Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sinkyone Wilderness State Park
Named for the Sinkyone people who once lived here, this 7367-acre wilderness extends
south of Shelter Cove along pristine coastline. The
Lost Coast Trail
passes through here
for 22 miles, from Whale Gulch south to Usal Beach Campground, taking at least three
days to walk as it meanders along high ridges, providing bird's-eye views down to deser-
ted beaches and the crashing surf (side trails descend to water level). Near the park's
northern end, you can register at the (haunted!)
Needle Rock Ranch
( 707-986-7711; tent
sites $35)
for the adjacent campsites. This is the only source of potable water. For informa-
tion on when the ranch is closed (most of the time), call
Richardson Grove State Park.
To get to Sinkyone, drive west from Garberville and Redway on Briceland-Thorn Rd,
21 miles through Whitethorn to Four Corners. Turn left (south) and continue for 3.5 miles
down a very rugged road to the ranch house; it takes 1½ hours.
There's access to the
Usal Beach Campground
(tent sites $25)
at the south end of the
park from Hwy 1 (you can't make reservations). North of Westport, take the unpaved
County Rd 431 beginning from Hwy 1's Mile 90.88 and travel 6 miles up the coast to the
campground. The road is graded yearly in late spring and is passable in summer via 2WD
vehicles. Most sites are past the message board by the beach. Use bear canisters or keep
food in your trunk. Look for giant elk feeding on the tall grass - they live behind sites No
1 and 2 - and osprey by the creek's mouth.
North of the campground, Usal Rd (County Rd 431) is much rougher and recommended
only if you have a high-clearance 4WD and a chainsaw. Seriously.
King Range National Conservation Area
Stretching over 35 miles of virgin coastline, with ridge after ridge of mountainous terrain
plunging to the surf, the 60,000-acre area tops out at namesake King's Peak (4087ft). The
wettest spot in California, the range receives over 120in - and sometimes as much as
240in - of annual rainfall, causing frequent landslides; in winter, snow falls on the ridges.
(By contrast, nearby sea-level Shelter Cove gets only 69in of rain and no snow.) Two-
thirds of the area is awaiting wilderness designation.
See the
Bureau of Land Management
for information. For overnight hikes, you'll need a
backcountry-use permit. Don't turn left onto Briceland-Thorn Rd to try to find the 'town'
of Whitethorn; it doesn't exist. Whitethorn is the BLM's name for the general area. To
