Lost Coast Trail California Road Trip & California PCH
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- LOST COAST TRAIL CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP & CALIFORNIA PCH // Discover the rugged lost coast trail and decide if you’ll complete a Lost Coast road trip along the west coast of California off of highway 101. It was an incredible experience traveling the Lost Coast trail and its 67 miles that spanned 4 hours. The Lost Coast scenic drive made me nervous with it’s crazy roads, twists and turns and steep inclines. I thought maybe the Lost Coast trail southern section would be better, but alas it was no different with its crazy roads then the northern part of California’s Lost Coast.
While traveling on my west coast road trip along the California PCH road trip I wanted to make sure I accomplished the Lost Coast trail drive since it’s a quest drive out of National Geographic 300 scenic highways and byways. Lost Coast California is truly a one-of a kind experience that left me a bit shaken, but glad I did and saw the raw beauty and ended with the Redwoods.
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★ Season 2, Episode 21: Lost Coast, California
★ How I Got Started
Hi, I'm Amber and in May 2017 I started this nomadic journey after selling my house and all my belongings to pursue this crazy dream of living out of my RV full-time and traveling all around North America.
After 1 year of traveling, I sold my 26 foot Winnebago Class C RV for a more nimble Class B Hymer Aktiv van. I couldn't have been more excited to continue my second year in a van that allows me to travel to more places and experience more in life.
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• Lost Coast Trail Calif...
What a crazy drive! I'm glad I did it but glad when it was over!!
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my husband used to live down the atoll river road.the petrolia bridge burned dow once and i have a beautiful carving some one made from the waste.wayne morris is the artist.he lived there for years.truly gods world
Great information on the lost coast road, I passed on it last summer, now I’m really happy I did. That road tears a car up, not my choice, thanks for the tour. Yes you can overheat breaks shocked to see you downshifted and still had to use them so much.
johnru1 It's worth a visit for sure if you have a smaller vehicle like a Jeep that can take the rugged, rough roads. It's beautiful. Oh yeah, braking all the way through in the lowest gear still. It was pretty nuts. :0
I had no idea there was a 'Lost Coast" trail in California that looked like that. Wow. That was SO beautiful ! I loved the sets of waves coming in, surfers love that stuff. That was a long, hard road you drove..you deserve a glass of wine...(if you drink).
Many in California don’t. That’s why I love my NatGeo book that shows places that aren’t always well known. Lol I could have used some wine that night. ☺️
Love the Pacific Ocean. Thanks for sharing. Yes, it can be so scary.
Aleta me too!!! Ugh..I don't scare that easily, but it was nerve-wracking and exhausting on this rugged terrain. Have you been to this particular trail that's off the main roads?
No, I've traveled Central California coast area from LA area. I used to travel 101 to 1, 1-2 times a year. Summer and Winter)..for many years. You are way more adventurous than I was. Loved tent camping in Big Sur.(Andrew Molera), hike/walk in. In the winter we'd stay indoors. Over time I got used to Hwy 1 curves etc. I was terrified initially. And the roads were always being worked on throughout the year. Your videos are gorgeous. The roads you were on were horrible and scary !! You sounded so calm. I drove a Volvo that took raggedy roads pretty well.
Love your videos, but this is my favorite one so far. Love the music, the scenery, and the adventure! Thank you, Amber!!
Keri thank you! Wow such a great compliment!
Wow totally awesome thank you for that beautiful scenery .
dena s You're so welcome!
Perfect place to stop! Thanks for the lost coast drive. Now I can move it way down on the list with an asterisk *sports car only.
Mary @H2OsEdge lol!!!
The white faced cow looks over his shoulder and says to it's friends, " Hey look, a van made it up here!" at 9:30
Karin Pople lmao!!! I was thinking the same thing. If you read my blog post on it I mention something to that effect. haha. www.storychasing.com/lost-coast-trail-california-road-trip-california-pch/
Whew! You did it! I love the ocean too...and the beautiful coastal redwoods. Wow, what an awesome place to spend the night overlooking the Pacific Ocean!
lily wells - yeah!!! Yes it was a magnificent boondocking spot and you'll get to see more in an upcoming video. I actually stayed there for almost 2 weeks.
