Get Lost with us as we explore some of the last remaining undeveloped pieces of coastline in California. We hiked for 3 days on The Lost Coast and experienced the rugged beauty thought to be long gone in northern California.
The Lost Coast is an undeveloped area of the California North Coast in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the “Lost Coast” after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. In addition, the steepness and related geotechnical challenges of the coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for state highway or county road builders to establish routes through the area, leaving it the most undeveloped and remote portion of the California coast. Without any major highways, communities in the Lost Coast region such as Petrolia, Shelter Cove, and Whitethorn are isolated from the rest of California.
The Lost Coast is magic. The 22 mile section we did was only accessible by foot and requires hiking in sand, on slippery bolders and long cliff edges. Come prepared. The hiking is hard and certain areas can only be crossed at low tide.