1st overland trail

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justintheegreat

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Me and my pops have been reading up and getting educated about "overlanding". We have been camping and outdoor enthusiasts for years but never with our vehicles.
What is a good trail in the Northern California / Nevada area that would be good for first timers.
I dont have a rooftop tent yet so i would be sleeping on the ground or in my rig for now. But i would love to test out a trial and camp out.
Thanks.


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Saints&Sailors

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If you decide to go to Usal Road/Lost Coast Trail, I'd highly recommend going mid-week. On weekends, locals come into the area and are generally asshats (fireworks, loud, inconsiderate, etc.).

Also note that the forest service closes the road during the rainy season. We tried to run it a couple years ago and the gate was locked so we couldn't run the full trail. This was in late May.
 

justintheegreat

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If you decide to go to Usal Road/Lost Coast Trail, I'd highly recommend going mid-week. On weekends, locals come into the area and are generally asshats (fireworks, loud, inconsiderate, etc.).

Also note that the forest service closes the road during the rainy season. We tried to run it a couple years ago and the gate was locked so we couldn't run the full trail. This was in late May.
How long is that lost coast trail?
Are there any websites or apps to show me what trails i can go on and what area is open??

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WheelMe

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The route that I used was 72 miles in length, which encompasses Usal Beach to Shelter Cove, up to Honeydew, and inland to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I don't know that there is a a "Lost Coast Trail" per se, but I'd consider Usal Beach up to Honeydew as part of the Lost Coast. One could turn westward at Honeydew on Mattole Road toward the water again, via the town of Petrolia (this would be whole another adventure, I think), but we headed eastward instead for our third night, camping in HRSP. I've attached a GAIA link to my entire route, from Usal Beach to HRSP, below.

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/FSLVKzUdNYmckfQ1Lcg7NUoJ

Before I describe the route, here are the roads, one morphing into another as we cross county lines and whatnot:

Usal Road -> Chemise Mountain Road -> Shelter Cove Road -> Kings Peak Road -> Wilder Ridge Road -> Mattole Road

We live in Santa Cruz, so the first day was full of driving to arrive at Usal Beach in time to set up and camp. We took Hwy. 101 NB to Leggett, then turned left onto Hwy 1 SW to arrive at the trail-head (Usal Road) - this is a very small turn off, so don't miss it (I did, and had to make a u-turn)! From the trail-head, it's an easy 30 minutes or so of dirt road to Usal Beach. One can elect to camp among the bushes by the beach, on sand just off of the beach, or right on the beach itself (don't get stuck having fun in the sand!). It got pretty windy (AND RAINY) at night for us as we camped just inside of the beach, so secure your tent properly beforehand. The beach is pretty big, and we had plenty of time and space to explore. Don't miss the torched Bronco that seemingly got stuck in the sand in the '80s, and someone took a match to it. We broke camp the next morning and headed for Shelter Cove via more of Usal Road, which turns into Chemise Mountain Road. There is a good lunch rest stop along the way, Needle Rock Visitor Center, where we chatted up the host about wild life in the area. A trail continues south of the Center toward some seemingly-awesome water-side campgrounds, but the road was closed when we were there, so we had no access - this could be where you spend your second night if accessible. Call the visitor center to check, if there's a phone number. The map shows various tent sites and campgrounds along Usal and Chemise Mtn. Roads, but I wasn't looking hard enough for them, so didn't really see anything obvious for camping. We continued on to Shelter Cove, where we spent the second night at Inn Of The Lost Coast - a nice hotel with a small pizzeria downstairs. Shelter Cove is a decent-sized town, but other than gas and a lighthouse, there wasn't much going on, so we continued on the third day toward Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Just outside the town of Shelter Cove, we turned left onto Kings Peak Road, a dirt road that went on a for quite a while; this turned into Wilder Ridge Road, which led us to the very-small town of Honeydew. I believe that the road was paved by this point, so we aired back up and drove to the State Park for a last night of camping before heading home on Day 4.