So glad that you got to visit the Lost Coast even though I can tell that was a rough day of driving your rig. I lived in Humboldt County for six years, in Arcata and Eureka. I visited the Lost Coast two different times as a day trip, both times in a car. It is a part of coastal California that even Californians don’t know about or visit much. Totally spectacular and empty! Did you pass through the little town of Petrolia at some point? When I think about my future full-time life, probably in a B+ with a toad, this is the kind of road I picture doing with the toad, with my rig situated somewhere nearby as a homebase. But I love to go slow and spend lots of days in one area 😎 Kudos to you for all of the fantastic exploring you are doing. And thanks for sharing your journey! 🤗
Grateful Road Yes, there was just hardly anybody on the road. I saw maybe 8 cars during my 4 hours. I did go through Petrolia. I started in Ferndale and then drove south until 4 hours later it met back up onto Highway 101. Such a great adventure isn't it. Maybe I won't be so nervous next time. lol
@@storychasing I've done that drive. Absolutely spectacular. I am so glad it is a protected area that won't get built up full of houses. I enjoyed the drive but I wasn't actually driving. There was one part that was kind of creepy to me but I don't know now where that was exactly. I think we may have taken a side road headed east.
I’m going to skip this drive, I am grateful you got such a great view of this not so great road. I would be so nervous. Didn’t even look like you could stop anywhere along the way. Thank you.
I am so glad you made it safely through this road. My husband and I did it in April 2021 in an Accord. Without AWD the car can be stuck at certain points but fortunately did not. Again, you are super brave for doing it in your vehicle. I still recommend this road though, but in a regular car/truck as this road is very special/one of a kind .
That is awesome!
Just got back from a road trip to return to this road. Please listen to me - The road might be long, windy and bumpy but IT IS ABSOLUTELY AWE INSPIRING. Make a trip to the Mattole Beach Campground while you're at it. The whole thing is incredible. Worth using your brakes.
Shawn Tempesta Thanks so much! ☺️
LIKED👍 even tho I’m dizzy as hell! 😊 Half Moon Bay for beautiful Redwoods ❤️
Angie Gracie lol Angie! I know it was bumpy....hmmm...sorry for that crazy footage, but at least you got to experience how it was for me on the road. :)
Story Chasing absolutely! I wasn’t complaining. I would have been dizzy even if I was driving. Loved the video 💕
Angie Gracie I know you weren’t. Thanks so much 🙏🏻
That drive reminded me of your Tahoe drive in your C. Beautiful footage. Have a great day!
Susan F I had a feeling you’d remember that one. It was to some degree but actually 20x worse. Lol
@@storychasing lol... yikes!
Absolutely a gorgeous trip. For white knuckle hills use a lower gear, save the brakes. The lower the gear the slower. It's like a jake break on a big truck. Thanks for your post.
Deborah Linker - Yep I was in 2nd gear (lowest gear possible) and still having to brake. :)
I think I would’ve called it a day and camped at the ocean after that first “worst is over” stretch. 😂 Glad you made it through safely.
BearUkulele I almost did at one point, but I kept going. :)
Aside from the treacherous roads, it’s a beautiful view!!! Thanks!
Heather Lucero truly! Besides the nerves I was loving the views. Incredibly breathtaking. Have you been?
No I haven’t been, but I’m so inspired to follow you with this entire trip! I love the Pacific Ocean soooooo much!!!
Lilly and Mr. Bear....Love it! That drive was beautiful Amber. when I get out there i'm definitely doin' it. I'll text you and you can come along and be my navigator! ha ha...Thanks, Awesome views!!
David Hinnant - Lol...Glad you liked it. Yep despite the crazy roads, it was really beautiful. Are you going full-time or are you already full-time?
Beautiful unspoiled area. Take time to visit shelter cove and the lighthouse south of there. There is a county park just outside of petrolia for camping.
In a 20ft vehicle that may be a challenge but Im watching to preview my trip to Seattle on the PCH on my MOTORCYCLE. could do without the potholes but otherwise this is beautiful!! Thank you for sharing!!! 🤩
Go for it!
