Attractions and Places To See in King Range Wilderness - Top 17

a frequent "hang out" spot for the local population of elephant seals.

Rattlesnake Ridge trail branches from the Lost Coast Trail near Flat Creek in case you want to do a side trip to climb King Mountain or join the coast trail here after doing the mountain. Rattlesnake Ridge Trail (King Crest Trail - Beach) , 5.7 miles, 3600 ft. descent Most of this trail burned in 2003. Vegetation on this ridge regrows rapidly so hikers may have to bushwhack. This trail heads off of the King Crest Trail 2.8 miles south of the North Slide Peak Trailhead. It is recommended only for adventurous backpackers who don't mind some bushwhacking and stream crossings. Follows brushy Rattlesnake Ridge before descending through old-growth forest to Big Flat Creek. Ferns and mosses line the boulder choked channel of Big Flat Creek, which you must cross twice on the way to the coast. You will find a year-round spring at Bear Hollow Camp after leaving King Crest Trail. https://www.blm.gov/nlcs_web/sites/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/King_Range_NCA/recreation/trails.html

If the tide is too high to continue this is a possible camp area for hammocks, though it is not safe (high enough) in case of storm tides, and there is no convenient flat area for tents. Most of the year there is some water from a short drainage just on the slope above. Under normal conditions there are more attractive campsites a mile before or after this steep cliff area which limits the width of the beach at high tide.

Randall Creek empties into the Pacific Ocean about half-way between Mattole and Black Sands Beach, making for a convenient campsite on a safe flat terrace above the beach. Spring is the most beautiful time of the year to come here, as the meadows are covered with colorful spring flowers. Most throughhikers exit at Shelter Cove road, though the trail continues. Each section takes about one day: 1: https://www.komoot.de/tour/8418519 Mattole to Randall Creek 2: https://www.komoot.de/tour/8420255 Randall Creek to Horse Mtn Creek 3: https://www.komoot.de/tour/8420259 Horse Mtn Creek-Shelter Cove-Jones Beach (Sinkyone Wilderness State Park) 4: https://www.komoot.de/tour/8442837 Sinkyone Wilderness SP -Anderson Gulch 5: https://www.komoot.de/tour/8442963 Anderson Gulch to Usal (Southern End) 6: https://www.komoot.de/tour/8420215 Car shuttle back to Mattole

Punta Gorda Lighthouse via Lost Cost Trail is a 5.5 mile out and back trail located near Petrolia, CA, 12 miles (19 km) south of Cape Mendocino, California, within Humboldt County. Punta Gorda Lighthouse was built in 1911 and was first lit in 1912. After World War II, it was decided that given the remoteness of the station it was too costly to maintain. A lighted buoy was placed offshore, the fourth order Fresnel lens was removed, and the station was boarded up and deactivated in 1951. The keeper's house and all other station buildings were demolished. Located on a remote section of the King Range National Conservation Area in it is managed by the Arcata Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Access to the area is limited to non-vehicular foot traffic, helicopter air traffic, or by boat from the sea. Alternative access for authorized vehicles is via a short hike from the end of a 4WD road. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta_Gorda_Light https://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/Learning_Landscapes/For_Kids/History_Mystery/hm4/punta_gorda.html The lighthouse can be visited in a dayhike, or on a 2 to 5 day through-hike with camping on the beach, either half-way to Shelter cove or complete to the southern end of the Lost Coast at Usal Beach. Each section takes about one day: 1: https://www.komoot.com/tour/8418519 Mattole to Randall Creek 2: https://www.komoot.com/tour/8420255 Randall Creek to Horse Mtn Creek 3: https://www.komoot.com/tour/8420259 Horse Mtn Creek-Shelter Cove-Jones Beach (Sinkyone Wilderness State Park) 4: https://www.komoot.com/tour/8442837 Sinkyone Wilderness SP -Anderson Gulch 5: https://www.komoot.com/tour/8442963 Anderson Gulch to Usal (Southern End) 6: https://www.komoot.com/tour/8420215 shuttle back to Mattole

This section combines the beach-level northern Lost Coast Trail (most people only do the northern part) with the beautiful Wilderness of the southern Lost Coast Trail. So it combines the Kings Range National Conservation Area with the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Note that the trailhead and most of the trail in this and the next two sections going off from Shelter Cove Road all the way down south to Usal trailhead is not even yet on Open Street Map (which is the base for Komoot) as of the date we hiked here in April 2016. So make sure to download this tour to your komoot app or the gpx file to your preferred GPS/app. Sinkyone Wilderness State Park lies on the southern portion of the Lost Coast, a 60-mile stretch of wilderness comprising the park and the King Range National Conservation Area. For thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived, the Sinkyone Indians lived on this part of the coast. They occupied permanent villages beside streams and rivers, and moved out in family groups to hunt and forage in the hills during the summer. They fished, gathered seaweed and shellfish, hunted seals and sea lions, and harvested the occasional dead whale washed on shore. All kinds of fish were caught, but the seasonal salmon run was especially important. Today, the Lost Coast Trail follows the whole length of the rugged Sinkyone coastline. Gray whales pass by during the winter and early spring. Roosevelt elk roam the grasslands. Sea lions and harbor seals hang out in rocky coves. It’s an arresting landscape, with canyons, arches, tide pools, sea stacks, seasonal wildflowers, waterfalls, and dark sand beaches. On a sunny day, the sea looks turquoise, giving the park tropical feeling. Some aspects of the Sinkyone keep crowds away. Its trails are steep and its campgrounds are primitive. There’s no potable water, and you have to haul out your own trash. When wet, the park’s twisting dirt roads are impassable for passenger cars. More than a few visitors have had to stay an extra day or two because a mudslide or fallen tree closed their route home. “The Sinkyone lets you go when it wants to let you go,” a park ranger says. In other words, it’s a real wilderness. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=429