King Range & Shelter Cove
Southern Humboldt coast · near Shelter Cove / Redway · North Coast
Gravel & Bikepacking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Late spring–fall
What is here
- Terrain
- coastal
- Amenities
- Shelter Cove seaside base · King Range backcountry roads · Big coastal-mountain climbs · BLM camping
- Best for
- Rugged coastal-mountain adventure riding
- Features
- Climb the King Range from the sea · Remote southern Humboldt coast · Big climbs to ocean panoramas · Gateway to Lost Coast trips
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Steep, rough remote roads · Limited water & services · Fog & coastal wind · Long climbs/descents
- Good for a first timer
- No
Gravel & Bikepacking detail
- Ride types
- adventure · bikepacking
- Surface
- rough
- Remoteness
- 4
- Riding
- Steep, rough backcountry roads climbing from the seaside outpost of Shelter Cove into the King Range — big climbs, big views, deep remoteness
- Terrain note
- Sea level to 4,000+ ft (King Peak); steep, rough, remote; carry water
- Camping
- Yes
- Intl tip
- The remote seaside outpost of Shelter Cove is the jump-off for rough backcountry climbing in the King Range — steep dirt roads from the sea toward 4,000-ft King Peak with huge ocean views. Deeply remote: limited water/services, fog, wind, big climbs. BLM camping. A staging point for Lost Coast bikepacking. For adventurous, prepared riders. Wild, foggy, and spectacular southern Humboldt coast.
- Trip lengths
- day · overnight · multi-day
The guide
Shelter Cove — a tiny, fog-wrapped seaside outpost at the southern end of the Lost Coast — is the jump-off for rugged riding in…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to King Range & Shelter Cove — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 40.03, -124.07