Usal Beach Gear Checklist
Usal Beach Campground is the one drive-in camp in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and the south end of the Lost Coast Trail. You reach it by a rutted dirt road, and campers who wrote about it pack for limited cell service, no treated water, and weekend noise. The park lists the camp as free, while a 2017 group was quoted $25 a night and found nobody collecting. Hikers who start the trail here also carry for poison oak and ticks, because the first climb begins at the camp.
What shapes your gear on Usal Beach Campground
- The road in
- The park says most roads into the park are seasonal and large trailers and RVs are not recommended. A 2017 group counted 6 miles of narrow, rutted dirt road to Usal and made it in a Subaru Forester and a Honda Fit a few days after rain, though a higher car was easier. A 2023 camper drove the southern part in a front-wheel-drive van, slipped on inclines, and said a high-clearance 4x4 would have no trouble.
From California State Parks, Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Campendium
- What it costs
- The park sheet lists Usal Beach Campground as free and charges no day-use fee there. A 2017 post says the camp was $25 a night and that nobody was collecting, so that group paid at Needle Rock. A camper listing shows a $0 nightly rate reported in September 2024.
From California State Parks, Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Campendium
- What the camp has
- Sites are first-come, first-served and primitive. Some have picnic tables, all of the camp has fire rings, and a handful of pit toilets sit around a meadowy area ringed by alder trees, a short walk from the beach. A camper listing says it suits tents and truck campers and not RVs or trailers.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Campendium
- Water
- No treated water is available. One 2017 group said to bring your own or treat water from the creek that runs through the camp to the beach.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info
- Weekends and noise
- A Needle Rock volunteer told the 2017 group that the camp gets very busy on weekends and may get rowdy with no ranger nearby. A 2023 camper met a loud group, moved farther up Usal Road away from the beach, and said gunfire, fireworks and night racing happen often. A 2011 forum poster called Usal a known party spot, and a 2022 blog calls it the one place in the park with that reputation.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info, Campendium, Backpacking Light and Live and Let Hike
- Cell service
- The park says cellphone connectivity is limited. A November 2020 camper got one or two bars by the water and none elsewhere. A 2023 camper had about 2 bars at the north end of the beach, enough for texts and calls but not internet.
From California State Parks and Campendium
- The first day of the trail
- From the camp the Lost Coast Trail climbs about 5 miles to the creek at Anderson Camp, then on to Little Jackass Camp at 7.5 miles. A 2017 group started at 11:30 am, moved a little over 1 mile an hour, and reached camp at 6 pm.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1
What the agency requires on Usal Beach Campground
Food stored in a bear canister or a locked car
The park asks campers to store food and scented items in a bear canister, and says a locked car is also acceptable.
Extra food and supplies
The park calls Sinkyone one of the most remote parks in California and says help may not arrive for hours, so it tells visitors to bring extra food and supplies.
A vehicle that suits the road
The park says most roads into the park are seasonal and large trailers and RVs are not recommended because of rough driving conditions.
A look at tides and weather before going in the water
The park warns that the cold North Coast water is unpredictable and can be deadly, and asks visitors to check tides and weather first.
What hikers carry on Usal Beach Campground
Your own water, or a way to treat creek water
The only source named at the camp is the creek that runs through it to the beach, and nothing treated is on offer. A 2017 group planned for either carrying water or treating the creek.
No page here says how the park wants the creek handled, so ask the park.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info
A vehicle with some ground clearance
The 2017 group got a low car in after dry days but called a higher AWD vehicle easier. A November 2020 camper met slick mud on steep grades and puddles about a foot deep after rain and said a two-wheel-drive car could get boxed out. Most vehicles he saw were trucks and jeeps.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Campendium
Saved directions or a GPS pin for the turnoff
A 2020 camper found the unlabeled road leaves Highway 1 in deep forest and is easy to miss with no cell signal. Two members of the 2017 group got lost on the way in and had no service to correct course.
From Campendium and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1
Long pants and a wash made for poison oak
The 2017 group wore long pants on the trail, carried a poison oak cleanser to use at camp, and shouted to each other about patches reaching onto the trail on the first day. They only touched the inside of the pants when changing.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1
Tick-treated clothing and a tick check
The 2017 group sprayed their hiking clothes with a tick treatment and checked each other at camp. A 2014 hiker who started here pulled at least a dozen ticks off on the first day. A forum poster in 2011 also said to treat your clothes.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info, The Hiking Life and Backpacking Light
Cash and a printed guide for the trail
Trail camps cost $5 per person per night, and the 2017 group paid at Needle Rock because nobody collected at Usal. They also printed a guide page, since the free park map is handed out at Needle Rock at the far end.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and California State Parks
A plan for elk in camp
Large Roosevelt elk wandered through the 2017 group's camp among the alders in the morning, and one hiker sang to them on the walk to the toilet. The park describes the local herd.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1 and California State Parks
Going as a group? Split this list between you so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Usal Beach Campground
A trailer or RV
The park does not recommend large trailers and RVs. A camper listing allows only truck campers and tents, and a 2023 camper said not to bring anything larger than a high-roof van and that trailers were a poor idea.
From California State Parks and Campendium
A site next to the beach on a weekend
The loud group arrived near the beach, and the camper who left said there was room to spread out farther north on the road. Another camper noted that sites close to the beach get the ocean sound over other noise.
Two campers describe the same area in opposite ways, one as loud and one as quiet on a weekday.
From Campendium
Leaving after 11 am to start the trail
The 2017 group waited for friends, left at 11:30 am, and reached Little Jackass at 6 pm worn out at a pace of a little over 1 mile an hour.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1
Counting on a phone for directions
A 2017 car got lost on the dirt road with no cell service and arrived about an hour late.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1
Gear questions for Usal Beach Campground
Is Usal Beach Campground free?
The park's information sheet lists Usal Beach Campground as free and charges no day-use fee there. One 2017 post quoted $25 a night and said nobody was collecting, so conflicting numbers exist. A camper listing shows $0 reported in September 2024.
From California State Parks, Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Campendium
Is there drinking water at Usal Beach Campground?
No treated water is available according to a 2017 post. A creek runs through the camp to the beach, and that group's advice was to bring your own or treat the creek water.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info
Can you reach Usal Beach Campground in a regular car?
The park says roads into the park are seasonal and rough. A 2017 group got a Honda Fit in a few days after rain, a 2020 camper saw one small car among mostly trucks, and a 2023 camper said sedans would struggle. Trailers and RVs are not recommended.
From California State Parks, Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Campendium
Do you need a bear canister at Usal Beach Campground?
The park asks campers to store food in a bear canister or a locked car. A 2011 forum poster said the southern half of the Lost Coast had no canister rule, and a 2014 trip report places the canister requirement in the northern Kings Range section.
From California State Parks, Backpacking Light and The Hiking Life
Sources
- Sinkyone Wilderness State Park information sheet · California State Parks · Agency
- Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info · Ben Hiking, Ben hiking · Trip report
- Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 1 · Ben Hiking, Ben hiking · Trip report
- Usal Beach Campground (camper posts) · Campendium · Forum thread
- Lost Coast Trails trip set for next week (forum thread) · Backpacking Light · Forum thread
- The Lost Coast Trail, trip report · The Hiking Life, Cam · Trip report
- Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp · Live and Let Hike · Blog