Lost Coast

[The Saints]

Valerie and I will be traveling south from Oregon in June. We are going down 101, but decided to take the small roads instead. I have located alot of unpaved roads on my maps that go from Old Mattole road west of the Humbolt Redwood state park. The unpaved roads go all the way down to hwy 1 past Usal Creek.
Any knowledge on these?
Any help would be appreciated. Is it worth it? is it light 4wd?

 

[Rob in MT]

I was in the Shelter Cove/ Mattole area last week. Drove the Kings Peak road from Shelter cove to Wilder Ridge. Road was in good shape, no need for four wheel drive, although unless you want to drive dirt the Ettersburg road would probably be easier and quicker. The Tolkan campground was nice, but again unless you want to drive dirt I don't think I would go out of my way to stay there. I spent one night at Wailaki which was nice (on the creek. Checked out Honeydew, which was also nice. The County Park campground was big and expensive. Speaking of expensive I was a but surprised at the state park/national park prices at the campgrounds, $30! Years ago I stayed at Prairie Creek, and it's great (especially when you do the Fern Canyon loop hike), but again $30!

Walking Black Sands beach was awesome, and Mattole campground/beach is a can't be missed! Quite windy though, the walk to the lighthouse is wonderful! Seeing where the river enters the ocean at low tide is beautiful!

Make sure you take the road from Ferndale! Although, I was pretty amazed at the steepness and constant up and down.

The hike to the Boy Scout Tree in Jedediah Smith is nice and the drive is awesome!

As a side note, also went to Lava Beds national monument. The lava tubes were amazing.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Speaking of expensive I was a but surprised at the state park/national park prices at the campgrounds, $30!

 

[The Saints]

Thanks Rob, we are still in the planning stages, and I was hoping there would be a bit more 4wd experiences. We are planning on taking all the dirt roads and camping on them. But we have a few days to spend exploring. Also looking for some fun surf spots.

 

[SunMan]

From Shelter Cove the drive from Chemise mountain road to Usal road and ultimately Usal Beach is a great drive. Might he worth checking the ranger station for the latest on road conditions first though. 4WD should not be needed unless the roads are exceptionally muddy. Plan on a couple hours+ to Usal Beach from Chemise/Briceland Thorn road. Ditto on Mattole, not to be missed. Cheap camping ($8/night)

 

[The Saints]

thanks Sunman, we are going to do a lot of exploring. We have a few days, so we want some peaceful time and easy fun.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

When leaving Mattole Beach camp, the first dirt road up to the right will take you out to Windy point 4wd road (4wd not really)..If you are going to check out Punta Gorda Light house (highly recomended), this will cut the hike in half or more..Could also be a good boondock camp depending on the wind...awesome area! have fun, and don't forget to take some snaps!

TT

 

[natjwest]

I visited Mattole this winter and it was a good drive in from 101 through Honeydew and Petrolia. Those are neat little towns, especially the general store (only store) in Petrolia. See the bottom of this post:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4387/page__view__findpost__p__47728

I know Usal is used by the 4wd crowds a lot. There are copious google-finds on it.

 

[The Saints]

Thanks all. I just ordered a gas tank holder to mount to the back of the camper. I couldn't get the Adventure Trailers kind, so I settled for a Front Runner style. I should get this just days before we leave, but I will feel better going on all the little unpaved roads around Usal and such. I mapped about 120 miles of mostly dirt roads from around Humbolt down to close to the bay area.
If I can scare my wife enough, maybe someday she will let me get a winch and bumper for it. Even if I don't use it a lot, imagine how cool I'll look. LOL.

 

[craig333]

Four pages of reports here on wtw. Here's my report.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2062/page__st__-10__p__3__hl__usal__fromsearch__1&#entry3

 

[The Saints]

Craig, I love those pics. I hope I'm not getting in over my head. I mapped all unpaved roads, maybe I should have a back up and a couple other routes as well. Maybe I can get that winch sooner then I thought.

 

[DirtyDog]

My advice: its all awesome enjoy. Its all a bit harder than people like to admit, even the paved roads. This is about as outback as California gets. There are bears so camp accordingly. In rainy weather I'd seriously reconsider any off-pavement routes. But maybe I'm just a wuss

I'd recommend doing the road between Ferndale and Mattole Beach. Not only is it America's worst paved road, you get to see the most awesome ranch in the world. The barbed wire fence is to keep the cows on the beach, and the tourists out. Life just isnt fair sometimes.

 

[The Saints]

Dog, I just may take that advise. I should prepare my truck a bit more for that kind of fun in such a remote place. I will still add in some short easy dirt roads instead though.
thanks

 

[SunMan]

A quick call to the ranger station could alleviate all of your concerns (I'm talking Usal Road from Shelter Cove), we did it in October which i'm sure was much dryer than it is now but we never engaged 4WD the whole time, mud is the only problem I think you would encounter otherwise it was a pretty decent dirt road. If the rangers say its clear the drive is a must, certainly worth a check IMO.

Bureau of Land Management
King Range National Conservation Area Project Office
P.O. Drawer 189
Whitethorn, CA 95589
Phone: (707) 986-5400
Fax: (707) 986-5401
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., M-F

 

[craig333]

During rain? I don't think so. After a good rain, maybe. I think I'd want to give it a week or so to dry out at least.

 

[The Saints]

We will be going there the first week of June. Starting from Mattole Rd. I will keep my eye on the weather. I have a shovel and come a long, but no winch yet. Like you all say though, I will watch the weather.

 

[Cort]

Its really not that bad of a road...you will be fine.

Cort

 

[The Saints]

Thank you Cort.