Road conditions were "excellent dirt" throughout, with lots of pine needles on the ground and not much dust, since traffic was sparse north of Usal Beach. Air down a bit to 20 psi or so and you should be comfortable. The roads were mere dirt roads with some twisty turns, and a Subaru would have done just fine. Hope this helps!
 
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Kent R

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Great trails on the East side of the Sierras perfect for new to the sport. Masonic, Bodie, Aurora NV and back. two day trip nothing real hard but great scenery.
 

Kent R

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The route that I used was 72 miles in length, which encompasses Usal Beach to Shelter Cove, up to Honeydew, and inland to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I don't know that there is a a "Lost Coast Trail" per se, but I'd consider Usal Beach up to Honeydew as part of the Lost Coast. One could turn westward at Honeydew on Mattole Road toward the water again, via the town of Petrolia (this would be whole another adventure, I think), but we headed eastward instead for our third night, camping in HRSP. I've attached a GAIA link to my entire route, from Usal Beach to HRSP, below.

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/FSLVKzUdNYmckfQ1Lcg7NUoJ

Before I describe the route, here are the roads, one morphing into another as we cross county lines and whatnot:

Usal Road -> Chemise Mountain Road -> Shelter Cove Road -> Kings Peak Road -> Wilder Ridge Road -> Mattole Road

We live in Santa Cruz, so the first day was full of driving to arrive at Usal Beach in time to set up and camp. We took Hwy. 101 NB to Leggett, then turned left onto Hwy 1 SW to arrive at the trail-head (Usal Road) - this is a very small turn off, so don't miss it (I did, and had to make a u-turn)! From the trail-head, it's an easy 30 minutes or so of dirt road to Usal Beach. One can elect to camp among the bushes by the beach, on sand just off of the beach, or right on the beach itself (don't get stuck having fun in the sand!). It got pretty windy (AND RAINY) at night for us as we camped just inside of the beach, so secure your tent properly beforehand. The beach is pretty big, and we had plenty of time and space to explore. Don't miss the torched Bronco that seemingly got stuck in the sand in the '80s, and someone took a match to it. We broke camp the next morning and headed for Shelter Cove via more of Usal Road, which turns into Chemise Mountain Road. There is a good lunch rest stop along the way, Needle Rock Visitor Center, where we chatted up the host about wild life in the area. A trail continues south of the Center toward some seemingly-awesome water-side campgrounds, but the road was closed when we were there, so we had no access - this could be where you spend your second night if accessible. Call the visitor center to check, if there's a phone number. The map shows various tent sites and campgrounds along Usal and Chemise Mtn. Roads, but I wasn't looking hard enough for them, so didn't really see anything obvious for camping. We continued on to Shelter Cove, where we spent the second night at Inn Of The Lost Coast - a nice hotel with a small pizzeria downstairs. Shelter Cove is a decent-sized town, but other than gas and a lighthouse, there wasn't much going on, so we continued on the third day toward Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Just outside the town of Shelter Cove, we turned left onto Kings Peak Road, a dirt road that went on a for quite a while; this turned into Wilder Ridge Road, which led us to the very-small town of Honeydew. I believe that the road was paved by this point, so we aired back up and drove to the State Park for a last night of camping before heading home on Day 4.

Road conditions were "excellent dirt" throughout, with lots of pine needles on the ground and not much dust, since traffic was sparse north of Usal Beach. Air down a bit to 20 psi or so and you should be comfortable. The roads were mere dirt roads with some twisty turns, and a Subaru would have done just fine. Hope this helps!
Great trip report!
Also just making sure that you know about the new meet-up group in the Santa Cruze area.
 
