| Area: 7,400 Acres | ||
| Lat: 39.9203° N | ||
| Lon: 123.9397° W | ||
| Nearby Services | ||
 |  |  |
| Site Facilities | ||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Join Our Mailing List |
|
For Email Marketing you can trust
|
|
Top Banner Photo Credits
Gary Kunkel
California Newt
Rick Lewis
California Mink
Robert Ho
White Tailed Kites
Jessica McLaughlin
California Chromodorid
Chih-Hsin Wang
Jack Rabbit
Sally Cullen
Monarch Butterflies
Lisa Daniels
Giant Hairy Scorpions
Gary Kunkel
California Newt
Rick Lewis
California Mink
Robert Ho
White Tailed Kites
Jessica McLaughlin
California Chromodorid
Chih-Hsin Wang
Jack Rabbit
Sally Cullen
Monarch Butterflies
Lisa Daniels
Giant Hairy Scorpions
© 2008-2025 California Watchable Wildlife and SnowlineGraphics.com
| Sinkyone Wilderness State Park - Site # 195 | |||
| Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is part of a wild and beautiful stretch of shoreline known as “The Lost Coast.” This rugged area, about 36 miles southwest of Garberville, is one of the few places on California’s long coastline that cannot be reached by a state highway or paved road. | |||
 | Regional - worth visiting if you are already in the area. They may be located farther from populated areas or with more limited wildlife species. | ||
| Background: | This unspoiled Lost Coast park is known for its dense forests, steep gorges, rugged coastline, and maagnificent vistas. An arduous drive into the park ends at Needle Rock Visitor Center, with views of a 6-mile-long terrace often occupied by Roosevelt elk. The grasslands lead to steep cliffs flanked by tidepools and battered by surf. Pelagic cormorants and common murres nest in offshore rocks that are also popular haulouts for harbor seals and sea lions. The Lost Coast Trail meanders for 24 miles, passing streams, redwood groves, and primitive camping spots. Patient observers may see mule deer, foxes, porcupines, even a black bear or mountain lion. Watch for California gray whales offshore. | ||
| The Sinkyone people lived in the area now known as Sinkyone Wilderness State Park for thousands of years before European contact. At the time the Europeans arrived, the Sinkyone population probably numbered as many as 4,000. The boundaries of Sinkyone lands extended east to the main stem of the Eel River and the river’s South Fork, south beyond what is now Leggett, and west to the ocean. The name Sinkyone was assigned by 20th-century ethnographers to classify separate political groups who spoke the same dialect of the Athabascan language family. Pre-contact Sinkyone Indian villages. Later developed for remote Euro-American logging ports. Needle Rock visitor center located in 1860's era homestead. | |||
| The Habitat: | Redwoods 5% Spruce 60% Meadows 20% Rocky outcroppings and beaches | ||
| The Experience: | One of the few official wilderness parks within the California State Park system. See big animals up close. | ||
| Wildlife and Where to Find It: | Trails, overlooks, beaches Red, pinto, and flat abalone inhabit the rocky intertidal waters. Steelhead, Coho, and Chinook salmon live in tributaries, coastal drainages, streams, and rivers. California brown pelicans, rhinoceros auklets, and their close relatives —tufted puffins — can often be seen diving for fish. The park’s small herd of Roosevelt elk roams the coastal prairies. Once almost countless, the elk were nearly hunted out of existence. Originally relocated from Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, the elk were rescued by the actions of a group of ranchers who saved the remaining elk and their habitat. Besides the abundance of birdlife and the Roosevelt elk, you may spot various marine species. Watch migrating whales offshore from mid-January to mid-April. Marine mammals such as northern elephant seals, sea lions, or harbor seals may be seen hauling out along the rocky shoreline. | ||
| Viewing Tips: | FOR EXPERIENCED MOUNAIN DRIVERS; NO TRAILERS OR RVs. ACCESS ROAD IS DIRT, RUGGED, STEEP, AND WINDING; ONE-LANE FOR 6 MILES WITH FEW PULLOUTS. CARS OKAY IN SUMMER; FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLES ONLY IN WINTER. Roosevelt elk, harbor seals, shorebirds, marine birds can be seen year-round. Whale watching is ixcellent in winter and spring. Ospreys are common. Iris blooms in spring and summer. All viewing by trails. Hike-in camping only at established sites. | ||
| Site Notes: | Spectacular coast line. Rugged terrain. Redwoods. Spruce. Meadows. Elk. Find yourself on the 'The Lost Coast'! | ||
| Nearby Viewing Sites: | Shelter Cove/Lost Coast Wilderness Mattole Recreation Site | ||
| Visitor Information: | Visit Lost Coast - (707) 223-3443 - https://www.visitlostcoast.com | ||
| Viewing Site Hours of Operation are: | |||
| Staff On-site: | Yes | ||
| Open: | Everday | ||
| Hours: | |||
| Year Round: | Yes | ||
| Seasonal: | Road occasionally closed in winter due to flooding | ||
| Road Information: |  Dirt. | ||
| Road Hazards: very steep and closed at points during the winter | |||
 Number of Parking Spaces: 0 | |||
| Parking Fee: No | |||
| Proximity to viewing area: | |||
 Pull-Through Parking: Yes | |||
| Parking Notes: | |||
| How to Get There: | From Highway 101 near Garberville, follow signs to Redway and Shelter Cove. In Redway, turn west on Briceland Road. After about 14 miles, at Whitethorn/Shelter Cove junction, take road to Whitethorn. Pavement ends after you pass through Whitethorn. Continue ondirt road, straight through Four Corners intersection, to Needle Rock. About 1.5 hours from Redway. | ||
| Contact Information | |||
| Managing Agency: | California State Parks | ||
| Agency Site URL: | http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=429 | ||
| Physical Address: | P.O. Box 245 Whitethorn, CA 95489 |
Agency 2: | PO BOX 2006 Eureka, CA 95502 |
| Manager Phone: | |||
| Site Phone: | (707) 247-3319 or (707) 986-7711 | ||
| County: | Mendocino | ||
| Addition Website: | |||