King Range Scenic Byway. Best way to learn about a place is to go there, drive around and get the lay of the land. We found 3 beautiful camps on this Overlanding trip. Usal Beach Campground, Wailaki Campground and Mattole Beach Campground. We also drove some awesome mountain roads. Lost Coast, King Range and north to Humboldt County.
Rugged Terrain Has Kept The Lost Coast Undeveloped And Usal Beach Pristine
Head North from Highway 1 for 6 miles on Usal Road. You have reached the Lost Coast of California. Prepare for a magnificent views of towering cliffs Pacific Ocean Coastline. Try to keep your eyes on the road. There are some steep drop offs.
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The Southern Entrance To Usal Road Is The Gateway To Lost Coast Overlanding
I always enter the Lost Coast on my Overlanding trips from the south. We stop and fuel up in Fort Bragg and then north on Highway 1. The entrance to Usal Road is easy to miss. Rains can shut the road down. High clearance vehicle is nice but not required. I have seen some surprisingly modest vehicles complete the trek.
Usal Road: Steep Narrow Drive Through A Beautiful Forest
From Highway 1 start climbing right away. The road is narrow and can be rough depending on the last time a grader was run across. Quickly you will be surrounded by trees. Along the ride are awesome views of the Pacific Ocean.
Usal Beach Campground Is A Little Like A Overlanding Wild West Town
I recommend visiting during the week and avoid weekends and especially holidays. I have never seen a Ranger or any Park Staff on any of my visits to Usal Beach. Technically driving and camping are not allowed on the beach but it goes on all the time. Things can get a little wild here.
California Has Few Places To Set Up Camp This Close To The Ocean
Wake up, walk 100 meters from your camp and dip your toes in the Pacific Ocean. 10 miles of pristine undeveloped coastline.
Enjoy A Beautiful Sunset From Your Campsite
We camped just off the beach. Others choose to take their rigs out onto the beach.
There are also more campsites in the amongst the trees. I have seen some large groups camped here.
Usal Beach To Briceland Road Via The Usal Road
From Usal Beach you can drive back out to Highway 1 or choose to drive the road till it intersects with Briceland Road. Briceland Road can get you to Shelter Cove (well worth a visit.) You can also access Kings Peak Road and continue North towards Humboldt County. I would recommend a vehicle with a decent amount of clearance for this drive.
Tight Squeeze Past A Dangerous Tree On the Usal Road.
We did encounter a dangerous leaning tree. My wife drove, I filmed, and she made it past just making contact and wiggling this massive obstacle. See video below.
Locked Gates Along Usal Road
Locked gates along this road belong to the logging company.
We did see a few spots that would make campsites. Also much of the Lost Coast can only be accessed while hiking.
Camp At Wailaki Then A Awesome Drive Through The King Range
We spent the night camping at Wailaki Campground off of Briceland Road. That would give us a early start driving up through King Range towards Mattole Beach.
Beautiful campground and a nice campfire. Chance to look at the map and get our bearings and make a plan.
Explore The King Range - Mountain Bike At Tolkan Terrain Park - Drive Through To Northern Lost Coast
Many options available for hiking, mountain biking and camping. Tolkan Campground has the awesome Tolkan Terrain Park. We were here in summer. It gets pretty warm and plenty of insects in this part of the Lost Coast. Our goal was to head on through and find another camp near a beach. On to Humboldt County.
My Overlanding Rig - Jeep Wrangler Ecodiesel And Exventure XV-3 Off-Road Trailer
I Carry Quite A Bit Of Gear In My Jeep And My Exventure XV-3 Off-Road Trailer
Our first visit to Usal Road was in the Jeep and we used our Springbar Tent to camp. Now we have the Exventure Trailer. Trailer allows us to carry lots of gear and it will go anywhere I can take my Jeep. Interested in the Trailer? Check my Blog Post or the Exventure Website for more information.
Driving Roads We Are Not Suppose To Be On With A Trailer
Drive Kings Peak Road far enough and it intersects with Wilder Ridge Road. Kings Peak narrows with tight switchbacks. A sign warns not to take trailers. My Exventure trailer is very maneuverable and small. My thoughts on the sign is it is too prevent larger RV type trailers from getting stuck. We made it!
Next Stop: Honeydew Republic And HoneyDew General Store
A welcome stop after driving the Kings Peak Road. Grab a cold drink or a ice cream bar at the this awesome country store.
They also have a public bathroom. Refreshed we continued on to Mattole Campground hoping there was a open campsite.
Almost As Far North As You Can Go On The Lost Coast
The Mattole River pours into the Pacific here. A wild driftwood covered windblown beach surrounded by hills. We found a campsite. Not the greatest as the campground was undergoing construction. If your up for it you can hike 3.2 miles south on the beach to the Punta Gorda Lighthouse. We set up camp and explored in our Jeep.
Exploring Windy Point
Windy Point Was A Bonus Discovery On This Trip
Jumped in the Jeep and headed up the hill next to the campground. Prosper Ridge Road intersects with the Windy Pass 4WD Trail. I think it is also called Lighthouse Road. There is a network of roads worth exploring here.
I spotted a secret camping spot. My intention is to go back and camp there. Trail leads to a steep hill. From here you can climb down to the beach and hike to the Punta Gorda Lighthouse. Another bucket list item for us. You can also continue farther south on the trail
Finding My Way Around With A Great GPS Device
I never go anywhere without my Garmin. I have the GPS Maps 66i. Small enough to take hiking but great for Overlanding also. More information.
Spotlight On Garmin GPSMaps66i In-Reach Navigator/Communicator
Conclusion
We had a whirlwind trip to the Lost Coast and drove from the south end to the north end. Our trip gave us a great overview. Next trip we will pick a area and do a deeper dive exploration. Focus in take some time to enjoy without being nomadic. Plans are in the works for the next trip. It will surely be awesome!
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