Lost Coast Trail Tide Chart and Shuttle
Tide predictions below are from NOAA's Shelter Cove, CA station (station 9418024), about two miles from the Black Sands Beach trailhead. As of September 2026, the Bureau of Land Management's own guidance for the trail says three stretches “may be impassable during high tide” and tells hikers to “carry a tide table and hike these stretches during an outgoing tide of three feet or less to avoid being trapped.”
14-day tide predictions
Local time (Pacific, LST/LDT) at NOAA's Shelter Cove, CA station, the closest NOAA tide station to the Lost Coast Trail. Heights are in feet, MLLW datum, straight from NOAA's own Shelter Cove tide-prediction page. A low tide at or under 3 ft is highlighted below. That's the outgoing-tide threshold BLM asks hikers to plan the three impassable zones around (see below).
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 6:24 AM | High | 3.9 ft |
| 10:21 AM | Low | 3.2 ft |
| 4:51 PM | High | 6.3 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 12:45 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.0 ft |
| 8:02 AM | High | 4.0 ft |
| 11:43 AM | Low | 3.5 ft |
| 6:06 PM | High | 6.3 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1:56 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | -0.2 ft |
| 9:11 AM | High | 4.3 ft |
| 1:13 PM | Low | 3.4 ft |
| 7:25 PM | High | 6.4 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | -0.4 ft |
| 9:57 AM | High | 4.7 ft |
| 2:36 PM | Low | 3.1 ft |
| 8:39 PM | High | 6.5 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:54 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | -0.5 ft |
| 10:35 AM | High | 5.1 ft |
| 3:44 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 2.5 ft |
| 9:42 PM | High | 6.6 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 4:40 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | -0.5 ft |
| 11:10 AM | High | 5.4 ft |
| 4:40 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 1.9 ft |
| 10:39 PM | High | 6.6 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5:21 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | -0.3 ft |
| 11:43 AM | High | 5.7 ft |
| 5:30 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 1.3 ft |
| 11:31 PM | High | 6.4 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5:59 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.1 ft |
| 12:16 PM | High | 6.0 ft |
| 6:17 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.9 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 12:23 AM | High | 6.1 ft |
| 6:34 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.6 ft |
| 12:48 PM | High | 6.2 ft |
| 7:03 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.6 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1:13 AM | High | 5.7 ft |
| 7:08 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 1.2 ft |
| 1:19 PM | High | 6.2 ft |
| 7:47 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.4 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 2:04 AM | High | 5.2 ft |
| 7:41 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 1.7 ft |
| 1:50 PM | High | 6.1 ft |
| 8:32 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.4 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 2:55 AM | High | 4.8 ft |
| 8:12 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 2.3 ft |
| 2:21 PM | High | 6.0 ft |
| 9:20 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.5 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:51 AM | High | 4.4 ft |
| 8:44 AM | Lowunder 3 ft | 2.8 ft |
| 2:55 PM | High | 5.8 ft |
| 10:15 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.7 ft |
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5:02 AM | High | 4.0 ft |
| 9:21 AM | Low | 3.2 ft |
| 3:34 PM | High | 5.5 ft |
| 11:19 PM | Lowunder 3 ft | 0.9 ft |
The three impassable sections
The Bureau of Land Management's Lost Coast Trail page names three stretches that flood at high tide:
- Near Punta Gorda
- Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek
- Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek
“The area near Punta Gorda; from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek; and from Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek, may be impassable during high tide.”
“Carry a tide table and hike these stretches during an outgoing tide of three feet or less to avoid being trapped.”
To read the table above against that rule: find the Low (L) row for the stretch of day you'll be crossing one of the three zones. A low tide of 3 ft or less (highlighted above) is the window BLM names. Check the actual number for your dates. The safe window shifts by roughly fifty minutes a day.
Tides aren't the only limit. BLM's King Range page adds two more warnings worth reading before you go:
“On many dates during the year, tide levels make traversing the Lost Coast Trail impossible.”
“Winter storms & waves in the King Range National Conservation Area can make portions or all of the Lost Coast Trail dangerous and even impossible to traverse, regardless of tidal level.”
Both are from the King Range National Conservation Area page, which BLM asks hikers to read before booking a permit.
Shuttle
Most hikers walk the Lost Coast Trail one way, from Mattole Beach to Black Sands Beach (or the reverse), which leaves a car at the wrong trailhead. BLM's own trailhead travel-time table puts the drive between Black Sands Beach and the Mattole Recreation Site at about 2 hours each way, on a winding coastal road. That is a real cost if you are shuttling your own car.
Lost Coast Adventure Tours
Runs a daily shuttle from the Black Sands Beach trailhead in Shelter Cove to the Mattole trailhead, with a reverse shuttle (Mattole to Black Sands Beach) available on request if a scheduled run already exists that day. They ask hikers to book at least 48 hours before their permit start date. The current fare is on their booking page.
Book the Lost Coast Adventure Tours shuttlePermitSnag does not run or book this shuttle, and is not paid for the link above. It is here because Lost Coast Adventure Tours is the shuttle operator whose own site confirms it is currently running this route.
Getting the permit
BLM requires an overnight Backcountry Permit for the Lost Coast Trail, reserved through Recreation.gov, with a limited number of walk-up permits sold daily at the King Range Visitor Center in season. It is a single Recreation.gov entry-point reservation. You book one start date and roam the trail after that.
FAQ
Do I need a tide chart for the Lost Coast Trail?
Yes. BLM's own guidance says the Lost Coast Trail has stretches that "the area near punta gorda; from sea lion gulch to randall creek; and from miller flat to gitchell creek, may be impassable during high tide." and tells hikers to "carry a tide table and hike these stretches during an outgoing tide of three feet or less to avoid being trapped." A tide caught wrong at one of those stretches can trap a hiker against a cliff as the water comes in.
Which sections of the Lost Coast Trail are impassable at high tide?
Per BLM: "The area near Punta Gorda; from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek; and from Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek, may be impassable during high tide." That's three separate stretches: near Punta Gorda, from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek, and from Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek.
Is there a shuttle for the Lost Coast Trail?
Lost Coast Adventure Tours runs a shuttle between the Black Sands Beach trailhead (Shelter Cove) and the Mattole trailhead, with a reverse shuttle available on request. Book directly through their site. PermitSnag does not run or book the shuttle.