Mattole Beach and Mattole Campground
40.2883, -124.3580
- Nearest town
- Petrolia
- Map status
- Verified pin
- Visit conditions
- Check before travel
- Research reviewed
- Aug 17, 2026
Field guide
Know before you go
- Campground
- 23 sites, $15 per site per night, first come first served. No day use fee is published for beach access
- Site types
- Includes 2 wheelchair-accessible sites and 2 equestrian sites
- Address
- 3750 Lighthouse Road, Petrolia, CA 95558
- Water
- No potable water. Bring everything you need for your stay
- Max trailer length
- 24 feet
- Facilities
- Vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and bear-proof trash containers
- Hours
- Open year-round, 24 hours
- Stay limit
- 14 days per year within the King Range National Conservation Area
- Punta Gorda Lighthouse
- 3.2 miles one way from the campground, 6.4 round trip. Tide-dependent near the lighthouse
- Lost Coast Trail North
- 24.6 miles to Black Sands Beach. Three days minimum
- Permit
- Not needed for the campground or day use. Required for overnight backcountry trips, via Recreation.gov
- Dogs
- On leash only. Keep 100 feet from elephant seals
- Bikes
- Not permitted on the Lost Coast Trail, which is designated wilderness
- Horses
- Yes — two equestrian sites in the campground
- Road
- Lighthouse Road is paved about 3 miles from Lighthouse Junction, unpaved the last 2. Subject to winter slides
- Cell service
- Limited to none
- Swimming
- Strongly discouraged — rip currents, sneaker waves, dangerous surf
The place
About Mattole Beach and Mattole Campground
Punta Gorda Lighthouse stands 3.2 miles south down the beach, and walking to it is the best day hike on this end of the Lost Coast. Elephant seals haul out on the sand along the way, animals of 1,500 to 4,500 pounds that you're required to give 165 feet — 100 feet if you have a dog with you. Time the return carefully, because the stretch near Punta Gorda is impassable at high tide.
Mattole Campground sits at the mouth of the Mattole River at the end of Lighthouse Road, and for most visitors it's a starting line. Nearly everyone hikes the Lost Coast Trail north to south, 24.6 miles from here to Black Sands Beach, so the prevailing northwesterly pushes them along. BLM asks for three days minimum.
There are 23 sites at $15 a night, first come first served, two of them wheelchair-accessible and two set up for horses. Vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and bear-proof trash containers. Maximum trailer length is 24 feet. BLM's undated Campgrounds & Trails PDF still prints $8 and 14 sites; both figures are years out of date.
No potable water. That's true of every campground in the King Range, so fill up in Petrolia before you turn off. Cell service is limited to none, and a 14-day annual stay limit applies across the conservation area.
Lighthouse Road is paved for about three miles from Lighthouse Junction and unpaved for the last two, and it's prone to winter slides. As of July 2026 a Mattole River bridge replacement is underway on Mattole Road with a detour in place.
Dogs are allowed on leash only. Ocean swimming is strongly discouraged.
Same area
Explore nearby
Local planning questions
Frequently asked
How far is Punta Gorda Lighthouse from Mattole Beach?
It's 3.2 miles one way from the campground, so 6.4 miles round trip along the beach. Elevation gain is negligible, but the walking is on sand and cobble and the stretch near Punta Gorda is impassable at high tide. Carry a tide table and plan the return for an outgoing tide of three feet or less.
Can you reserve a site at Mattole Campground?
No. All 23 sites are first come, first served, with no reservation system. Sites fill on summer weekends and on mornings when Lost Coast Trail permits start, since this is where nearly every northbound-to-southbound hike begins.
How much does Mattole Campground cost?
$15 per site per night. BLM's undated Campgrounds & Trails PDF still shows $8 and 14 sites, but both figures are stale — the current campground page lists $15 and 23 sites, which also reconciles with the 53-site total across the King Range's four campgrounds.
Is there water at Mattole Campground?
No. Mattole has no potable water, and neither does any other King Range campground. Fill up in Petrolia before heading out Lighthouse Road, and bring enough for the whole stay.
Are dogs allowed at Mattole Beach?
Yes, on leash only. Keep them at least 100 feet from elephant seals, which haul out along this stretch of coast for much of the year. Bikes are a different matter: the Lost Coast Trail is wilderness and closed to mechanized travel.
Official and supporting sources
- Official site
- BLM Lost Coast Trail listing
- KRNCA Roads and Trails Report (July 2026)
- BLM National Conservation Lands program page
- King Range Fact Sheet (4 August 2025)
- Overnight Lost Coast Trail permit
Research reconciled 2026-08-17. Closures, fees, permits and hours can change.