With its old growth redwood forests, spectacular coastal mountains, and rugged coastline, the Lost Coast might just be the quintessential overland adventure of Northern California.
Route Overview
Trip Length & Season
Adventure Rating: Epic Trip Length: 2 - 4 days, 160 miles Season: Late May - October (Usal Road is gated during the wet season (typically late October to mid-May), check Mendocino County dept of transportation for closure status).
Digital Maps & GPX File
Technical Ratings & Terrain
Recommended Vehicle / Moto / Adventure Vans
Fuel, Provisions, and Recommended Gear
Alternative Routes
Camping Recommendations
Discovery Points
Permits, Papers & Resources
Adventure Badge Get your Lost Coast adventure badge (decal or patch) at our online store.
Route Details
Big Sur seems to get all the fanfare when it comes to California's coastline. In just the past decade, more and more adventurers have come to recognize Northern California's Lost Coast as the other jewell along California's coastline. And unlike Big Sur, you won't find Highway 1 running along the coast here. If massive redwoods, wild beaches, and rugged emerald mountains are your thing, then you'll love this overland adventure! If you're lucky, you might even spot one of the Roosevelt Elk herds in Sinkyone State Park (Usal Beach, Needle Rock, and Bear Harbor are popular viewing spots). The route begins on Highway 1, about 29 miles north of Fort Bragg just before Highway 1 heads east before it conjoins with Highway 101. The southern section (Sinkyone State Park) is dominated by mixed conifer forests consisting mostly of Douglas fir and coast redwood. Usal Beach is a great place to camp on your first night, but it tends to fill up on weekends during the warmer months. If you're looking to get away from the crowds, then consider setting up camp at one of the sites around Bear Harbor. As you make your way north, you'll come to the old fishing village of Shelter Cove. Shelter Cove provides its share postcard worthy views. Consider making stops at Black Sands Beach and the old Cape Mendocino Lighthouse. As you leave Shelter Cove, you'll enter the the most rugged section of the King Range (managed by BLM), which is one of the most seismically active regions in California. The section along Saddle Mountain Road rewards the intrepid traveller with spectacular vistas over the Pacific and the best view of King's Peak (namesake peak of the King Range) along the route. Mattole Beach is a great place to set up camp, but if that's full, consider heading over to A.W. Way County Park a few miles up the road. The final leg of the journey goes from Mattole Beach to Eureka, which is an old paved road that's surrounded by rolling hills of green coastal prarie and dairy farms. You've probably worked up quite the appetite at this point! Why not reward yourself with a fresh local brew and meal at the award winning Lost Coast Brewery and Taproom in downtown Eureka.
If you want to see some truly gargantuan redwoods, we recommend taking a look at the Lost Coast Route #2, which incorporates Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Avenue of the Giants (scroll down).
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Completed this route in late May 2024, South to North, in my 100 series Land Cruiser, wife and 3 young kids under 5 years old. Leaving the Bay Area mid-day on Day 1, we spent 4 nights & 5 days: 1. Usual Campground (pretty busy but we had no trouble getting a spot). Outhouse & no potable water. 2. Tolkan Campground (terrific site!) Clean outhouses and no potable water, nice mountain biking & hiking trails right from camp.
3. Redwood Coast RV resort in Eureka (fine, nice amenities for kids -- playground, bathrooms, etc.)
4. Hidden Springs campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park - beautiful site! Hiked down to the river and the kids loved playing in the cold water. Clean…
Does anyone know if this can be driven from North to South?
Just finished this trail today in my Subaru Crosstrek- 1.5" lift and Falken AT's. Had a blast, but a few hiccups. There is tree down somewhere between Usal and Needle Rock that the Ranger told us would make it impassable but he didn't care if we took a look. My car made it through with a spotter (and a rooftop tent) but nothing bigger will. This was also by far the roughest portion of the trail. Instead, you can head back to HWY 1 from Usal and take a left at Briceland Rd. which will take you right in to 4 corners. When we got to 4 corners, the road to Needle Rock was still open due to a few…
Drove this route May 27th-30th; 4X4 F350 Diesel PU, 4X4 Dodge PU and a Honda CRV 5-speed. Air down to 12 psi for Usal beach. The trails were mostly dry. It did rain all day on the 28th and the morning of the 29th. The CRV did fine. The road between Usal Rd and the Needle Rock Ranger Staion will be closed June to October 2022. We stayed at Usal Beach campground, Tolken campground and the Matole campground at the wet end of Lighthouse Rd.
Sgt Packer (Retired)
I was just recently made aware of this trip. I'm not so concerned about road conditions, ruts, rocks, etc. but I am driving a dually pickup. Will it fit?