Very nice drive did this same drive on my can am spyder
Alex Samaniego Oh I bet that was!! Much better than my ride...lol
"Cat", here! Mam, that road down to the coast from Ferndale, is like an expressway...........considering! You need to get out.....way out there........more! Up to the right of that "expressway" you were on along the beach, was a dirt road that led to high up on several points, the most epic camping spots overlooking that beautiful Pacific, which you just drive right by?!?! Well, maybe on your next drive through there with a set of mud/all terrain tires! Yes, no, maybe?
I just came across your channel and subscribed. Beautiful scenery!! Thank you for sharing! ;) Also, what were you mentioning you put something on your suspension for sway control?
John W - thanks for the sub and glad you enjoyed the video. I put SumoSpring bumpstops on the rear to reduce sway. In my pinned comment and the description of this video you'll find the link to it so you can research.
WooHoo! NIce job! But that’s California. Get readyfor the scary cliffside incline southbound just south of Stinson Beach - aw Lesome beach, terrifying road for this Washington girl in her jeep - wimped out. Maybe the road is better now - that was in 2001. I really love your channel. You do such a great job. Thanks! Betsy from Seattle.
Elisabeth Seeger Thanks for loving the channel! Hey I'm from Seattle too! I've been all over the US and been through some crazy mountain passes with no issues, but this was so different! wow! lol
I took a brand new camaro down this road never again lol
Amber that was just beautiful. You might consider getting yourself a man to help with the driving. Then you can sit back and enjoy the ride. I'm available---LOL. Thanks for the great video.
GrandMarais - Glad you liked the video. Hmmm...a man driving me around. This isn't Driving Ms Daisy! lol
Actually, your drive made me a bit homesick. I guess I’ve gotten used to those twisting, turning, winding roads with minimal shoulder and lane widths; the scenery never disappoints.
Y C Oh? What area are you from?
Santa Cruz mountains
I just tried out an '18 ProMaster. The transmission on that one would hold first gear, but I had to come to a complete stop first. It wouldn't click down to "1" if the wheels were turning
Scott from Maine it won't even let me downshift into first gear.
That's strange.
At first, I thought something in my house was breaking apart...but then I just realized it was van-traveling sounds! HA! Now, I'm getting used to it....and kind of like it.
Also, I sing random things through-out the day, so you're not alone on that.
And then the ocean sounds. *sigh* *happy*
Jami Good lmao.....love your comment. Fortunately, the van doesn't always sound like when moving...it's just that bleeping road. Oh so I'm not alone with singing random things?
@@storychasing You're welcome! :-)
Not alooooooone!!! *jazz hands WITH spirit fingers* *fierce* :-D
Jami Good lmao...now I have that visual in my head!!
Thanks, this road's on my bucket list now. I'll be doing it in the future in a Class C similar to that U-Haul. Europe has similar switchback roads and buses full of tourist use them, I follow several British/European RV/Vanlife You Tubers. Looks like it has some scenic locations for boondocking, like by that one lane bridge.
Ernesto Q oh cool...I hope you enjoy it. Make sure everything in your RV is secure. What size is your class C? Oh wow..who's your favorite European vanlifer?
My favorite Europe based van dwellers are Vantastic followed by pamthevan, I also follow Explorer Buddies, Indie Projects who are now building a new van, also US based Traveling Roberts did a great series on his rental van in Finland-Norway. I'm buying a Winnebago View 24G as soon as I sell my house not long from now. I appreciate its width is only 7'6" not the usual 8'6" and its under 26' in length, plus mileage is around 16MPG, it pays to stay small. Travel safe. @@storychasing
Glad to see this, here's hoping that everyone takes this woman's advice and avoids this road. It's an awful drive if you don't know how to drive and don't appreciate one of the most beautiful places in the Lower 48.
We brought our 39 ft travel trailer thru there.
Sounds like you think the Lost Coast drive is worse than the Lake Tahoe drive....is that right? From the safety of my couch, the Lost Coast drive didn't look too bad; but 4 hours to go 60 miles would have been painful! The drive through the Red Woods was unbelievable. Once again, you put together a great sound track.
