Lost Coast Trail in early February

If you get a set of storms lined up it can easily rain hard for a few days in a row. This doesn't mean that it is 100% pouring rain the entire time, but it can rain hard for several hours, then lighten up a bit, and then rain hard some more. During the first part of a storm the wind will often come from the southeast and then slowly switch to the south, south-west and finally when the storm is moving out it is out of the northwest. If you are hiking north to south this means that you can get the pleasure of wind driven rain in your face :)

It is good to also keep in mind that the swell is often larger during a storm, and if you get a good amount of wind + increased swell, you will get tides that are higher than expected/predicted. This means that there are shorter windows for crossing areas that you can only get to during low tide. And, that campsites higher on the beach can end up underwater. Plus there is an increased risk of 'sneaker waves' during the winter.

One other precaution is that during sunny weather storms from farther away can still generate a pretty good swell.

I'd keep an eye on the weather forecast. Given how it has been this year it is harder to predict. It could be stunning and beautiful, or a bit wet.

Footing- There is sand and lots of loose cobble/rock to walk on.

I live on the north coast of California (Humboldt County, Arcata) and have hiked the Lost Coast. I did it in January of last year, and got super lucky with warm weather and sunny skies. I would suggest keeping an eye on the forecast and planning accordingly. The storms up here can be quite brutal, and as has been mentioned, the swell can get huge! Ive already seen 2 storms this year that brought 20-25ft waves to our coast, and it was impossible to even step foot on the beaches because of how much water was being pushed up. The bivy will work if it'll be good weather, otherwise I would take at the very least a tarp. Don't expect long sandy beaches either, there are lots of rocks in many stretches. The good thing about a 3 day trip is that you can get a reasonably good idea of the weather forecast.

Sand is going to get in your footwear. Just accept it now. I would still opt for light trail runners over WP boots, but that is just my preference. Either will work. The facts are this: WP boots once wet stay wet, lightweight shoes get wet easy but dry easy. Pick your poison.

A kilt will be good to bring if expecting good weather. If its constant downpour, you will appreciate real rain pants. That being said, I took no rain pants and just my shell last year, but I expected good weather.

If I remember correctly, bear cans are required on the Lost Coast.

Overall, I would just keep tabs on the weather. If it looks bad, I wouldn't even go. A big storm with high winds and large swell would make much of the beach sections deadly.

Jacob

"If I remember correctly, bear cans are required on the Lost Coast."

They are. Hard sided containers only. No Ursacks. Each person must have one. Must be lidded and locked whenever out of arms reach. Seen the rangers hike people out.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/kingrange/bears.html

Weather has been great. And more importantly IMO, not windy.

You feet will be wet as soon as you cross Fourmile Creek usually. Staying wet the whole time is not unusual. Trail runners with less mesh are a good choice.

Look for old fence posts as you go along. They will help you find the upper trail sections to get you off the beach.

Poison Oak is ever present. Ticks not bad so far this year.

I'm in Fortuna and have done many hikes out that way.

Camping on the beach is a poor choice. Just go up canyon to get out of the wind and have real ground to set your pegs. Plenty of options along the way. I recommend getting the BLM map pack for $5 Best map out there for the trail. The Wilderness Press map is not with the material it was printed on, junk.

You going to do a through, or an out and back? Jacob's advice is sound. If weather is bad and you are into that sort of thing, stick to the northern half. Also think about doing some of the steep ridge trails where you will see nobody else. Bring a shelter you can get in out of the wind.

They are. Hard sided containers only. No Ursacks. Each person must have one. Must be lidded and locked whenever out of arms reach. Seen the rangers hike people out.

Are you sure? A Bearikade Weekender will hold enough for both me and my companion for a weekend. What would be wrong with having just that, with all of our food inside it?

–MV

Each person must possess a minimum of one canister, and must use the canister to store the above types of items, plus any food scraps and scented trash items such as empty cans, energy/candy wrappers, surf wax wrappers etc.

Bear proof canisters are required for every backpacker in the King Range NCA. Backpackers failing to use bear canisters are subject to being fined (43 CFR 8365.1-6).

