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Lost Coast Trail: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat

August 21, 2014 By Jeff Hester 3 Comments

The Lost Coast

I woke up to the early morning light. Outside our tent the air was thick with fog and heavy with moisture. Large drops of condensation clung to our rain fly, and everything that wasn’t covered was damp.

Trail Details
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 120 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round
We fired up our stove, boiling water for our Starbucks Via and ate awesome breakfast burritos while the sun began to break through the morning mist. The next four miles of the Lost Coast Trail would be mainly on the beach, and are impassable at high tide. Consulting our tide chart print out, we knew that high tide peaked at 7:19am, and as the tide dropped, we hit the trail.

We refilled our water bottles in the creek at the bottom of Sea Lion Gulch, then started down the beach. This section of the Lost Coast is notable for the bowling ball-sized boulders. We had to pick our steps slowly and carefully, making progress slow.

Day 2 on the Lost Coast Trail

Half a mile down the coast, the trail heads overland. The distant balancing rock you see in the photo below is the visual cue: this point is impassable at all tide levels. Turn inland up the wash and look up the hill for signs of a trail.

Impassable

The sign for this overland detour is easy to miss. It’s high on the bluff, perched on a rock. As you’re hiking down the beach, you’ll find that the rocks and the water seem to be squeeze out the beach. Look for that balancing rock and then find the overland detour.

The LCT Sign

We headed into the gully and found the trail as it detoured around the point.

Detour

The sign for the LCT detour sits high on the bluff, well away from the beach.

The LCT Sign

This rocky spine marked the high point of the overland detour, which offered sweeping views of the coastline in both directions.

Rocky Spine

On the downhill side of the detour are the remains of another old cabin and a junction with the Cooskie Creek Spur trail. This junction is tricky, as the sign for the LCT is on the opposite side of the post — pointing in a non-obvious direction.

Look at all sides of these posts

This minimalist approach to trail signage is a recurring theme on the Lost Coast. I had a conversation with one of the rangers who explained that it is quite intentional. The theory is that this land is wilderness, and they have attempted to keep the human touch light. I like that approach, but it means you’ll have to use your navigation smarts to keep yourself on the right trail. When you see a sign or even a trace of a junction, pause for a moment and look around. Make sure you’ve taken the right fork in the trail.

Beachfront Cabin

This cabin has seen better days, but just imagine the view someone once enjoyed. Actually, you don’t have to imagine. Hike the Lost Coast Trail and this view can be yours.

Low Tide on the Lost Coast Trail

Back down on the beach, we picked our way among the cobbled stone and coarse black sand, around the rocks and ahead of the waves. Beach hiking here is tough and slow. By this time the sun had burned off all the fog and morning haze, and it while the breezes were still cool, we were working up a sweat.

At mile 5 we reached Randall Creek, which marks the north end of Spanish Flat. This grassy terrace gave us a welcome break from the tough beach hiking. Hiking on solid earth is bliss! We stopped here for lunch and setup our fly for some shade.

Spanish Flat

Just two easy miles later, we stopped to camp just south of Spanish Creek. We had the beach entirely to ourselves, and the time to enjoy it. We kicked our boots off and even took a little nap on the black sand beach. There were no emails or text messages to reply to. There were no updates to post. Just two people enjoying the sun on the Lost Coast.

Lost Coast Trail: Day Two Map

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download

Day Two on the Lost Coast: Photo Gallery

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

Early Morning Mist
Condensation on the Fly
Early Morning Light
Breakfast Burrito
Our "Trail"
Day 2 on the Lost Coast Trail
Creek
The LCT Sign
Impassable
The LCT Sign
Detour
Rocky Spine
Cabin
Look at all sides of these posts
Go through this gate
Beachfront Cabin
Still More Rock Walking
Cooskie Creek
Octopus
Geology 101
The Lost Coast
Crab
Low Tide on the Lost Coast Trail
Low Coastal Clouds
Afternoon Siesta on Spanish Flat
Spanish Flat
White Feet, Black Sand
Spanish Flat Creek
Spanish Flat
Curious Jackrabbit
Jackrabbit on the Lost Coast Trail

Shelter Cove Weather Forecast

The location could not be found.

Come back tomorrow for Day 3 on the Lost Coast Trail!

The Lost Coast Trail
Overview of the Lost Coast TrailOverview of the Lost Coast Trail

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

Related

Filed Under: Backpacking, Trail Guides Tagged With: 6-8 miles, Backpacking, coastal, King Range Wilderness, LCT, Lost Coast Trail, Northern California, out of bounds

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Jeff H

About Jeff Hester

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. Colm O'Connor says

    September 17, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Your description of the hiking for days one and two were identical to the recent hike my son and I did. I wish I had read your report first as we tried to scout around that headland just south of sea lion gulch and wasted time with much risk.
    Good job.

    Reply
  2. Reena Mehta says

    June 19, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    Hi Jeff

    I am reading your nicely written report. I am so excited and looks like we may be doing what you both did.

    We leave on 26th June next Friday around 5pm

    The high tide point is at 5pm. So does this mean we can still continue and miss the impass at the 2.5 mile mark?

    So we can continue and reach Sea Lion Gulch

    Let me know your thoughts

    Reena

    Reply
  3. Reena Mehta says

    June 19, 2020 at 2:11 pm

    Hi Jeff

    I am reading your nicely written report. I am so excited and looks like we may be doing what you both did.

    We leave on 26th June next Friday around 5pm

    The high tide point is at 5pm. So does this mean we can still continue and miss the impass at the 2.5 mile mark?

    So we can continue and reach Sea Lion Gulch

    Let me know your thoughts

    Reena

    Reply

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About Jeff Hester

I created SoCal Hiker while preparing to thru-hike the John Muir Trail. My goal? Create guides for the best hiking trails throughout Southern California--and occasionally beyond. I personally hike each trail to create these guides, sharing practical advice on gear and outdoor skills. Read more...

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