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The Lost Coast Trail Backpacking
Description
The Lost Coast is a stretch of California coastline so rugged that roads have not conquered it. The remoteness is a rare respite from the rest of the state. There are no mansions tucked along hillsides or congested lines of traffic winding along the cliffs. Here crumbling gashes of the King Range tower from the sea, blocking the way of everyone not on foot.
Between the cliffs and the sea, the Lost Coast Trail passes along the narrow band of tortured beach. Twice per day, there is no Lost Coast Trail. Stretches of the route vanish under the high tide, replaced by surf pounding against the cliffs. It is the domain of the hiker, a desolate and severe landscape draped by a pristine ecosystem. The path leads from hidden beaches to expansive vistas at dizzying heights above the surf. Apart from sea lions and the occasional troop of Scouts, hikers discover pure solitude. The Lost Coast Trail is one of the finest beach backpacking trips found in the United States, and it has steadily grown in fame and popularity over the years.
Information
Length: 25 miles, one way, north to south
Time: 3 days (approx 1.5 mph)
Difficulty: challenging
Terrain: varied, from soft, wet sand to slippery rocks
Elevation gain: 50 ft
Hazards: tides (3 sections up to 4 miles long each are impassable at high tide), falling rocks/landslides, wind, sneaker waves, creek crossings, black bears, rattlesnakes, ticks, poison oak
Wildlife: black bears, gray foxes, bobcats, deer, jack rabbits, sea lions, peregrine falcons, coho and chinook salmon, steelhead trout
Water: fresh water streams plentiful
Bear canisters: required
Toilets/showers: none (bury waste in sand)
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Linear Mode
