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Photo: "Lost Coast Trail, The King Range National Conservation Area" by blmcalifornia is marked with CC PDM 1.0
The Lost Coast: Just the name conjures up visions of solitary beaches tumbling with surf, golden sunsets sinking into the Pacific to the accompaniment of gulls and sea lions, and campsites perched right at the high tide line without another hiker in sight. And luckily for every daydreaming backpacker, the reality lives up to the hype. California’s Lost Coast Trail runs 53 miles through one of the state’s few remaining stretches of pristine shoreline, saved from development by virtue of simply being too steep for roads: The Kings Range drops right into the ocean here. The northern half of the trail traverses black sand beaches, bouldery tidelines, and steep bluffs, while the southern half veers into the lush ferns and redwoods of the Sinkyone Wilderness. Pick a half or do it all in one go with our guide to the Lost Coast Trail.