Lost Coast Gear Checklist
The Lost Coast Trail is a roughly 25-mile beach walk where the tide decides your schedule and the BLM decides how you store food. Bear canisters are required, three stretches cannot be passed at high tide, and the sand and cobbles slow almost everyone to a crawl. People who have done it pack around those facts: a saved tide chart, a canister for each person, shoes they can wade in, and warm layers for windy, damp camps. Water is rarely the problem, because creeks run to the sea along most of the route.
What shapes your gear on the Lost Coast Trail
- Route
- The trail runs about 25 miles from Mattole Beach in the north to Shelter Cove in the south. Hikers go north to south so the prevailing wind pushes from behind. Most take a shuttle or leave a car at one end.
From SoCalHiker, Oregon Hikers Forum and Backpacker's Review
- Tide sections
- Three stretches are impassable at high tide: a short one near Punta Gorda, about four miles from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek, and about four miles from the south end of Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek. The BLM asks you to check tide levels before you buy a permit, because on many dates the trail cannot be traveled at all.
- Tide thresholds
- A planning guide that relays the BLM trip guide puts the safe tide at below about 6 feet at Punta Gorda, below 2.5 feet from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek, and below 3 feet from Miller to Gitchell. It also says to plan on roughly one mile an hour in those stretches.
From Hike With Ryan
- Footing
- The grade is gentle but the surface changes from coarse black sand to pebbles to slippery, wave-smoothed stones. One hiker found that loose sand, gravel and rock held the pace to barely two miles an hour.
From SoCalHiker and Oregon Hikers Forum
- Water
- Hikers report fresh water at a creek or trickle roughly every mile or less, even in a dry year. In storms the creeks can run waist deep, and the BLM suggests not crossing any above the knee.
From SoCalHiker, Bureau of Land Management and Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacking the Lost Coast Trail Alone, 3 days / 2 nights (r/norcalhiking)
- Weather
- Reports from March, April and May describe a windy first day and chilly beach camps, and one April trip met rain on the way out. The BLM warns that winter storms and waves can close part or all of the trail whatever the tide.
From Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacking the Lost Coast Trail Alone, 3 days / 2 nights (r/norcalhiking), Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking), Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Hikers Forum
What the agency requires on the Lost Coast Trail
One hard-sided bear canister per backpacker
Each backpacker must carry a hard-sided, bear-resistant canister that holds all food, trash and toiletries for the trip. Skipping it can bring a fine. The BLM rents them for $5 per canister per trip at the visitor center and a few nearby stores.
An overnight wilderness permit
An overnight permit is required year-round, and day use needs none. One reservation covers up to three people, and the largest allowed group is 15.
A way to bury waste in the tidal zone
On the beach, dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep in wet sand in the intertidal zone and cover it. Pack out toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. Away from the beach, go at least 70 steps from camps, trails and water.
What hikers carry on the Lost Coast Trail
Tide predictions saved on your phone
The whole trip is scheduled backward from the tide. Hikers pull the NOAA predictions for their dates, note which high tides fall in daylight, and save them for use without signal. One hiker also called the BLM for creek conditions before leaving.
From Hike With Ryan, Backpacker's Review and Oregon Hikers Forum
A bear canister for each person
Hikers describe the requirement as strict. A forum report says bears there have worked out how to get hung food, and another hiker met people who had seen bear tracks on the beach. One pack list says one canister for two people, but the BLM wording is one per backpacker.
From Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Hikers Forum, SoCalHiker and Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking)
Camp shoes or sandals you can wade in
Creeks cross the route often, and one hiker found them easiest to cross where they meet the ocean. That hiker nearly swapped boots for water shoes at the first creek. Another pack list calls camp shoes highly recommended and a third includes a pair of sandals.
From Oregon Hikers Forum, Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking) and Backpacker's Review
A filter or other water treatment, and about three bottles of capacity
Sources are frequent, so most people carry modest volume and refill often. One pack list has three 1 to 1.5 liter bottles per person and a filter, another uses a 2 liter bladder with a gravity filter. A planner adds a backup treatment method.
From Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking), Backpacker's Review, Hike With Ryan and SoCalHiker
Warm sleeping layers and a bag good to about 40 degrees
Camps sit on open beach and flats in wind and damp. One March pack list adds warm socks, gloves, leggings and a beanie for sleeping, and another hiker brought a 25-degree bag, wool base layers and a down jacket for camp.
From Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking), Backpacker's Review and Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacking the Lost Coast Trail Alone, 3 days / 2 nights (r/norcalhiking)
A rain jacket, dry socks and a pack liner
The route is damp much of the year. One planner suggests a rain shell, a warm mid layer, spare dry socks and a pack liner that keeps water out, and a trip report lists a light rain jacket and quick-drying clothes.
From Hike With Ryan and Backpacker's Review
A paper map and offline GPS track
There is no cell service on this stretch. The route is easy to follow along the shore, but hikers still carry the BLM wilderness map or a topo map and download a GPX file. Trekking poles help on the shifting sand and boulders.
From SoCalHiker, Backpacker's Review and Hike With Ryan
A shovel or trowel and a bag for toilet paper
The BLM sends you to the wet sand of the intertidal zone, and the rule is printed on the permit, so you need something to dig with and a way to pack paper out.
From Bureau of Land Management and SoCalHiker
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on the Lost Coast Trail
Leaving the stove at home
One group went all cold food to save weight. The writer finished fine, with the right amount of food, but said they missed hot meals.
From Oregon Hikers Forum
Hanging food or sharing one small canister
Hung food is not enough here, and the BLM expects each person's food, trash and toiletries inside that person's own canister.
From Oregon Hikers Forum, Bureau of Land Management and Hike With Ryan
Planning by mileage instead of tide
A planner suggests choosing a conservative daily distance and backup stops, because tide waits and slow footing break mileage targets. A hiker who reached the first high-tide point with hours to spare still noted they were cutting it close later on.
From Hike With Ryan, Oregon Hikers Forum and Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacking the Lost Coast Trail Alone, 3 days / 2 nights (r/norcalhiking)
Counting on dry socks at creek crossings
A passable creek is not always an easy one. One hiker ran across rather than change footwear, and noted most creeks were easiest to cross near the ocean.
From Oregon Hikers Forum
Gear questions for the Lost Coast Trail
Do I need a bear canister for the Lost Coast Trail?
Yes. The BLM requires each backpacker to carry a hard-sided bear-resistant canister that holds food, trash and toiletries. You can rent one for $5 per trip near the trailheads.
From Bureau of Land Management and SoCalHiker
How much water should I carry on the Lost Coast Trail?
Less than on most backpacking trips, because hikers report creeks and trickles about every mile. Carry a few bottles plus a filter and refill often. Check recent conditions first, since creeks can swell after storms.
From SoCalHiker, Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking) and Hike With Ryan
What shoes should I wear on the Lost Coast Trail?
One hiker wore waterproof hiking shoes for the sand and stones. Pack lists from two others add camp shoes or sandals for creek crossings and evenings.
From Backpacker's Review, Oregon Hikers Forum and Reddit r/norcalhiking: Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking)
How do tides change what I pack for the Lost Coast Trail?
They change your schedule more than your pack. Save NOAA tide predictions offline, carry food and layers for a few hours of waiting, and keep a headlamp in case a tide window shifts your day into the dark.
From Hike With Ryan, Backpacker's Review and Bureau of Land Management
Sources
- King Range National Conservation Area · Bureau of Land Management · Agency
- Backpacking the CA Lost Coast - 5/10-5/13 · Oregon Hikers Forum, Born2BBrad · Trip report
- Backpacking the Lost Coast · SoCalHiker, Jeff Hester · Blog
- Lost Coast Trail Permits, Tides, and Trip Planning · Hike With Ryan, Ryan Robinson · Blog
- Lost Coast Trail, King Range Wilderness (25 mile point-to-point) · Backpacker's Review · Trip report
- Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail (r/norcalhiking) · Reddit r/norcalhiking · Reddit thread
- Backpacking the Lost Coast Trail Alone, 3 days / 2 nights (r/norcalhiking) · Reddit r/norcalhiking · Reddit thread