The Lost Coast
- nwriversphotograph
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
After leaving Bellingham and spending time on the Oregon Coast (see Coast, Forest, River & Stream), with side trips to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Bandon by the Sea, we continued south and crossed onto the Northern California coast and the land of the Redwoods. Slow travel days up and down the beautiful Wild & Scenic Smith River, and later, along the lower Klamath.
We spent time with a good friend in Crescent City and then followed another friend’s travelog to hit some of his favorite highlights in the area. While we have been to the Redwoods many times, it is still a spiritual experience to walk among anything that is nearly two thousand years old (the peak of the Roman Empire and the life and teachings of Jesus). The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, an alternative to Route 101, winds among these old-growth giants (Redwoods are the tallest living trees in the world) in the Redwood National and State Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
There was a ton of wind and rain when we were there (this area of California records over one hundred inches of rain annually and over two hundred in wet years), which closed access to beaches and hiking. But the rain, and that special light that you have during a storm, made driving and camping so worthwhile. Deep shadows in the trees, with sunbeams streaking through the leaves, and water drops glistening on each needle and branch!
We spent a night in Ferndale, a wonderful little Victorian town, and stocked up on gas, propane and food (and maybe coffee and pastries) before heading out the Mattole road towards Petrolia (site of California’s first oil discovery) and tiny Honeydew, the only small communities on the Lost Coast, an area our friend described as “a place known to few.” Again, we had days of sun, days of rain, and tons of clouds. Perfect weather to see all sides of coastal magnificence!
Later on we crested the coastal hills and dropped onto the shoreline to find miles of scudding waves, black beaches, and black basalt sea stacks. We pulled off the side of the road, leveled our sprinter, pulled out the camera, and spent the day just relaxing to the sound of wind, waves, and the very rare passing of another car. As the sun went down, it was perhaps too windy and cold to pull out the camp chairs, but the windows and captain’s chairs in the van provided a warm and comfortable place to drink hot tea and a front row seat to watch the sun set over the western ocean.
What a great location to find ourselves in! Cuddled together, dog asleep on her bed at our feet, a warm ham and grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, a bottle of wine, twinkling firefly lights all around the van, and the sound of wave and wind on rock. Heaven!
Located in both Mendocino and Humboldt counties, the Lost Coast is as wild and undeveloped as it sounds. It contains the last coastal wilderness left in the state, sweeping grasslands, and the mountains of the King Range Wilderness and National Conservation Area. Traditional lands of the Sinkyone and Mattole peoples, today you can drive the seventy -five mile loop trail, or hike the famous twenty-five miles of the northern Lost Coast Trail.
There are no major roads on the Lost Coast, and most descriptions of the area and its one small and twisty loop road warn of rough passage, major potholes, and hard driving (we found it to be not that bad). It is the only road that heads that way, and this road really goes nowhere. No major towns, just secluded beaches, silence, and beautiful country. In the 1930’s this rugged terrain and a decision to reroute Highway 1 inland led to depopulation due to lack of access and economic opportunities.
After the Lost Coast, the weather turned for the worse and we needed to move off the coast due to flooding and possible mud slides further south. It was prudent, since we were in our friend’s sprinter. Maybe not necessary? But for some reason, I couldn’t sleep with the thought of being swept out to sea by a mud flow. So, we headed inland to Sacramento and towards our next destination, Kernville, California to look up old friends and relive my time working on river restoration on that river some thirty years ago.
Follow along on our travels as we head uphill in the Sierra Nevada’s and my third posting on our three-month trip.
Endnotes:
· As we headed south, we left the land of Redwoods and entered the domain of the Giant Sequoias. Sequoias are found at higher elevations (four to eight thousand feet) than the Coastal Redwood and are the largest trees by volume. Redwoods, on the other hand, are the tallest trees in the world. The cones and seeds of the Sequoia are about three times the size of those of the Redwood.
· The Klamath River Dam removal dismantled four dams along the river, which originates near Klamath Falls, Oregon. The dams were purely hydroelectric generating facilities, but the power they provided was so marginal that both California and Oregon utilities recognized it was more cost effective to remove them and ultimately contributed to the effort. Within ten days of removal of the furthest downstream dam, more than six thousand Chinook salmon were observed migrating upstream into newly accessible habitat over a two-week period. For more information, go to:
“Dam removal is the best way to bring a river back to life. The Klamath is significant not only because it is the biggest dam removal and river restoration effort in history, but because it shows that we can right historic wrongs and make big, bold dreams a reality for our rivers and communities.” -Dr. Ann Willis, California Director, American Rivers
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