Tammie - lol 20x worse! lol But seriously beautiful place though. So glad you liked it Tammie!
I used to engine break by staying in a lower gear while going down hill-but then I heard this-breaks are cheaper than an engine-and now I have no problem riding the break down any steep hill… oh yes it’s primarily when you are going down at high speeds… but lots of low speed breaks will probably result in the same…
But breaking too much will lead to your brakes burning out and a possible collision.
@@storychasing breaks should be regularly monitored while doing tire rotation. This prevents a catastrophic failure.
So Amber, did you have any accidents so far?
Vatsek nope none.
How do you stand all of the rattling? That would drive me bonkers. That is one of the things holding me back from buying an rv.
Sheila Qualls - It doesn't normally do that. That's how BAD the roads were!!! lol
I drove that road once; I'll never do it again.
Orick3D same experience?
@@storychasing The road made me nervous....and my stomach didn't like it; nor did my brakes. It was back in the 70's
How many miles is the road
Amber I live in Humboldt County and know it well. Next time you are here, PM me and my wife and I will show you the real gems. We enjoyed your video.
Frank Manja Oh very cool! Thank you! Are the gems on the Lost Coast or somewhere else? I love hearing about these places from locals.
Amber there is a ton of awesome hikes and scenic places to explore. You passed through some of my favorites in Bull Creek at the end of the Mattole Road. The Avenue of the Giants, AKA Highway 254 has a ton of great places to see too.
You missed Usal Road from Shelters Cove.
Your brakes will be fine as long as there are no prior issues with them. There are so many failsafes preventing that so its not that much of a safety hazard
😀 Thanks for watching and commenting !
101 is inland most of the way Hwy 1 is on the coast and was the first
She was southbound from Oregon - the 101 hugs the coast until south of Eureka before it cuts inland.
@@TravelingSolo Yes that's exactly how I was traveling.
@805gregg I'm assuming you're talking about highway 101 in California? That would be accurate, I was also in WA, and OR and explaining how the PCH is Highway 101 in WA, OR and the northern part of CA (as TravelingSolo mentioned) and then PCH turns into highway 1 and then coastal highway in CA. Many people have been following my west coast travels so it needed some explaining as many think highway 101 goes all the way from north to south along the coast. :)
Down shift = save the breaks and let the engine do the work
earthbybike I did. I was in 2nd gear and still on the brakes because it was so curvy and steep if I left off the brake I would be going to fast around the curve. I can't downshift into first gear either in this vehicle.
Wow - that's crazy!
I know!!! Now you know why I was nervous!!! I could never slow down enough to let off the brake around the curves. Super super steep.
Wow those redwoods are awesome. I love trees!
It’s called the lost coast because of the depopulation that happened after logging was restricted in the 30s.
That wasn't actually the ocean but an inland lake with a mountain range then sky.... I thought she was heading inland so I looked back at her map. Its beautiful none the less.
Louise Florida /Missouri I'm not sure what map you were looking at, but it's definitely the ocean.
@@storychasingI was looking at the map you showed in the book. The last part was ocean but looking at your map you go around the edge of a large lake also right? It was lovely anyway.
She ended much further south than the map in the book. That was only the Lost Coast portion of the trip....
TravelingSolo - Yep, you're correct. The Lost Coast was only a portion and no lakes around where I was at, only ocean. It's a pretty large body of water out there! lol
Lots of slow speed braking will burn them out. Just stop and let them cool
Enrique LaRoche Thank you!
A motorcycle would be better.?
YES EVEN A FEW YEARS AGO I WENT THROUGH AND WAS SO OVERLY DISAPPOINTED WITH ALL THE GOV SIGNS AND FENCING EVEN BABRBED WIRE! I AM GRATEFUL FOR GROWING UP IN CALIFORNIA BUT IT IS FAST BECOMING A PRISON FOR SLAVES....NICE WEATHER HUH BUT THATS THE DEAL...I OWE I OWE SO OFF TO WORK I GO....