Bear Harbor Gear Checklist
Bear Harbor Camp sits on the southern Lost Coast in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, a walk of about 2.7 miles from the Needle Rock Visitor Center on an old road bed. The camp has picnic tables and fire pits, but the nearest dependable water is a creek on the way in, and the trail beyond the camp turns faint and overgrown. People who stayed here carry a bear canister, long pants for poison oak, a layer for fog and rain, a shelter that handles wind, and cash for the camp fee paid at Needle Rock.
What shapes your gear on Bear Harbor Camp
- How far from the road
- One blog measures the walk from Needle Rock at 2.7 miles and calls it the best-kept trail in the park. The Needle Rock volunteer told another group it is 3 miles. The dirt road in is 3.3 miles from Four Corners to Needle Rock and needs high clearance. Coming from the south, one group walked 8.8 miles from Little Jackass Camp.
From Live and Let Hike, Backcountry Nomad and Ben Hiking
- What the camp has
- Live and Let Hike describes a multi-site camp with picnic tables and fire pits, and a spur trail over a bridge to a small beach. A pit toilet stands at Orchard Creek Camp, 2.4 miles in and a quarter mile short of Bear Harbor. A May 2017 hiker found sites both in a meadow and down by the creek and beach.
From Live and Let Hike and Ben Hiking
- Water on the way in
- Flat Rock Creek, about 1.3 miles before the camp, is called the most reliable source on the approach. A side stream farther up flows in winter and spring. At the camp, one hiker saw the creek run down to the water's edge. Check what the park says about treating it.
From Live and Let Hike and Ben Hiking
- Crowds
- Live and Let Hike says the camp often fills on Memorial Day and July 4 weekends and sees light use the rest of the year.
From Live and Let Hike
- Weather people met
- A May 2015 group arrived near dusk with the temperature falling and rain starting, then spent a wet, windy night near Needle Rock. A 2009 forum poster expected fog and some wind in summer, with lows above 50 degrees and highs under 80. A late May 2022 trip report notes spring wildflowers along the route.
From Backcountry Nomad, Backpacking Light and Live and Let Hike
- Remote ground
- The park calls Sinkyone one of the most remote parks in California, with help possibly hours away and limited cellphone connectivity. Beyond Bear Harbor the Lost Coast Trail is faint and heavily overgrown according to one blog, and the park rates the trail as strenuous and not for beginners.
From California State Parks and Live and Let Hike
What the agency requires on Bear Harbor Camp
The nightly camp fee
Environmental and horse camps cost $5 per person per night, paid at the Jones Beach gate, at Needle Rock, or by mailed check. The park sheet does not name Bear Harbor, and one blog says backpackers pay at Needle Rock and should bring cash.
From California State Parks and Live and Let Hike
Food stored in a bear canister or a locked car
The park asks campers to store food and scented items in a bear canister. A locked car also works, which does not help at a walk-in camp.
Extra food and supplies
The park tells visitors to bring extra food and supplies in case they are stranded, because help may not arrive for hours.
What hikers carry on Bear Harbor Camp
A bear canister
A 2009 Backpacking Light thread says canisters are required in the neighboring Kings Range and a good idea in Sinkyone, and a canister turns up on one poster's own list. The park asks for one at its camps.
The Kings Range rule belongs to the BLM stretch north of Sinkyone.
From Backpacking Light and California State Parks
Long pants and soap for poison oak
One forum poster expected a lot of poison oak in Sinkyone and suggested long pants and biodegradable soap. A May 2017 hiker pushed through thick patches south of Wheeler and could not keep it off a pack.
From Backpacking Light and Ben Hiking
Light layers and a rain jacket
Posters on the forum expected fog and wind and suggested a few light layers and a rain jacket for drizzle, while one said high-loft insulation is not needed. The 2015 group got rain and a falling temperature in the evening.
The same thread has one poster who often goes without rain gear at all.
From Backpacking Light and Backcountry Nomad
A shelter that handles wind, with extra guylines
A forum poster wanted a ventilated shelter that tolerates wind, with extra guylines or fat stakes for sand and driftwood. A May 2017 hiker called Wheeler Camp, farther south, very exposed and a poor spot in crazy wind.
From Backpacking Light and Ben Hiking
Cash for the $5 fee
The Needle Rock fee is $5 per person per night and the blog's advice is to carry cash. The visitor center is staffed only part of the year.
From Live and Let Hike and California State Parks
Sturdy boots and trekking poles
One forum poster advised hiking boots on this section unless your ankles are strong. A second listed trekking poles in his own kit. A May 2017 hiker worried about sore knees on the last long downhill into the camp.
From Backpacking Light and Ben Hiking
A way to cook at camp
The camp has fire pits according to Live and Let Hike, and a forum poster notes driftwood cookfires along beach sites. One 2017 group set up a small table and seats to cook dinner on the beach.
From Live and Let Hike, Backpacking Light and Ben Hiking
A tick check routine
A May 2017 group found a tick on a hiker at camp and spent the evening checking each other.
From Ben Hiking
Going as a group? Split this list between you so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Bear Harbor Camp
Setting out late in the day
The 2015 group left Needle Rock around dusk with rain starting. A mountain lion stopped them twice on the trail and they turned back, then camped in the rain near Needle Rock.
From Backcountry Nomad
A tent left empty near elk
Roosevelt elk walked through the 2015 group's camp near Needle Rock, and a buck shredded a tent that nobody was in. The park sheet describes the local elk herd.
From Backcountry Nomad and California State Parks
A low-clearance car
The road to Needle Rock has potholes and turns to mud after heavy rain. Live and Let Hike says high clearance is a must and drove it in a car with 8 inches.
From Live and Let Hike
High-loft warm clothing
One forum poster said fog and wind call for a few light layers and nothing heavy for summer.
That advice was for summer. The 2015 group was colder in rain.
From Backpacking Light and Backcountry Nomad
Gear questions for Bear Harbor Camp
Do you need a bear canister at Bear Harbor Camp?
The park asks campers to store food in a bear canister, and a locked car is the only other option it names. A 2009 forum post called canisters required in the Kings Range and a good idea in Sinkyone.
From California State Parks and Backpacking Light
How far is Bear Harbor Camp from Needle Rock?
Live and Let Hike measures 2.7 miles on an old road bed. The Needle Rock volunteer told another group about 3 miles. The final 3.3 miles of road to Needle Rock needs high clearance.
From Live and Let Hike and Backcountry Nomad
Where do you get water near Bear Harbor Camp?
Flat Rock Creek, about 1.3 miles before the camp, is called the most reliable source on the walk in. A creek also runs past the camp to the beach. Check with the park about treating it.
From Live and Let Hike and Ben Hiking
How much does Bear Harbor Camp cost?
The park lists environmental and horse camps at $5 per person per night. Its sheet does not name Bear Harbor, and one blog says backpackers pay that rate at Needle Rock.
From California State Parks and Live and Let Hike
Sources
- Sinkyone Wilderness State Park information sheet · California State Parks · Agency
- Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp · Live and Let Hike · Blog
- Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2 · Ben Hiking, Ben hiking · Trip report
- An Elk Gored my Tent (Lost Coast guest post) · Backcountry Nomad, Mariel Reed · Trip report
- Lost Coast Gear List (forum thread) · Backpacking Light · Forum thread