Wheeler Gear Checklist
Wheeler Camp is a black sand beach camp on Jackass Creek, about 7.6 miles from the Needle Rock Visitor Center and well past the easy trail that ends at Bear Harbor. Past that point the path turns into brush, poison oak and fallen trees, so people who wrote about it wore long pants, carried a poison oak wash, planned 4 to 6 hours one way, and chose between a windy beach site and a streamside redwood site. Camp is spread over about two thirds of a mile with several pit toilets.
What shapes your gear on Wheeler Camp
- How far and how long
- Live and Let Hike measures 7.6 miles from the Needle Rock Visitor Center and says to allow at least 4 to 6 hours one way, with pace dropping after Bear Harbor. From the Bear Harbor junction the blog gives 4.5 miles, and a 2017 group took about 3 hours for the 4.5 miles from Little Jackass to Wheeler. A 2011 forum poster gave 4.3 miles from Bear Harbor.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp, Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2 and Backpacking Light
- A sign that points to the wrong camp
- The sign at the Bear Harbor beach junction gives 4.5 miles to Little Jackass Creek, which the blog says is the camp after Wheeler, about 8 miles from the junction. The 4.5 miles is the distance to Wheeler.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
- How the camp is laid out
- Sites run along about 2/3 mile. A trail sign, a pit toilet and an open field mark the start, a streamside site sits on the North Fork of Jackass Creek, a second site at 7.4 miles has a pit toilet, and more sites lie in open scrub near the beach. Both creek forks cross the trail, and the North Fork is an easy rock hop.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
- Wind and exposure
- The blog calls the sites at the creek mouth the best unless you dislike wind and says campers there deal with frequent wind. A 2017 hiker called the beach very exposed. The redwood site farther up sits among trees along the creek.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp, Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Wheeler Camp to Little Jackass and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2
- Fires
- Fires are permitted in the designated fire pits only.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
- The brush between Bear Harbor and Wheeler
- The blog says the track gets rough right after the Bear Harbor junction, with blackberry, thistle, some poison oak and downed trees, and that pants are a must. A 2017 hiker walking north called a patch just beyond Wheeler rough, with poison oak overgrown onto the trail.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2
- What people do next
- Travelers often rest here a day, walk to Sally Bell Grove or on to Little Jackass, or head back to Needle Rock the next morning. Southbound hikers have another 1 to 2 days to Usal Beach.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
What the agency requires on Wheeler Camp
Food stored in a bear canister or a locked car
The park asks campers to store food and scented items in a bear canister, with a locked car as the other option.
The $5 per person nightly camp fee
The park lists environmental and horse camps at $5 per person per night, payable at the Jones Beach gate or Needle Rock or by mailed check. Its sheet does not name Wheeler.
Extra food and supplies
The park calls the area one of the most remote in California, says help may not arrive for hours, and tells visitors to bring extra food and supplies.
What hikers carry on Wheeler Camp
Long pants for the thicket and poison oak
The blog says pants, and maybe long sleeves, are a must on the brush just after Bear Harbor. The 2017 group wore long pants on the southern section and had been warned by a ranger about very bad poison oak between Wheeler and Bear Harbor.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp, Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2
A poison oak wash and tick-treated clothing
The 2017 group carried a cleanser for poison oak oils to use at camp and sprayed their clothing against ticks. A 2011 forum poster said treated clothes do well once dry.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info and Backpacking Light
A shelter for a windy beach, or a plan for the redwood site
The creek mouth gets frequent wind. The blog describes streamside sites among redwoods as the other choice.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp and Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Wheeler Camp to Little Jackass
Water treatment and a fill at Flat Rock Creek
Flat Rock Creek, about 1.3 miles before Bear Harbor, is called the most reliable source on the long approach, and Duffy's Gulch has a creek crossing in the redwoods. A 2011 poster said water is plentiful on this trail.
No page here says how the park wants creek water treated, so ask the park.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp and Backpacking Light
A stove or a fire pit plan
Fires are allowed only in designated pits, and the blog pictures an evening fire at the beach. The 2017 group stopped here for a long lunch and dried wet shoes and socks.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2
Boots that tolerate quick creek crossings
Creeks cross the trail near camp, and the 2017 group crossed one a few times using balance on rocks. A 2011 forum poster said leather boots are fine here because streams are few and easy.
From Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2 and Backpacking Light
Food for a rest day
The blog says people often rest a day at camp or use it as a base for short walks. The park also asks for extra food.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp 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 Wheeler Camp
A late start from Needle Rock
The blog allows at least 4 to 6 hours one way. A 2011 forum poster advised leaving by about 10 am to land the best site at Wheeler.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp and Backpacking Light
Trusting the junction sign
The sign at the Bear Harbor beach spur names the wrong camp for the 4.5 miles.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
Bare legs on the brushy stretch
The blog and a 2017 hiker both describe poison oak threaded through overgrown brush near Bear Harbor, and the hiker said the pack touched it too.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2
Gear questions for Wheeler Camp
How far is Wheeler Camp from the Needle Rock Visitor Center?
Live and Let Hike measures 7.6 miles and says to allow at least 4 to 6 hours one way. The trail is easy as far as Bear Harbor and slower after it.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
Is Wheeler Camp windy?
The sites at the creek mouth are called the best unless you dislike wind, and campers there deal with frequent wind. A 2017 hiker called the beach very exposed. A streamside site among redwoods sits farther up the creek.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp, Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Wheeler Camp to Little Jackass and Ben Hiking: Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2
Where do you get water at Wheeler Camp?
Jackass Creek runs through the camp in two forks, and the sites sit beside it. Plan to treat it, and ask the park about its guidance.
From Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
Do you need a bear canister at Wheeler Camp?
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.
From California State Parks and Backpacking Light
How much does Wheeler Camp cost?
The park lists environmental and horse camps at $5 per person per night and does not name Wheeler. Live and Let Hike says backpackers pay $5 per person per night at Needle Rock.
From California State Parks and Live and Let Hike: Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Wheeler Camp
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: Wheeler Camp to Little Jackass · Live and Let Hike · Blog
- Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness: prep and general info · Ben Hiking, Ben hiking · Trip report
- Lost Coast Trail, Sinkyone Wilderness Day 2 · Ben Hiking, Ben hiking · Trip report
- Lost Coast Trails trip set for next week (forum thread) · Backpacking Light · Forum thread