5 Scotia
For years, Scotia was
California’s last ‘company
town,’ entirely owned
and operated by the
Pacific Lumber Company,
which built cookie-cut
houses and had an open
contempt for long-haired
outsiders who liked to
get between their saws
and the big trees. The
company went belly up
in 2007, but the town is
still in operation (feels
a bit like a scene from
Twilight Zone). A history
of the town awaits
visitors at the Scotia
Museum & Visitor Center
(www.townofscotia.com; cnr
Main & Bridge Sts; h8am-
4:30pm Mon-Fri Jun-Sep), at
the town’s south end.
But the real highlight of
a stop is the museum’s
fisheries center (admission
free). Remarkably
informative, the fishery
houses the largest
freshwater aquarium on
the North Coast.
The Drive » Follow Hwy 101
for 9 miles north to exit 687 for
Kenmar Rd.
6 Fortuna
The penultimate stop
is a cold, refreshing
pint of beer at Eel River
Brewing Company (www.
eelriverbrewing.com; 1777
Alamar Way; h11am-11pm
Mon-Sun) in Fortuna. This
place is completely in
step with its amazing
natural surroundings – it
was the first certified
organic brewery in the
world and uses 100%
renewable energy (there’s
a bit of irony in the fact
that most of their beer
is brewed in a building
that formerly belonged
to the Pacific Lumber
Company). The breezy
beer garden and excellent
burgers are an ideal pit
stop.
The Drive » Go just 2 miles
north and take exit 691. Follow
Hwy 211 for 5 miles south past
rolling dairy farms to Ferndale.
7 Ferndale
The trip through the Lost
Coast ends at one of the
region’s most charming
towns, stuffed with
impeccable Victorians
- known locally as
‘butterfat palaces’
because of the dairy
wealth that built them.
The entire town is a state
and federal historical
landmark. Main St offers
galleries, old-world
emporiums and soda
fountains and – of course - ice- cream parlors.
The Kinetic Sculpture
Museum (580 Main St;
h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-
4pm Sun; c) ends the trip
with whimsy; it houses
fanciful, astounding,
human-powered
contraptions used in the
town’s annual Kinetic
Grand Championship.
Shaped like giant fish
and UFOs, these colorful
piles of junk propel
racers over roads, water
and marsh in the May
event.
5 p121
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Hikers who wish to hike the entirety of the Lost
Coast often go from north to south in order to avoid
northerly winds. Many trailheads start at the Mattole
Campground, just south of Petrolia, which is on the
northern border of the Kings Range.
ACCESSING
THE LOST COAST
TOP TIP:
NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA
9
(^) LOST COAST & SOUTHERN REDWOODS