BlackSands: A Guide to Discovering Shelter Cove

The walk to Black Sands beach is about .5 miles and 300 feet of elevation. It takes 10 min on the way down and 20 coming back to the house. You can also drive and there is parking in the main lot with a bathroom or just to the left of the entrance.Black Sands Beach is the south end of a long walkable coastline that is over 20 miles long between Shelter Cove to Mattole River Campground. The Lost Coast Trail takes backpackers north on this beach to numerous wilderness camp spots and remote places. Parts of this stretch are blocked at high tide so plan accordingly if you are backpacking. Day-use of the wide dark sand and pebbly beach near the parking lot is nearly ideal. You can walk either direction on the beach. To the north is a great vast beachcombing shoreline and to the south is Little Black Sands Beach. This entire area is protected by the Bureau of Land Management in the King Range National Conservation Area.

Gyppos is one of our favorite restaurants! They are located on the south end of the airport runway. BREWERY, RESTAURANT & BEER GARDEN What does the edge of the world look like? It looks like the Lost Coast of California and that is just where you will find the Gyppo Ale Mill. We are located along the longest stretch of coastal wilderness in the lower 48! We fancy ourselves “California’s Most Remote Brewery” but we are that and much more. Yes, we have award winning kick ass beers! Head Brewer, Jared Smith has a continuous rotation of delicious and quaffable beers. TWELVE beers on tap in the restaurant and FOUR on tap in BeerSTREAM, a converted Airstream trailer in our beer garden. And YES, our seasonal, sustainable sourced menu will having you coming back for more. Everyone one of Chef Robert Mason dishes are created from scratch with an extreme attention to details. But what more is there you ask?

This place has a couple of tables outside and a tiny one inside mainly used for people to sit while waiting to place an order. The bakery is a small case stacked with pastry. Great Pizza!

Mal Coombs Park is located on the west side of the small resort town of Shelter Cove. There is a small rocky beach hidden away below the park. Many visitors never get past the Shelter Cove Lighthouse which stands in the center of the park. The lighthouse is actually the old Cape Mendocino Lighthouse which was moved to this location near Point Delgada and reassembled in the year 2000. The park has a parking lot and picnic tables just steps from the lighthouse and the beach. At low tide, the abundant marine life is exposed in tide pools below the beach.

Usal Beach at Usal Campground is the southernmost beach in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park along the Mendocino North Coast. It’s a remote dark sand beach that’s over a mile long and quite deep at the mouth of Usal Creek. You can drive to Usal Beach via long windy roads, but it’s best with a 4WD or high-clearance vehicle and only when the roads aren’t wet. RV’s and cars with trailers are not advised on these roads. This is a seasonal area that is only open March through October typically. Usal Beach is popular with Jeep and 4×4 clubs because of this rugged drive and the ability to drive right onto the beach. The Lost Coast Trail begins at Usal Beach and takes hikers and backpackers north to Anderson Beach, Wheeler Beach, and beyond. The camp spots at Usal are in a meadow area not far from the beach