King Range and Sinkyone - Our Family Adventure

[john101477]

ok So I already had all this typed out and my browser went dead for some reason so this will be a 3 part report.

We left Thursday morning fairly early in hopes of beating the heat. Hwy 36 from Red Bluff to Fortuna was the usual for us. We filled up got a few things we had forgot and over the river to Ferndale to Hit the Mattole Rd.
Now i am kicking myself for not stopping in ferndale to grab some photos but if you have never been it is well worth it to see a throwback town that you can imagine how it looked in the early 1900's. what a great place. Petrolia held our attention for a few minutes as well but we were hot to trot to get to our first camp. Mattole CG a BLM controlled area is not as remote as we had hoped and our nearest neighbor was literally a log away. it was a nice stay none the less though

A guy we met on his way back from Homer Alaska. Crazy SOB but I envy him for the trip

 

[john101477]

Friday morning we hit the road again. headed south along mattole rd. talk about steep and twisty but that was nothing compared to the King Peak road that would twist and turn and never come close to the peak, although King Range road does.... go figure. We drove out the King Range rd and then back again to continue on the King Peak rd. it was worth it IMO but I think my wife got bored of that spot.

We ended up stopping at the Horse Mountain CG and ran into the BLM guy that recommended Token CG as the better place to stay. We have to agree with the exception that it was quite windy at Tolken. We stayed for 2 nights relaxing and taking the odd walk around. This is a mountain bikers paradise and we were the only ones not there with bikes.

This guy was one serious Mtn biker. Late saturday we had one guy come into camp and ask to borrow our soap as he had crashed a few times that day and had some nasty "dirt rash".

We also made it into Shelter Cove for the after noon and had a great time on the beach there. Sierra collected shells and I took pictures of seal lions.

 

[john101477]

Sunday morning We packed up and got down to Shelter cove again to top off our fuel. It was a little more expensive than normal but thats to be expected in a place so remote.
I may have made a mistake by asking the locals if I should take the Usal Rd. through or if I should travel around. The info I got was that the Usal rd was pretty beat up so around we went. It worked out because we also got the chance to stop at Confusion Hill. The neat little tourist trap the neither my wife or child had seen before but will never forget. We spent an hour or so there and had a good time.

Off we went again stopping for a picture at the drive through tree along the way.
I knew we were getting close to the Usal turn but never seen a sign. luckily some old men were wrapping up a day of working cows and they pointed us in the right direction, which I had almost guessed anyways. Up up and away, That Usal road is neat. reminding me of something out of Jurassic Park. Simply amazing and we even ran into a bull elk at the entrance to the CG. yeah this is the place for me I thought, till I seen they wanted $25 a night for camping...pssh yeah right thats not gonna happen. not for the amenities they had. But we did stay in the area for the next 2 days and we had a good time, stayed cool, took lots of pictures and enjoyed each others company.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

It looks like you and the fam had a good time out there on the Lost Coast. Thanks for the photos, John.

 

[SunMan]

Nice pics. Heading that way myself in a couple of months!

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Hey, John, is there some old WWII radar base along there somewhere or am I thinking of someplace else? Redwoods, maybe?

Stew

 

[Cort]

If I remember correctly the old radar installation is up on the Wildcat Road outside of Ferndale.

Cort

 

[john101477]

I never seen anything like that while driving but so much of that country is hidden by trees and steep terrain that I easily could have missed it. I have also driven out around Loleta and never seen anything like that.

All in all it was a great trip and we hated to be headed home. Funny how all the stress and worries you had before you left start to creep back the closer you get to home. Funny by the time we got home we were almost ready for another vacation lol.

 

[CJinCA]

I may have made a mistake by asking the locals if I should take the Usal Rd. through or if I should travel around. The info I got was that the Usal rd was pretty beat up so around we went.



With your hitch carrier hanging off the back that was good advice. The road is a bit rutted at the top, though there is a makeshift bypass around the worst of it. After four years of no maintenance, the county is currently grading the road again. They’ve been at it for two weeks and should be finished in another three weeks (approximate per the dozer operator). It’ll be an easier drive when done, at least until next winter’s rainy season.

And nice pics too! Looks like you had a great time.


.

 

[john101477]

With your hitch carrier hanging off the back that was good advice. The road is a bit rutted at the top, though there is a makeshift bypass around the worst of it. After four years of no maintenance, the county is currently grading the road again. They’ve been at it for two weeks and should be finished in another three weeks (approximate per the dozer operator). It’ll be an easier drive when done, at least until next winter’s rainy season.

And nice pics too! Looks like you had a great time.


Yeah I need to find a new way to haul a few things. The Hitch Carrier works but is for sure in the wrong spot. If the family had not been along or I had another rig along, I would have taken the Usal road. It is cool and sucks at the same time that they are grading it out. Lost Coast has really become popular and even with the locals removing road signs and posting stay out signs it is becoming a major attraction. we all know what happens when an area like this becomes an attraction. The state takes over, bull doze campsites in with hookups and puts a camp host there for the summer so people are forced to follow their rules. all of a sudden the Lost Coast is not so lost any more

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I never seen anything like that while driving but so much of that country is hidden by trees and steep terrain that I easily could have missed it. I have also driven out around Loleta and never seen anything like that.



I found the WWII radar on the maps. It's way up north, west of Klamath near the redwoods. Not lost in the Lost Coast at all.

 

[john101477]

I found the WWII radar on the maps. It's way up north, west of Klamath near the redwoods. Not lost in the Lost Coast at all.

ahhhh that actually makes since. We spent a weekend in Klamath (regua) area and got to experience some cool stuff.