Sinkyone Wilderness State Park Overview

Sinkyone Wilderness State Park offers primitive (tent) camping next to a wild and beautiful stretch of California coastline known as “The Lost Coast”.  The park includes a 60-mile stretch of wilderness and the King Range National Conservation Area.

The primitive campgrounds are open year round but access can be difficult or impassable during the winter season. The dirt roads are narrow, steep (in parts) and turn to mud during the rainy season. More than a few visitors have had to stay an extra day or two because a mudslide or fallen tree closed their route home. “The Sinkyone lets you go when it wants to let you go,” a park ranger says. In other words, it’s a real wilderness.

All campsites are first-come first-serve. Each site has a table, fire ring and grill. Vault toilets are also available, but there is no potable water to drink. Campers must pack in and pack out all gear/refuge.

• Usal Beach Campground is the only drive-in campground in the park. Campsites are in a meadow area near the beach. RVs and trailers are not advised due to the narrow dirt roads. Equestrian (horse) and group camping are also permitted.
• Trail (hike-to) environmental camps include Anderson, Little Jackass Creek, Wheeler Camp (horses okay), Bear Harbor Camp, Railroad Camp, Orchard Camp, Streamside Camp and Jones Beach Camp. All environmental campers are required to check in and pay at the Needle Rock Visitor Center.
• The Needle Rock Barn is a refurbished barn and also a shelder for Lost Coast Trail “thru-hikers”.

Sinkyone Wilderness State Park – History, Area Recreation and Attractions

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 on shore. All kinds of fish were caught, but the seasonal salmon run was especially important.

Today, the Lost Coast Trail follows the whole length of the rugged Sinkyone coastline. Gray whales pass by during the winter and early spring. Roosevelt elk roam the grasslands. Sea lions and harbor seals hang out in rocky coves. It’s an arresting landscape, with canyons, arches, tide pools, sea stacks, seasonal wildflowers, waterfalls, and dark sand beaches. On a sunny day, the sea looks turquoise, giving the park tropical feeling.

The 22-mile Lost Coast Trail parallels the coastline, traversing steep mountains and sloping prairies. Views from the trail depend on the thickness of the fog cover, especially during the summer months.

Westport-Union Landing State Beach (Camping) is to the south and Standish-Hickey SRA (camping) is east.

Reservations:

First Come, First Served

Amenities

• Campsite Tables
• Cell Service - None
• Equestrian trail
• Fire Pit
• Fire Rings
• Grills
• Pets OK
• Picnic Tables
• Visitor Center

Activities

• Backpacking
• Beach Access
• Beach Combing
• Bird Watching
• Hiking
• Historic Sites
• Horseback riding
• Photography
• Picnicking
• Whale Watching
• Wilderness Area
• Wildlife Viewing