California’s Rugged Lost Coast

By Greg Wolfgang, Bureau of Land Management

Backpackers hiking along the beach in the King Range National Conservation Area are all smiles. (John Lyrenmann, Share the Experience)

Explore the King Range

The King Range National Conservation Area is one of the most spectacular and remote stretches of coastline in the continental U.S. It stretches along 35 miles (56 km) of the northern California coastline about 60 miles (96.5 km) south of Eureka and 230 miles (370 km) north of San Francisco and covers 68,000 acres (27,518 ha) along an abrupt wall of mountains rising 4,000 feet (1,219 m) above the Pacific Ocean.

California's Lost Coast draws people from all over the world. Where the Pacific Ocean meets wild, undeveloped coastline, old-growth forests and rugged peaks of the King Range, you can pursue a wide variety of activities, including hiking and backpacking 80 miles (128.7 km) of trails, camping, beach-combing, mountain biking, surfing, hunting, and car touring and sightseeing.

Overnight Wilderness Permits

The Bureau of Land Management will require permits by reservation for overnight use in the King Range Wilderness and Backcountry Management Zone of the King Range National Conservation Area beginning January 9, 2017. The permit system will limit the number of persons entering the King Range Wilderness for overnight use to 60 persons per day during the peak season (May 15-September 15), and 30 persons per day during the non-peak season (September 16-May 14).

Directions to King Range

All roads leading to the King Range are narrow, steep and winding. Allow plenty of time between destinations, have a full tank of gas, and be alert to oncoming traffic.

All main roads are normally accessible to passenger cars except during heavy winter storms. Primitive roads may be closed seasonally. Call the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at (707) 986-5400 for current road conditions and check their website for detailed directions.

Brown directional signs mark all major intersections in the King Range giving the road name and distances to primary recreation sites.

Campgrounds in the King Range

There are six designated campgrounds in the King Range: Mattole, Honeydew Creek, Horse Mountain, Tolkan, Nadelos and Wailaki. Campsites are first-come, first-served and open year-round. There is one group site available and reservations must be made 30-days in advance by calling the BLM at (707) 986-5400. Facilities are kept to a minimum in order to preserve the area's rustic and semi-primitive qualities.

Watch the Weather and Go Prepared

Be aware of weather, tides and waves when visiting the coast. Conditions change rapidly, tides may obstruct trails and wave patterns can be unpredictable. Check this know before you go list which includes current local weather and tide predictions for the area. From October to April, the King Range National Conservation Area is one of the wettest spots in the U.S. with annual rainfall average between 100 to 200 inches (254 cm-508 cm). Snow can temporarily blanket the higher peaks after storms. Sunny weather hikes are still possible in winter during breaks between storms. Scattered showers can linger into early June. From May to September, the King Crest Trail is normally hot and dry with temperatures reaching 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (26-37 C) in mid-summer. At the base of the peaks, the coastline sees less of the cool fog that characterizes much of northern California's coast, but coastal weather is still highly variable. Winds along the King Crest and Lost Coast Trails are often very strong and erratic.

Minimize Your Impact

To maintain the lost feeling of the Lost Coast, use Leave No Trace practices during your visit. This means more than just picking up litter and extinguishing campfires. Leave No Trace is a way to maintain the integrity and character of the outdoors for all living things. A national outdoor skills and ethics education program, the Leave No Trace approach promotes land stewardship, minimum-impact skills and wilderness ethics. Hard-sided canisters are required. They protect bear from your food and your food from the bear. All scented items must be stored in a hard-sided canister. These canisters are not bear spray or pepper spray. Learn more about bear resistant canisters and where you can rent one.

Hiking and Biking in the King Range

The King Range features more than 80 miles (128.7 km) of hiking trails spanning from the beach to the highest peaks. A number of connector trails allow for loops which make great day hikes. Many hikers of the Lost Coast Trail choose to park their vehicle at one trailhead and take a shuttle from a shuttle service provider either to or from the opposite trailhead. Know before you go information is invaluable for those seeking hiking and backpacking adventures. The King Range has a 23-mile (37 km) mountain bike trail system (PDF) offering varying levels of difficulty and diverse scenic vistas, terrain features and riding experiences.

Did You Know?

The King Range National Conservation Area spans the northern California coastline between the mouth of the Mattole River and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Here the landscape was too rugged for highway building, forcing State Highway 1 and U.S. 101 inland.

Geologically, the King Range is severely folded and faulted with three of the large tectonic plates that make up the earth's crust grinding together just offshore. The King Range is at the edge of the North American Plate which is being forced upward from the two offshore plates. These mountains have risen 66 feet (20.1 m) in the last 6,000 years. King Peak, the highest point at 4,088 feet (1,246 m), is only 3 miles (4.8 km) from the ocean.

Curiously, although this is the wettest spot in California, hot dry summer winds make the King Range too dry to support the redwood forests that surround it on three sides.

With nearly 300 species of native and migratory birds, the King Range is a birders paradise. The old-growth forest is important habitat for the northern spotted owl, bald eagle and Cooper’s hawk.