Best time to hike the Lost Coast Trail

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.