Originally erected 30 miles to the north at Cape Mendocino, which is California’s westernmost point, this small 1868 lighthouse was disassembled and moved to Shelter Cove in 1998. The restored Cape Mendocino lighthouse (no website; 1100 block of Lower Pacific Drive; Shelter Cove) now rests in Mal Coombs Park on Point Delgada. In the summer, the lighthouse is open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; hours may vary based on staff availability.
As its name suggests, Seal Rock Picnic Area (no website; just seaward of Mal Coombs Park) is an excellent spot for watching harbor seals and sea lions. Low tides are the best time to see these marine mammals; at high tides, they usually go diving for food. The picnic area is also a good spot for whale watching in winter and spring, when migrating California gray whales may travel within 100 yards of the cliffs.
Black Sands Beach (no website; Beach Road and Humboldt Loop Road; Shelter Cove) runs up the coast for 25 miles, starting from the northern end of Beach Road. This glittering expanse of dark sand is one of the only such beaches in the 48 contiguous states; it’s also the King Range Conservation Area’s only level trail. In spring and fall, this is a good place to watch for phalaropes, plovers and other shorebirds. Be aware, though, that freakishly large “sleeper” waves are common and tides can rise quickly enough to strand the unwary. Always consult a tide table before venturing onto any beaches along the Lost Coast, and never turn your back on the ocean.
About 25 miles north of Shelter Cove -- a distance that typically takes two to three hours to drive, depending on road conditions, your skill at negotiating hairpin turns and the number of stops that you take to admire the scenery -- the Mattole River drains into the Pacific Ocean. Bordered by sand dunes, the Mattole Estuary is a great place to see pelicans, seals, otters and other wildlife. From the estuary’s Mattole Beach Campground (no website; Lighthouse Road; Petrolia), it’s a short walk to Mattole Beach, which boasts some of the area’s most impressive tidepools, as well as shipwreck sites and a former Mattole Indian shell midden. Intrepid hikers can walk roughly three miles to the abandoned Punta Gorda lighthouse, which was one of the U.S. Coast Guard’s most remote and inhospitable posts before its 1951 closure. Again, it’s essential to consult a tide table before attempting this hike; portions of the trail are only safe during an outgoing tide.
