lost coast scenic drive

We spent a week in gorgeous Northern California and this was the highlight! Beautiful scenery from ocean views, mountains, pastures and forests. Enjoyed a walk on the black sand beach. The changes in elevation made it very interesting. The road was paved and safe aside from some potholes which were easily avoidable. Highly recommend driving to the beach off Mattole Rd. This is a don't miss activity!!!

OK. It's GREAT! Really FANTASTIC! And, with a little care, you can avoid almost all the potholes. My little Prius and I did just fine on the road. BUT ... I took a really, really long time ... over four hours ... stopping in the Redwoods, and walking by some of the most magnificent trees I've ever seen, parking by the beach, and enjoying the luscious stillness and silence, looking at hills of waving grass, stunned by tall cliffs that descend to the seashore. Don't be frightened of this road at all, at least during the daytime.

Drove from Ferndale, the lost coast Road is not the easiest place to find?At first when we started our drive there were many times that we thought that we were lost, and because of the Road lots of times we nearly turned Back! Glad that we did not. It reminded me of our life in Portugal, lots of small scenic roads, and beautiful beaches. Well worth the time it took, we also found a cafe / restaurant, a friendly helpful stop. We would definately do the drive again, next time we come to Califórnia.

This drive is off the hook. You have to see it to believe it. Totally connected to its prehistoric past the views are stunning. It is worth an hour drive from Ferndale.

We just drove to the beach and sat and watched the higher waves than we see in Oregon. Parking was just sand.

Coast is so gorgeous it needs to be seen to be appreciated. California has gorgeous coastlines but this drive is unexpectedly beautiful...

Our scenic routes are SCENIC! The ocean, redwood trees, and ferns make a beautiful experience. There is nothing like the north coast for discovering natural at its best.

About a 4 hour drive, if I recall correctly, with nice ocean views, quaint little towns. Fill up your gas tank before you leave, and bring food and water, as this is not oriented towards tourists.

The road from Ferndale to Petrolia/Honeydew will definitely take your breath away. I was holding my breath on some of the drive because it was windy, steep, and in some places worn away (loose gravel). Once you reach the shoreline, you are literally breathless now because of the scenery that beholds you. Some of the prettiest coast I have ever seen and I have driven the entire Pacific Coast Hwy and Shoreline Hwy. For the meek at heart - please do this during the day. When they say it is a 3 hour trip - it is not overstating. We did it right at dusk and it became very dark. I am just glad we did the route from Ferndale to Rockefeller Forest and not vice versa as the road tended to be just a wee bit better. Seeing Rockefeller Forest at night really is a different perspective on this beautiful forest.

Well worth the long and twisting roads. Be sure to have water with you, there are few places to stop. Be sure you start early because you'll and need the time to traverse the winding roads.

We took the Lost Coast Scenic Drive from Ferndale south to Humboldt State Redwoods on our way home. First, I loved Ferndale it's a historic town that really seems to keep it's charm overtime without faking it. There were lots of places to eat in town and almost all of them have happy foods. I'd suggest visiting Ferndale even if you don't take the Lost Coast Trail. No Brand Burgers were very good as was the pie shop in town. Even the antique type stores were nice and not dusty like most old stores. From Ferndale to the end of the Coast was about an hour and a half one way and it had some really nice lands and the coast was wonderful since there were very few cars out there so you could stop and take pictures without anyone rushing you. Not really a beach to lay on though. That portion of the drive feels like people who are really into The West or Cowboys would particularly enjoy. It could've easily been used in a cowboy movie in the past or a some driving scenes in a movie.The second half of the drive though is just very long, windy, and bumpy; with a few large views. The road is paved, but there are a lot of places where the road is worn out from weather and some shorts stretches that were unpaved without warning. If you had a jeep this would be a much more enjoyable ride. The redwoods at the end were great to drive through, but you could also access those just from 101 anyway.I'm glad I went here, because I'd like to see the whole California coast at some point, but I doubt the majority of people will enjoy this drive and for some it will be a waste of time. It's sort of amazing to see how much different parts of California can be as well as how people live. This may be a better drive also during the spring as this was the end of summer in the middle of a drought and pretty much every historic bridge over water we went had no water. There were also no bathrooms between towns, few trees, and even fewer places to pull over.This may be a more enjoyable multiday hike along the coast than a nice drive.

We drove this beautiful drive... in the coastal fog. It was fantastic and lovely. We stopped at a lovely beach that was really sparsely populated and our puppy ran himself tired. We could also view a pod of sea lions off the coast.

This trip takes 3 hours...it is over a cow pasture road. The best part of the trip is thru the Redwood Forest, the first 20 minutes. After that, it is 90 minutes of nothing, 10 minutes of ocean, then 90 minutes of cow pasture. We were on a motorcycle and should have totally enjoyed the outdoor experience. Instead, we could hardly wait for it to end. Stay on highway 101 and you'll hit the ocean and save 2 hours of driving time!

From Ferndale, head to Petrolia, then Honeydew and then Hwy 101. An amazing drive, easy to do in a regular car. Some potholes and steep parts, but if you take it easy, no problem. Lots of beautiful views and places to park and walk. There's a great beach at Matolle campground. The drive ends up (or starts) in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

We left from Ferndale relatively early and drove south on the 101. We took the turn west towards the 211, following the signs for Rockefeller grove. We just followed that road, stopping at the marked turn offs for short hikes through the redwoods, continuing until getting to Petrolia. We had a great late lunch at the Yellow Rose there. Highly recommended, although there were many great places to stop and have a picnic lunch before that if you wanted to bring something along. The final stretch along the coast up to Ferndale was spectacular. There were some twists and turns and steepish climbs, but we were driving a compact Ford Focus rental and had no difficulties. This was a wonderful way to spend a day. We got back to Ferndale by late afternoon.