Sinkyone Wilderness State Park — Attraction in Fort Bragg

If you love glimpses of a California from an earlier and wilder time, this southern half of the Lost Coast trail is the place for you.

My friend and I recently backpacked from Usul Campgrounds to Needle Rock over the course of three nights and three days. Twenty miles each way (with camping at Wheeler and Bear Harbor), and the whole thing feels amazing. We tracked red-tailed hawks in the sky, faced down Roosevelt elk, and inched across collapsing trails.

The trails are proudly overgrown, and you'll do a fair share of bushwhacking through nettle, thistle, blackberry, and poison oak.

Bring filters for the many creeks in the park because there's no potable water on the trail. Gorgeous places to fill up your bottles though, and usually shaded by birches.

$5 for parking, $25 for overnight camping.

Self-registration at the...

Me and my friend did both sections in 2 days last weekend and loved every minute of it! Southern section is a great workout - especially, going up Chemise Mountain after hiking up and down jungle-covered hills for 20 miles. On the second day, you will enjoy getting baked by the sun and sandblasted by strong coastal wind, while hiking through soft sand/pebbles and boulder-hopping for about 24 miles. We ended up doing 56 miles in 2 days and made it back to San Francisco (6-hour drive) by 4am, just in time to get a few hours of sleep and go to work. Perfect weekend getaway, if you're into this sort of thin! :)...

Used to be a great place. Now people are disrespectful. They leave garbage,drive unsafe. Are back and forth across the creek and beach. There are no ranger presence to keep people in check. The bathrooms are run down. The elk don't come in anymore. Many think it's a place to wheel ,it's a dirt road. Not a off road wheeling place. Most of us that have been going are whole life are frankly discussed with the way things are . When it used to be such a great place...