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justintheegreat

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The route that I used was 72 miles in length, which encompasses Usal Beach to Shelter Cove, up to Honeydew, and inland to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I don't know that there is a a "Lost Coast Trail" per se, but I'd consider Usal Beach up to Honeydew as part of the Lost Coast. One could turn westward at Honeydew on Mattole Road toward the water again, via the town of Petrolia (this would be whole another adventure, I think), but we headed eastward instead for our third night, camping in HRSP. I've attached a GAIA link to my entire route, from Usal Beach to HRSP, below.

https://www.gaiagps.com/public/FSLVKzUdNYmckfQ1Lcg7NUoJ

Before I describe the route, here are the roads, one morphing into another as we cross county lines and whatnot:

Usal Road -> Chemise Mountain Road -> Shelter Cove Road -> Kings Peak Road -> Wilder Ridge Road -> Mattole Road

We live in Santa Cruz, so the first day was full of driving to arrive at Usal Beach in time to set up and camp. We took Hwy. 101 NB to Leggett, then turned left onto Hwy 1 SW to arrive at the trail-head (Usal Road) - this is a very small turn off, so don't miss it (I did, and had to make a u-turn)! From the trail-head, it's an easy 30 minutes or so of dirt road to Usal Beach. One can elect to camp among the bushes by the beach, on sand just off of the beach, or right on the beach itself (don't get stuck having fun in the sand!). It got pretty windy (AND RAINY) at night for us as we camped just inside of the beach, so secure your tent properly beforehand. The beach is pretty big, and we had plenty of time and space to explore. Don't miss the torched Bronco that seemingly got stuck in the sand in the '80s, and someone took a match to it. We broke camp the next morning and headed for Shelter Cove via more of Usal Road, which turns into Chemise Mountain Road. There is a good lunch rest stop along the way, Needle Rock Visitor Center, where we chatted up the host about wild life in the area. A trail continues south of the Center toward some seemingly-awesome water-side campgrounds, but the road was closed when we were there, so we had no access - this could be where you spend your second night if accessible. Call the visitor center to check, if there's a phone number. The map shows various tent sites and campgrounds along Usal and Chemise Mtn. Roads, but I wasn't looking hard enough for them, so didn't really see anything obvious for camping. We continued on to Shelter Cove, where we spent the second night at Inn Of The Lost Coast - a nice hotel with a small pizzeria downstairs. Shelter Cove is a decent-sized town, but other than gas and a lighthouse, there wasn't much going on, so we continued on the third day toward Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Just outside the town of Shelter Cove, we turned left onto Kings Peak Road, a dirt road that went on a for quite a while; this turned into Wilder Ridge Road, which led us to the very-small town of Honeydew. I believe that the road was paved by this point, so we aired back up and drove to the State Park for a last night of camping before heading home on Day 4.

Road conditions were "excellent dirt" throughout, with lots of pine needles on the ground and not much dust, since traffic was sparse north of Usal Beach. Air down a bit to 20 psi or so and you should be comfortable. The roads were mere dirt roads with some twisty turns, and a Subaru would have done just fine. Hope this helps!
Sounds like a bad ass trip man. I definatley want to check it out. Thank you greatly.

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kaikandojo

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Mendocino National Forest is great too. The main forest service roads are well maintained, like M10 and M3. There are also tons of off-shoot forest service roads and 4wd trails. It is a huge forest that you could explore for weeks. There are also a number of no-reservation campsites that are maintained by the Forest Service. Those are usually sparsely used so lots of privacy. Of course, you can do dispersed camping within the forest. Last year there were a number of roads closed because of the really bad rains...I'd call the Contact Information number to get the latest updates and guidance on places to go.

You will need a campfire permit if you plan to have a campfire or cook with a stove in a U.S. National Forest. http://www.preventwildfireca.org/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mendocino/about-forest
https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mendocino/recreation/camping-cabins
 
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justintheegreat

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Mendocino National Forest is great too. The main forest service roads are well maintained, like M10 and M3. There are also tons of off-shoot forest service roads and 4wd trails. It is a huge forest that you could explore for weeks. There are also a number of no-reservation campsites that are maintained by the Forest Service. Those are usually sparsely used so lots of privacy. Of course, you can do dispersed camping within the forest. Last year there were a number of roads closed because of the really bad rains...I'd call the Contact Information number to get the latest updates and guidance on places to go.

You will need a campfire permit if you plan to have a campfire or cook with a stove in a U.S. National Forest. http://www.preventwildfireca.org/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mendocino/about-forest
https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mendocino/recreation/camping-cabins
Thanks. Are there any apps or maps that van show me what areas i can take my truck on or any BLM land?

