Lost Coast; let's talk about it. Anyone want to go?

Thanks for posting these @Dor. I am going to be up there this weekend and I copied your routes to my Gaia list.

 

np man, have a great time! All the routes are stolen, so if any of them suck imma blame someone else

It looked like a bit of a Frankensteined route, didn't know what else to call it haha.

All that context is super helpful, will add it to my route info on Gaia.

 

I was up there a few weeks ago. Didn’t do the southern Usal section this time. Went north from Shelter Cove Rd into Kings Range and stayed at Tolkan Campground. VERY nice campground, dry but clean and cheap. Very private sites big and level enough to get two camper trucks in, though we had only 1 truck with ground tent. Short stroll to ocean views. And, it’s right at the trailhead for the excellent Paradise Royale loop if you’re a mountain biker.

Also went to Needle Rock. As someone else posted, the road is “closed” due to a washout, though it looked doable if sketchy. We rode our bikes down and then on to the Wilderness boundary at Bear Harbor, and hiked out to the beach. The caretaker at Needle Rock said we were the first people in 4 days. He gets a ride in and supplies on a Forest Service ATV. The climb out on bikes was a tad grueling for the lungs, but we did it OK.

 

FYI Usal is now closed for the season on the north end. South end / beach is open but the south gate is closed just north of the beach.

Mendo's website still shows it open though.

 

So you cant drive on to beach from South end, gate is before beach? Wnt to go next week or some where close up there.

 

Im ready to head up to usal beach or any thing up in that area, im out of sacramento.

 

^^^ I am just speculating, but I think what @MeefZah means is that the north end is closed, and the south end is closed, but the southern closure is north of the beach. So you can access the beach from the south, but can’t go further up the road.

 

Correct.

 

Ok thanks, I went all the way to Oregon, but headed up to usal beach tmrw Thurs. 31st

 

Let us know what road you take, if any open out there.

 

Yep went out to Usal Beach on Hwy 1 from Leggit to Usal Rd. At South end all the way into camp/beach and drove out going North on Usal Rd. All the way to Shelter Cove.

 

Also spoke with local on quad said they dont close gate until weather is bad, sign posted says closed Oct 31 st.

 

God damn it. I specifically called the road department and asked them as I was driving down there for a overnighter. The person answering told me it was gated shut already. So I went elsewhere without actually checking. Sorry for the misinformation.

Did you do any other roads in the King Range?

 

Looks beautiful ... but “we need the rain”.

 

Nope didnt do any other roads, just went down to shelter cove and back to hwy101, the full usal road is 17 miles long to shelter cove.