In the link I provided above.

Sucks I know. But people are very bad there. And there is no shortage of bears or raccoons.

That requirement is irrational. It should be sufficient to have adequate bear can capacity for the party.

I have just sent a polite enquiry to the contact they provided. I'll post their reply when I get it.

—MV

You won't like your answer. Been there, Been there with trying to get the Ursack approved too. No go, they use the Yosemite list.

Everyone has something that smells in their pack. They(BLM) also has a brisk business in the bear canister rentals.

Fill out the free permit at the trailhead also. Have seen people hike out for not having one also.

The canister rule as it is now is only a few years old. Use to be OK if you had capacity for others. People cheated. Now it is so easy to check for a canister and nobody has to say,"My partner up ahead has ours." Easier for the rangers. Better for the bears. You are the guest and them there are the rules. Don't like it, don't go. They are also looking at doing a quota system during the high season, Spring Break , through summer. That is also due to bad human behavior.

Enforcement is easy since there are sections that everyone must walk that are only yards wide.

Don't build driftwood shelters out there either. Some poor volunteers will have to take them down. The also detract from the wilderness experience.

Call in the morning and ask for Stephanie Bellermann
Contact Representative
BLM Arcata Field Office
707-825-2300

We did the round a bout last August.

Hate to sound like the "Get off my lawn" guy here. But I have been witness to Yosemite Valley kind of stupid there.

I watched a fellow BPLrs videos showing them burning about 900 pound of firewood in one go.

I have cleaned up bear ravaged campsites with the equipment remains left behind. Did score some primo tequila left behind so that helped.

I put out fires during the fire ban last season. Rocks on top of a fire does not put it out people. That bear canister you should be carrying makes a great bucket to put that out with.

I handed out my maps/ notes to folks who didn't have clue about the tides.

I've led horses and riders out during incoming tides by knowing about the terrace trail sections.

Etc, etc…

I have also been witness the beautiful, powerful forces of Nature at work. I see something amazingly awesome every time I go.

It's dry as toast up here, so be careful cooking and what not.

Have fun.

And remember that from 101 to Mattole takes an hour and a half even though it is less than 50 miles.

In Honeydew stay right after the bridge.

No easy drive to Shelter Cove either. So factor in more time than you think.

Out of curiosity, is there any other area in the country that requires one bear canister per person? AFAIK no one even manufactures a (weekend) personal-size bear canister, other than the Bare Boxer Contender.

EDIT: as suggested below, the Lighter1 Lil' Sami is also a solo weekend size bear canister.

–MV

One more thing.

If you are arriving in the evening at Mattole and want to spend the night before you hike. I recommend that you skip the sandy, windy, campground at the trailhead parking lot.

Instead stay at A.W. Way County Park on your way about 15 minutes or so before your turn onto Lighthouse Rd.
Grass, new showers and bathrooms in a more protected area for less than what the BLM charges for the sandbox. It's situated on the Mattole River.

Bob, Bearikade Scout. Lighter1 lil' Sami. are also solo sized. Remember they have to be big enough (9"dia, approx.) so a bear cannot get its mouth around it.

The BV450 is not a terrible carry either.

The BLM must have at least a few hundred Garcia canisters.

To the OP and others.,

If you find yourself in a fix up here and need a hand,get a hold of me and I will do what I can to help. Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns.

Support the Petrolia Store. Closest cold beer to the Mattole.

Wow a lot of info here. I am going to bookmark this one for use later. It is early in the year.

Bob, Bearikade Scout. Lighter1 lil' Sami. are also solo sized. Remember they have to be big enough (9"dia, approx.) so a bear cannot get its mouth around it.

The BV450 is not a terrible carry either.

The BLM must have at least a few hundred Garcia canisters.