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kaikandojo

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GAIA GPS is a popular map app that works on iOS and Android. Lots of map layers that are helpful for planning and while driving. Especially the USGS and USFS maps. They have National Geographic Trails maps too. Make sure to download the maps you need onto your phone or tablet as they will work with the device’s gps without needing cell signal.

I would also have a paper map just in case. You can order those directly from the U.S. Forest Service or BLM websites.
 

WheelMe

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Mendocino National Forest is great too. The main forest service roads are well maintained, like M10 and M3. There are also tons of off-shoot forest service roads and 4wd trails. It is a huge forest that you could explore for weeks. There are also a number of no-reservation campsites that are maintained by the Forest Service. Those are usually sparsely used so lots of privacy. Of course, you can do dispersed camping within the forest. Last year there were a number of roads closed because of the really bad rains...I'd call the Contact Information number to get the latest updates and guidance on places to go.

You will need a campfire permit if you plan to have a campfire or cook with a stove in a U.S. National Forest. http://www.preventwildfireca.org/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mendocino/about-forest
https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mendocino/recreation/camping-cabins
If you're willing to organize a camping trip to Mendo, I'm sure that many of us would love to join, myself included! Mendo's on my list of places to wheel, and I've been poring over maps for months now. There is an annual gathering of classic Land Rovers in Mendo, and despite not owning one, I hung out with them for a few hours there - lots of fun, and the place is HUGE.

Is there an OB group that calls Mendo home? If so they should set up a Rally Point!
 

Saints&Sailors

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If you're willing to organize a camping trip to Mendo, I'm sure that many of us would love to join, myself included! Mendo's on my list of places to wheel, and I've been poring over maps for months now. There is an annual gathering of classic Land Rovers in Mendo, and despite not owning one, I hung out with them for a few hours there - lots of fun, and the place is HUGE.

Is there an OB group that calls Mendo home? If so they should set up a Rally Point!
+1 on this. Would love to do a group trip up to Mendocino NF.
 

kaikandojo

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I've only been to Mendocino NF for two weekends in 2016. I planned to do a lot more in 2017 but there were still a lot of road closures going into the summer. On the first trip, we started out at Upper Letts Lake and did a few forest service trails near there (double dashed line dirt roads, not the single dashed line 4wd/ohv trails). We made our way to Bear Creek Campground for the second night. I saw enough on that trip that I knew we had barely scratched the surface of the NF. By the time we left on the third day, we had passed only 4 other vehicles on the roads. There are some nice dispersed camping areas near Upper Letts Lake if those roads are now open...two are labeled on USGS Topo maps as Black Oak Campground and Summit Valley are two.
 

JustinSenior

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I've only been to Mendocino NF for two weekends in 2016. I planned to do a lot more in 2017 but there were still a lot of road closures going into the summer. On the first trip, we started out at Upper Letts Lake and did a few forest service trails near there (double dashed line dirt roads, not the single dashed line 4wd/ohv trails). We made our way to Bear Creek Campground for the second night. I saw enough on that trip that I knew we had barely scratched the surface of the NF. By the time we left on the third day, we had passed only 4 other vehicles on the roads. There are some nice dispersed camping areas near Upper Letts Lake if those roads are now open...two are labeled on USGS Topo maps as Black Oak Campground and Summit Valley are two.
Do you think a full size will make it from what you saw?

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kaikandojo

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I'm thinking of doing a weekend trip to one of the national forests over Memorial Day Weekend. Mendocino, Stanislaus, and Plumas are all similar distances from the East Bay so there is a lot to choose from. My plan is to relax and do some exploring on the forest service roads & easy/moderate trails.
 
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justintheegreat

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I'm thinking of doing a weekend trip to one of the national forests over Memorial Day Weekend. Mendocino, Stanislaus, and Plumas are all similar distances from the East Bay so there is a lot to choose from. My plan is to relax and do some exploring on the forest service roads & easy/moderate trails.
Well see if i have that weekend off. Id love to join.

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