sea.
  • There is zero cell phone reception on the Lost Coast Trail. You’ll have to use backcountry smarts to handle any emergency that arises. Of course, you’re carrying the Ten Essentials, right?
  • Be sure to start at the beginning, with our Overview of the Lost Coast Trail.
  • We didn’t have any rain on our trip (July is historic a low-rainfall on this otherwise very wet trail). Even so, we had to use our rain fly every night. Anything that wasn’t covered got soaked with condensation from the fog. So cover up!

Our first day on the Lost Coast was memorable. We felt the solitude of the trail, and the beauty and history of this rugged coastline. We drifted to sleep serenaded by the waves crashing on the rocks below.

Next, read Day 2 on the Lost Coast Trail: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat.

Shelter Cove Weather Forecast

The location could not be found.
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The Lost Coast Trail
Overview of the Lost Coast TrailOverview of the Lost Coast Trail

  • Day 1: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch You are here!
  • Day 2: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat
  • Day 3: Spanish Flat to Miller Flat
  • Day 4: Miller Flat to Shelter Cove

 

Filed Under: Backpacking, Trail Guides Tagged With: 3-6 miles, Backpacking, King Range Wilderness, LCT, Lost Coast Trail, multi-day, Northern California, out of bounds

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Jeff H

About Jeff H

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Comments

  1. Josh says

    August 20, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Epic, I am excited to read this whole journey!

    Reply
  2. Jeff HJeff Hester says

    August 20, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    Thanks, Josh. The Lost Coast Trail was an epic trip. We had great weather and an amazing time. And I got a few decent photos along the way. 😉

    Reply
  3. Sean McQuaid says

    March 27, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    With the terrain, how many miles per hour did you average? What do you think is reasonable to expect? Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Sean McQuaid says

    March 27, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    Sorry, I just saw the trail details section…I can do the math 😉

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      April 1, 2015 at 6:00 am

      Hey Sean, just got back from a trip to Big Sur. I see you found the details you needed. I’ll just add that hiking the beaches is much slower than hiking on dry land. Whenever we reached a stretch of actual dirt trail (on the flats, mainly) it was like jumping on an expressway. So much easier and faster.

      We trained for the beach hiking by… wait for it… hiking on the beach. We took our backpacks and literally hiked on the beach in Santa Monica. Got some weird looks, but it helped us prepare for the “feel”.

      Reply
  5. Mike Aplet says

    April 12, 2015 at 9:23 am

    I and 3 friends will be embarking on this trip on April 24th. The youngest in our group is in his late 50’s I am in the middle at age 62 with the seniors being 65. I have found your write up to be very helpful in planning. We will leave a car at Shelter Cove and have arranged for a shuttle to the trailhead at the mouth of the Mattole This is our first trip in the King Range section. We did the Sinkyone Wilderness section last October. That is one beautiful hike!

    Reply
  6. Michelle Kroger says

    July 7, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    I was looking to start my hike in the evening like you did. On the tide table it says the low tide on 7/30 at 4:44 is 2.27 feet! Does this mean I can’t make any of the impassible sections at low tide in the evening?

    Reply
  7. Mike Aplet says

    July 19, 2015 at 6:41 am

    Hi Michelle,
    It appears that no one has taken up your question so I will tell you what I know based on my experience. My friends and I successfully completed our trip in April.

    Consulting my trail map, I can tell you that it is 5.4 miles from the Mattole trailhead to Sea Lion Gulch which is a relatively easy section of the hike. Next comes the Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek which is the first section where tides matter. You can expect 3.75 miles of boulder hopping and/or walking on a steep beach of gravel and sand. This one of the hardest sections of the trek IMHO. The lower the tide level the more options you have as you pick your way through.The total of these two sections is a little over 9 miles, If you attempt to begin this hike in the afternoon and insist on traversing the tidal section on day one, you must do the entire 9 miles because there is no safe camping spot between Sea Lion Gulch and Randall Creek. I wouldn’t attempt it but I am 63 years old. You however are likely younger and a lot sprier than I.

    We found the ranger in charge of LCT at the Arcata BLM field office (707-825-2300) to be very helpful as we were planning our trip. He has seen it all and has good advice. I hope this helps.

    Reply
  8. Jeff HJeff Hester says

    July 20, 2015 at 8:42 am

    Thanks for jumping in here, Mike.

    To add to his comments, Michelle, we stopped at the northern end of the “impassable at high tide” section and camped for the night. So our first night was short. There was one point where you have to get around a rock and might get your feet wet. It sounds like the tide will be coming in as you start hiking. Be flexible and be safe.

    Originally we had planned to camp at Mattole, but when we saw what it was like (lots of car campers) we decided to get a “head start” on our hike.

    Reply
  9. Billie says

    June 19, 2016 at 8:15 am

    Good Morning, we are looking to do the hike in a couple weeks and we are struggling to find a shuttle from Shelter Cove up to Mattole to begin our journey. Any suggestions?

    Reply

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