You inspired me to look at the available choices. I note that most are not 9" diameter — only the Bearikades. The only two that seem truly solo weekend size are the Contender and Lil' Sami. The rest are either bigger, too heavy, or both. I have been thinking of getting a Contender anyway (weekend solo trips), but had no plan to get two of them. I'll have to think about Lil' Sami instead — I might like the polycarbonate and it is a skosh bigger. Does anyone have experience with the Lil' Sami? Do you like it? Is it worth $40 more than the Contender?

The following figures are the manufacturer's (I know that you can get some of them cheaper elsewhere):

• Bare Boxer Contender — 275ci, 26 oz, 7.4" dia, 8.0" long, $55
• Garcia style, lightest, smallest, least expensive of the bunch
• Lighter1 Lil' Sami — 300ci, 28 oz, 7" dia, 9" long, $95
• Polycarbonate — can see food inside, slightly larger than the Contender, but nearly twice as expensive; handle intrudes into the canister volume, so may not hold as much more than the Contender as the specs suggest, less waterproof than the others
• UDAP No-Fed Bear — 392ci, 39oz, 8" dia, 10" long, $70
• Contender style, heavier than the Weekender, bigger than needed for a weekend
• BearVault BV450 — 440ci, 33 oz, 8.7" dia, 8.3" long, $70
• Polycarbonate, heavier than the Weekender, bigger than needed for a weekend
• Bearikade Scout — 500ci, 28 oz lbs, 9" dia, 8" long, $232
• Not IGBC-approved; bigger than needed for a weekend (does not save a lot over my Weekender), heavier than the Contender
• Bearikade Weekender — 650ci, 31 oz, 9" dia, 10.5" long
• Not IGBC-approved; just for comparison — I already own this one, so am skeptical about getting anything heavier or nearly as big
• Garcia canisters for rent — bulky and heavy — standard rental items, but yuck

That requirement is irrational. It should be sufficient to have adequate bear can capacity for the party.

I have just sent a polite enquiry to the contact they provided. I'll post their reply when I get it.

I got my reply and, as I read it, they seem to be pretty reasonable.

===== My query =====
I completely understand the need for a bear canister, and agree that I need to use one when backpacking. What I do not understand is your bold-face requirement that *each person* carry one. I have a Bearikade Weekender that holds everything needed for two of us for a weekend. Why is that not sufficient?

Thank you (etc)

===== The Reply =====
Hello, and thank you for your inquiry.

We implemented the one-can-per-person policy because we found that groups often underestimated the space that they would need for food, trash, and toiletries, especially on through-hikes which typically last at least 3 days. However, the intent of the policy is simply to ensure that each person has sufficient storage space for all scented items. The Bearikade Weekender is on the approved list of bear proof containers, and as long as it is clear that your party has appropriate storage of scented items, you will NOT be fined or cited.

Please feel free to contact us for any further questions or clarification.

—
Stephanie Bellermann
Contact Representative
BLM Arcata Field Office
707-825-2300

===== =====

Wow, thanks guys for all the input!

Last time I checked the weather report was far from ideal. We will follow Jacob's advice and only go if the weather is said to be reasonable. I really hope it will be since I'm superstoked about the trip by now!

The Bear-Canister thing is an important topic. The reply Robert posted sounds like we should be fine if we store our stuff properly. I guess we'll bring 2 canisters for our 4 people party. Bringing 4 would be annoying since we have to rent (and carry) them. It sucks that people behaving stupidly outdoors cause strict rules that are irrational for people who know how to behave. I totally get it, though.
Oh and thank you Robert for inquiring, that info really helped me!

Concerning footwear, I guess poison oak rules sandals out (that would've been the best choice in terms of easy drying), so I'll probably stick to the non-minimal trailrunners I have and maybe bring some really light sandals as beach/campshoes.

In terms of shelter, I am a little torn between the Contrail and the Monk Tarp. Am I right in that I mainly have to expect wind from one direction? If so, the tarp seems like a viable option… Reading you responses, I got the impression that there are plenty of campsites w/ peg-compatible ground. Can s.b. confirm this for me again (just trying to be sure, sry)?

@Ken: Thank you so much for all the really helpful small hints and you offering your help. I'll get back to you on that :)

Thanks guys, this forum is super awesome!