At Trees of Mystery, we found a free pamphlet for The World Famous Avenue of the Giants & The Lost Coast. The Avenue of the Giants is a free auto tour of the Redwoods and the surrounding forest areas. The Lost Coast Scenic Drive includes a trek out west to Shelter Cove and then north along the Lost Coast in California to Capetown. We decided to combine these two to make a 156 mile Lost Coast scenic loop. We got up early, packed breakfast and lunch, and then hit the road. Don’t have time to read this now? Pin it for later!

Avenue of the Giants California

We were starting from the far north so the first stop about 20 miles into our drive was actually number eight on the guide: Drury-Chaney Grove. This was a 2.4-mile hiking loop but we only walked part of it and then ate our breakfast. As you enter the Avenue of the Giants from the North or South, pull over when you see signs for the auto tour pamphlet or save our images of the tour below. This pamphlet discusses all eight stops along the Avenue of the Giants.

Hikes

Besides this trail, there are probably a dozen others that involve hiking in the forest. You could probably spend all day checking out the hikes along the 101. Looking for hiking information? Check out our trail image.

Back at the jeep, we checked out the Visitor Center next to get some coffee and look around their exhibits. If it is your thing, we saw info about their Discover Nature app you could download to your phone which had scavenger hunts you could do in the area, along with virtual signage/tours.

Driving in this area is like weaving through a narrow trail through the forest. It definitely would be a challenge in a long motorhome as the giant redwood trees are on all sides and come right up to the pavement. They are so numerous and tall it is almost dark in some areas even though it is the middle of the day.

Shelter Cove California

We continued on the 101 south until we reached Redway where we got off the highway to head west towards the Lost Coast. The roads here through Briceland via Briceland Road and Briceland-Thorn Road get windier and go up and down in elevation. The final few miles after Whitethorn Junction on Shelter Cove Road is even windier until you get to the small beach town of Shelter Cove.

Our first stop was Black Sands Beach where we parked and then walked along the beach. The beaches here are very different than the ones I’m used to in San Diego. These were huge and covered with black sand and big rocks.

It is called the Lost Coast because this is the longest and most dramatic expanse of undeveloped coastline in the continental US. The surf was big and the Lost Coast trail starts here where you can hike 20 some miles up the coast. You have to time it correctly though or else high tide will block your passage. There were only a few other people here so we almost had the place to ourselves.

Next, we drove to Abalone Point, Seal Rock (yes, there were seals playing!), and then Cape Mendocino Lighthouse. You can tell this place is probably popular in the summer, but here at the end of winter, it is pretty quiet. Most of the homes closest to the water seem like rentals so they are vacant at this time of year.

King Peak Road

Rather than go the same way back, we opted last minute to take King Peak Road which is a dirt road “shortcut” that cuts north and gets back on track right before the town of Honeydew. It was about 25 miles according to our map and although the literature said it would take an hour, it took more like 90 minutes and was over 30 miles.

It started off pretty fun, but to tell the truth, it was exhausting in the end. The road got progressively more difficult after the Tolkan campground and you absolutely need a four-wheel-drive high clearance vehicle for the last half. There were parts of the road that had huge ruts and decent sized stream crossings may be due to recent storms.

There was also no signage and it was hard to tell if we were even on the right track especially since it went longer and took longer than expected. Finally about an hour before dark we got back to the main road and stopped at Honeydew Creek to have a quick late lunch we had brought with us.

Rockefeller Forest

Since it was already so late and we were tired of the journey so far, we skipped the final segment to Capetown. Instead, we opted to cut back to the 101 and head home through Rockefeller Forest, and I am glad we did. The last six miles before you get to US 101 was one of the most beautiful drives.

Even though not quite sunset, it was eerily quiet and dark on the drive back through the forest. A very different experience than before earlier in the day! When driving the Avenue of the Giants we highly recommend you explore the Big Tree Area and Rockefeller Forest off Mattole Rd and US-101.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. We clocked over 150 miles in 7.5 hours on this route. We had planned on a five-hour drive on this route but the drive took much longer than expected. Was it worth it? Yes, but the poor road quality and slow windy roads to the Lost Coast were exhausting so be prepared. Next time I would think twice about taking King Peak Road again.

California Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

Where are we going next on our CA US 101 road trip? Check out our CA Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip by RV route.

Thinking about visiting the Redwoods? Looking for things to do? How about places to stay? Check out our Redwood articles including our Day Trip to Crescent City article.

Interested in things to do in California? Take a look at our California articles. Where are we going next? Don’t miss an adventure, subscribe today.

Avenue of the Giants Auto Tour

Shelter Cove Video

Shelter Cove Pictures