Lost Coast Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Lost Coast Trail is one of the best-known wilderness beach walks in the United States. It follows the wildest stretch of the California coast, in the King Range National Conservation Area in southern Humboldt County, where the mountains rise so steeply from the Pacific that the coast highway was built far inland. King Peak (1,246 m / 4,088 ft) stands just 5 km (3 mi) from the surf. This guide covers the classic northern section: 24.6 miles (39.6 km) by BLM figures from the Mattole Beach Trailhead to Black Sands Beach at Shelter Cove, through the King Range Wilderness. Most hikers take 3 days and camp on the beach. There are no huts, facilities or bridges, and three stretches can only be passed at low tide.

The route

The trail starts at the mouth of the Mattole River and runs south past the old Punta Gorda Lighthouse, where elephant seals often rest on the sand. It is almost flat but slow: you cross soft sand, gravel, rounded boulders and grassy terraces, and wade creeks that come down from the King Range every few kilometres. Grassy flats such as Spanish Flat and Big Flat break up the beach; the few private cabins there are not open to the public. The finish is Black Sands Beach, a dark-sand beach below the village of Shelter Cove.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap, about 40.5 km, and splits it into 3 stages of about 13.5 km each. They are the three days in the BLM Roads and Trails Report: Mattole to Randall Creek (8.3 mi), Randall Creek to Big Flat (8 mi) and Big Flat to Black Sands Beach (8.3 mi). Each day ends at a creek with water and tent space.

Highlights

• Punta Gorda Lighthouse: a disused lighthouse 3.2 miles (5 km) from the start, often with elephant seals on the beach below
• Spanish Flat and Big Flat: wide grassy terraces between the mountains and the sea, and the busiest camp on the trail
• Wildlife: sea lions and seals on the rocks, black bears and deer on the slopes
• Black Sands Beach: the dark-sand finish below Shelter Cove

When to go

You can hike the Lost Coast Trail all year, but the usual season is May to October. Spring brings wildflowers; summer is the busiest time, with long days but frequent fog and strong north-west winds; early autumn is often clearer and quieter. From October to April the King Range is one of the wettest places in California (BLM gives an average of about 3,000 mm, 120 in, of rain), creeks can rise too high to cross and storm waves can make the beach impassable at any tide. The tides decide your dates more than the weather: in late summer the daytime low tides are often not low enough, so check the tide table before you book.

How hard is it?

The Lost Coast Trail is moderate in distance and height but slow and tiring. Expect 5 to 6 hours for each 13 km day on sand and boulders. The real difficulty is the tide. Zone 1 at Punta Gorda (about 0.4 km) is passable when the tide is under about 6 ft. Zone 2, from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek (about 6.5 km), needs a tide under 2.5 ft. Zone 3, from Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek (about 7 km), needs a tide under 3 ft. Enter each zone on a falling tide and plan on 1 mph (1.6 km/h). In 2026 BLM reports bluff erosion north of Sea Lion Gulch, active landslides in Zone 3 north of Buck Creek and rockfall near the cliffs.

Permits and booking

Every overnight visit to the King Range Wilderness needs a permit from recreation.gov (permit 72192), all year. Permits are released on a rolling window 90 days ahead at 7:00 am Pacific time. The quota is 60 people a day from 15 May to 15 September and 30 a day for the rest of the year, and summer weekends sell out early. A permit costs a $6 reservation fee plus a $12 Special Area Fee per person (under-16s free), and one permit covers up to 3 people. A few walk-up permits are given out by lottery at the King Range Visitor Center at 8:00 am, Monday to Saturday.

You must carry a hard-sided bear canister for all food, trash and scented items; you can rent one for $5 at the visitor center, the BLM Arcata office or the general stores in Petrolia and Shelter Cove. A CAL FIRE campfire permit is needed for fires and stoves, and seasonal restrictions usually ban campfires from early summer to autumn.

Getting there and away

The trail is point to point, and the two trailheads are about 2 hours apart by mountain roads. Most hikers park at Black Sands Beach and take a shuttle to Mattole, so the car waits at the finish. Only two companies hold BLM shuttle permits: Lost Coast Adventure Tours in Shelter Cove and Mendo Insider Tours from Fort Bragg. Book as soon as you have your permit. Mattole is about 1.5 hours from US-101 at Ferndale via Petrolia; Shelter Cove is 22 miles (35 km), about 45 minutes, from Redway near Garberville. The nearest airport is near Arcata (ACV). The roads are narrow, steep and winding, Lighthouse Road is unpaved for the last 2 miles, and fuel is scarce, so fill up before you leave US-101.

Mattole Campground at the start has 23 first-come sites ($15 a night) but no drinking water. Shelter Cove has inns, a campground with showers and a store.

Money and phone signal

Bring US dollars in cash: the Petrolia General Store is cash or ATM, and campground fees are paid in cash at a self-registration kiosk. Mobile coverage on the trail is very limited to none, so carry a satellite messenger or SOS device and download maps and the NOAA tide table for Shelter Cove (station 9418024).

What to pack

• A tide table and a watch: you will plan every day around it
• Bear canister, tent with strong pegs for wind and sand, and a stove
• Water filter or tablets: the creeks are reliable but all water must be treated
• Sturdy boots with ankle support for boulders, and gaiters for sand
• Warm layers and a waterproof jacket for fog, wind and rain
• Tick remover and long sleeves against poison oak

Safety

Never turn your back on the ocean: sneaker waves can sweep hikers off the beach, so stay off steep wet sand and do not swim or wade. Do not walk at night and do not cross creeks deeper than your knees. Stay at least 50 m from elephant seals. If you feel a strong earthquake on the beach, climb to high ground at once because of the tsunami risk. BLM has no search and rescue team: in an emergency call 911, which reaches the sheriff, the Coast Guard and local fire crews, and be ready to get yourself out.