Attractions and Places To See around Shelter Cove - Top 17

This eponymous black sandy beach is the Trailhead to the the northern, beachy section of the Lost Coast Trail. Some people only hike this northern section and return from Black Sands Beach to Mattole with a shuttle from Shelter Cove. To enjoy the whole coast, continue to the Southern half of The Lost Coast Trail; you can either walk the paved Beach Rd and Shelter Cove Rd east, or, if you prefer trails/dirt roads, leave the beach a couple of miles before reaching the trailhead, go up on Horse Mountain trail (half a mile before crossing Horse Mountain Creek), and turn south on the King Mountain Rd. It follows a ridge with great views, and when it hits Shelter Cove Rd turn left and then right after 0.4 mile toward Chemise Mountain Road. The trailhead to The Lost Coast Trail (South Section) is on the right side after 0.2 miles. The trail is not on Komoot's OSM-map base yet as of 2016; you can follow our GPS tracks here https://www.komoot.de/tour/8420259

The beach rises high and forms a broad elevated terrace around Horse Mountain Creek delta, and with some giant driftwood trees it forms a natural campsite, prime sunset views included.

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.

This is the 4th of five sections hiking the entire Lost Coast Trail from North (Mattole Beach) to South (Usal). The Lost Coast is a mostly natural and development-free 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 geo-technical 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. State Route 1, California's Pacific Coast Highway, was originally planned to continue up the coast through the region. In 1984, admitting that such construction was not feasible, Caltrans re-routed the northern segment of Highway 1 from Rockport to Leggett and renumbered the portion that was built from Ferndale to Fernbridge as State Route 211. Without any major highways or county thoroughfares in the area, the secluded communities within the Lost Coast are only accessible by land via small mountain roads. Mattole Road runs south from Ferndale to Petrolia, while Shelter Cove and Briceland Thorn Roads form the main route connecting Shelter Cove with US 101 to the east. Note: most of the trail in this and the 3rd section going off from Shelter Cove Road all the way down south to Usal trailhead is not 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. parks.ca.gov/?page_id=429

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