Showerthought: Everyone says take the Lost Coast Trail at high tide, I say skip it

Logan Robinson · 2026-09-30T18:20:03.289146+00:00

Did the Lost Coast Trail in northern California 3 weeks ago and got caught by a 6.2 foot tide at the Punta Gorda 4 mile stretch with no way around. Everyone online told me to just check the tide chart and time it, but nobody mentioned the swells were stacking waves so far up the beach that my boots were soaked and the sand was sucking me down. I ended up scrambling up a loose cliff with a 40 pound pack and waiting 2 hours for the water to drop. Am I crazy for thinking this route needs a real warning about swell height, not just tide times?

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Showerthought: Everyone says take the Lost Coast Trail at high tide, I say skip it | Backpacking Routes - Rigidtalk