High up in Northern California, the 75-mile Lost Coast stretches from Rockport in the south to Ferndale in the north. It’s a pristine, rugged, and nearly untouched coastline hiding a few hidden gems such as the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and the Candelabra Redwoods.
With such an unforgiving landscape, you won’t find much human activity on the Lost Coast—save for the small unincorporated community of Petrolia, which was incidentally the site of the first oil well drilled in California.
History of Petrolia
The Indigenous Mattole people lived in this part of the Lost Coast region for centuries. After European settlement during the Gold Rush, developers began drilling the natural petroleum seeps along the Mattole River, shipping the crude oil to San Francisco for refining.
However, as the petroleum was situated in small, fractured pools, the oil industry moved on to other places like Pico Canyon near Newhall. Petrolia became a quiet ranching and logging outpost, although the oil drilling site is now registered as California Historical Landmark #543.
A 1903 fire wiped out most of the original buildings around Petrolia’s town square, and the town remained isolated between the King Range and the brutal Lost Coast shoreline. Today, only a few hundred people live there. Two early landmarks remain: a small, 1912 wooden church, and an old cemetery with graves dating to 1857.
Petrolia is located about 5 miles inland, serving as one of the few car and hiking gateways to the Lost Coast. Lighthouse Road takes you to the Mattole Beach area, which has a campground and a trailhead leading to the Punta Gorda Lighthouse.
More about California’s Lost Coast
Avid hikers and backpackers can experience part of California’s massive Lost Coast via the 25-mile Lost Coast Trail, which stretches between the Mattole River and Shelter Cove.
You need a permit for the 2-to-4 day hike, which features dramatic black sand beaches, coastal forests, elk herds, seal pods, and the steep King Range mountains.
🌐 Learn more: Read our article to learn more about California’s Lost Coast.
