Address
298 Dolphin Dr
Whitethorn, CA 95589
Experience Type
Nature & Wildlife
EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION
Black Sands Beach at Shelter Cove is where the King Range drops directly into the Pacific, a dramatic, steep-scarped coastline too rugged for Highway 1 that has remained essentially roadless since California was settled. The beach's black volcanic sand is unlike anything on the California coast. The southern trailhead of the 25-mile Lost Coast Trail begins at its northern end. Accessible without a car from Shelter Cove, and requiring no planning beyond the willingness to walk a landscape that has changed very little in the last century. Gray whales pass close to shore during spring and fall migration.
OPERATOR STORY
The King Range National Conservation Area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as one of California's most intact wild coastal landscapes. The designation protects 68,000 acres of the Lost Coast from the development pressure that has transformed most of the state's shoreline.
