Mattole Road

Amazing amazing…
Be sure to plan ahead as this drive is not for the faint of heart. Make sure you have plenty of gas, water and if you can stop along the way being a picnic and enjoy the views.
Do NOT take your sports car. The road is VERY rough, potholes are the norm not the exception, I actually found one very small pothole free section. There are several places with no pavement, just gravel, some of it is like a washboard.
So if you are still game you need to go. You cannot beat the beauty of the mountains, rugged coastline, the valleys and meadows below. You will probably see some deer up in the mountains.
You will be in awe the entire trip. The prestine mountains and coast is simply awe inspiring.
It’s a trip you will never forget!!!

Rough road, best taken in something with some suspension travel to cushion out the bumps. I took it in my mildly lifted Samurai which was perfect. Take your time and be careful through all the blind curves.
SPECTACULAR views, some of the best I found in a weekend that includes Highway 36, Crescent City and plenty of redwoods.
The view of the coast and beaches was a wonderful treat. I will be printing pictures from this trip.

Alright, I’m going to give this 5 stars because the views are spectacular and I love a good drive. However, PLEASE read my warnings below before attempting this road…
1.) Bring a vehicle that you don’t mind trashing the suspension on, preferably a rental car. I brought my 2012 Lexus. While the car handled the road well, I feel like I have degraded the life of the suspension by about 20,000 miles. The road surface on Mattole Road is AWFUL. It’s absolutely full of potholes throughout the entire journey.
2.) Bring a clear head. The pothole dodging is mentally taxing.
3.) Bring a lot of free time. Although this road looks relatively short, it can take about four hours to complete.
4.) Don’t be afraid to pee in the wild. If you are the kind of person who needs the comfort of a restroom, forget it.
5.) Bring snacks or lunch. There are lots of nice places to enjoy the view while eating lunch, but there is basically nowhere to buy food once you leave Ferndale. Petrolia has a little general store, but don’t expect much.
6.) Keep in mind that if the weather sucks, you’re not going to see much. This road can be challenging during wet or foggy weather, particularly as you gain altitude and find yourself driving through the middle of a cloud. And once you descend down to the ocean, it can be cold, wet, and breezy. I imagine this would be a much more enjoyable drive on a clear and sunny day.
All in all, Mattole Road is a unique experience and something that should not be missed if you are in Humboldt County.

The Lost Coast is a mostly undeveloped section of the California North Coast in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the «Lost Coast» after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. In addition, the steepness and related geo-​technical challenges of the coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for state highway or county road builders to establish routes through the area, leaving it the most undeveloped portion of the California coast.
The region roughly spans from Rockport to Ferndale. At the south end, State Route 1, which runs very close along the coast for most of its length, instead turns inland at Rockport before merging with U.S. Route 101 at Leggett. At the north end, State Route 211 begins its journey at Ferndale, heading towards Highway 101 in Fernbridge. Section 511 of the California Streets and Highways Code still says that «Route 211 is from Route 1 near Rockport to Route 101 near Fernbridge», but it is very unlikely that the portion south of Ferndale will ever get built.
Gayle and I once took Mattole Road south from Ferndale, through the Lost Coast and Petrolia, and finally out. Make sure that you have plenty of gasoline in the car, good tires, and a a full compliment of power steering and other fluids. The scenery is stunning, the road is narrow, the curves are often sharp, the elevation changes frequently, and except for a few ranches, there’s no civilization on any side of Petrolia. This is one of the best scenic drives ever. Getting «Lost» never felt so good.

I can’t believe I’m Unilocaling a road (actually this is my second « Unilocaled road»…see:
)!
«Anyways», I say in my Nacho Libre voice.
There are many scenic drives out there (Pacific Coast Highway, the Columbia River Gorge, etc.), but this one is on the top of my list. You have everything with this drive. You start out by driving through the nice little Victorian town of Ferndale to get to it, and then you pass the big «Cape Town — Petrolia sign», and then you are on your way. You’re on Mattole Road and on your way to the Lost Coast (
).
Within seconds you are whisked up a ridge overlooking Ferndale proper and its huge cemetary, and within a few minutes – that’s it, no more civilization. From here on in, you are left to a narrowly paved road with generally no centerline stripe. You are left to your wits to manuever the many hairpins, bunny jumps, and vista points. Pot holes and missing parts of the road are common place. I love this drive.
One passes a farm house or cow pasture here and there, and then for a while you are on top of the King’s range zipping through grassy hilltops (I always think of Ireland or Scotland during this stretch), and then you drive down a mountain with a several-​switch-​backed stretch of asphalt — there must have been a road bike race here, because on the road are painted inspirational words like: «you can do it, dad!», «You’re almost on top, don’t puke!» This part of the road reminds me of a scene from the Alps in the Tour de France.
Then you make it down to the valley of Bear River, for a mile of low-​riding, and then it is back up (it has to be close 40 degrees of vertical climbing).
Once again you are up on top of the King’s Range. This is where you get the epic view. The view of the Pacific. The panoramic view of the Lost Coast. The memory-​maker of vista points along the Lost Coast’s Wildcat Ridge. Here is Cape Mendocino. This stretch of road is the climax. Here the wind will blow in your hair. You will see your first long stretch of the Lost Coast.
As quickly as it appeared, you quickly jet down Wildcat Ridge, and then drive as close as close gets to the water. For six glorious miles, you drive among the breakers, sea rocks, sand, and ocean spray. This road is bumpy, but it has character. This road is narrow, but it has width. I’m glad this Coast is Lost. It should stay that way, until I find it next.