Sierra Nevada Adventures Multi Day Rides

LOST COAST ADVENTURE RIDE 2-Days

Here's your opportunity to EXPLORE the wild and scenic Lost Coast in Northern California. You will have the opportunity to explore OFF-ROAD to a remote beach, scenic overlooks, and many miles through ancient redwood groves on a historical route on your Lost Coast ADVENTURE. 

The Lost Coast is a remote area of the California Northern Coast in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, including the Kings Range. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. In addition, the steepness and related geotechnical challenges of the remote coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for the road builders to construct a state highway or county road through this steep rugged landscape, leaving it the most undeveloped and remote portion of the California Coast.

Your adventure begins at the coastal town of Fort Bragg located along the scenic byway Route 1 in Mendocino County California. You will travel north on this scenic byway alongside the beautiful Pacific Coast until it reaches the southern edge of the Lost Coast. At this point, the scenic byway veers away from the coast and ventures up a curvy canyon through a lush redwood grove with huge ferns and jungle plants. After traveling several miles, your off-road adventure begins as you venture off the tarmac and into the steep rugged landscape known as the Lost Coast. The first leg of your off-road adventure climbs up and out of the canyon on a twisty curvy dirt road with lush ferns and redwoods around every corner. Several miles north of the canyon, small gaps in the forest reveal sights of the steep rugged coastline hundreds of feet below. As you continue navigating through the lush forest you will suddenly arrive at a scenic overlook that provides breathtaking views of the remote Usal beach which is nestled between steep rugged mountains on both sides. You will have the opportunity for a short break at this point to take in the incredible scenery. After a short break, your adventure continues through the forest as you descend on the curvy twisty dirt road towards the canyon below. Before long you will arrive at a narrow wooden bridge surrounded by a magnificent grove of chinquapin trees. From this point, you will have the opportunity to travel due west to the remote Usal Beach which is the southernmost beach in the Sinkyone Wilderness. For thousands of years, before the first Europeans arrived, the Sinkyone Indians lived on this part of the coast. They occupied permanent villages beside streams and rivers and moved out in family groups to hunt and forage in the hills during the summer. They fished, gathered seaweed and shellfish, hunted seals and sea lions, and harvested the occasional dead whale washed onshore. All kinds of fish were caught, but the seasonal salmon run was especially important. 

Beyond Usal Beach, your off-road adventure is turned up a notch as you venture into possibly the most remote stretch of dirt road on the entire Pacific Coast. This remote stretch of dirt road takes you deep into an old-growth redwood forest that few people dare to explore. The redwoods are so tall, and the forest canopy is so thick that the sunlight rarely reaches the ground. As you find yourself deeper in the forest from every twist of the throttle, the sunlight of the day seems to vanish into a dimly lit landscape from another world. This appears to be the land of the lost, where mysterious legends of Bigfoot or Sasquatch roam free. 

After exploring the mysterious forest of the Lost Coast, you will have the opportunity to visit the small coastal community of Shelter Cove including the historic Cape Mendocino Lighthouse. After having lunch in Shelter Cove your off-road adventure continues north through the rugged Kings Range. This scenic dirt road meanders through the forest with scenic views of the Pacific Coast off in the distance. Continuing, you will arrive in the small isolated community of Honeydew located along the scenic Mattole River. From Honeydew, your adventure continues up a curvy road on the north side of the Mattole River then ventures through the majestic Humboldt Redwoods. This ancient grove of giant redwood trees are among the largest and tallest trees on earth. In fact, the tallest tree in the world named Hyperion stands at over 379 ft. It’s so incredible that its exact location is hidden to protect it, but it's nearby in California’s Redwood National Park. Beyond the giants, your adventure travels to the town of Fortuna where you will enjoy food and drinks at the local Eel River Brewery. 

Your second-day adventure travels a scenic curvy road through the northern half of the Lost Coast to a beautiful stretch of coastline. This stretch of coastline is so remote you rarely see people on the beach which is usually inhabited only by free-ranging cattle. Beyond this beautiful beach, your adventure turns inland to the isolated community of Petrolia. The first white settlers to this area originally named the town New Jerusalem but after oil was discovered in 1865 it was renamed Petrolia. During this time the town of Petrolia became the site of the first oil well drilled in California. From Petrolia, your adventure continues along the scenic Mattole River then ventures on a combination of twisty curvy back roads eventually making its way back to the coastal route Highway 1 to Fort Bragg.