Bike Lost Man Creek Trail

Bike a historic logging road through old growth and restoration forests

Ride Through A Landscape In Recovery

Lost Man Creek flows through a landscape greatly changed from the 1960s when much of this area was clearcut logged. What used to be a logging road has been converted into a hike and bike trail. Lost Man Creek trail is now a narrow single-track mountain-biking trail. The first couple of miles is in old-growth redwood groves.

This trail can be completed as a 22-mile ride that loops back to the Lost Man Creek parking lot. This loop requires riding on HWY 101. To avoid biking on the highway, we recommend turning around at Bald Hills Road for an out-and-back trail.

Heading east from the trailhead, you will find an interpretive sign showing the location where Redwood National Park was formally designated as a United Nations World Heritage Site in 1980.

The first mile of the trail is gentle as it follows a fork of Lost Man Creek. You will ride over several salmon-friendly bridges that were installed in the 1990s. These bridges are part of ongoing riparian restoration efforts to allow damaged river and stream habitats to recover from the impacts of being buried for decades by logging debris. 

The trail then enters second-growth forests and it starts it's 3,000 foot climb up to Holter Ridge where it then connects to the Bald Hills Road. In recent years, lots of forest restoration work was completed in the second-growth forests along Holter Ridge. In the decades to come, these once unhealthy forests will be able to grow into vibrant redwood forests.

Safety Tips

• This trail is also a hiking trail. Be alert for pedestrians.
• Stay alert when riding along HWY 101. Consider wearing visibility gear or lights.
• Use a paper map and trail guide for your adventures in Redwood National and State Parks. Don’t rely on online maps when you are here. You can pick up a trail map at the nearest visitor center.
• Leave no trace also means staying on the developed trail. Please help our parks; don’t go off-trail and make any new trails. These forests grow by the inch, and will die by your foot.
• To protect the wildlife (and you and other visitors), pets are not allowed on park trails.
• Cell coverage is very limited and cannot be relied on in an emergency. Have a plan for checking in and checking out with a friend when you are here.

Details

Activity

Biking

Pets Allowed

No

Activity Fee

No

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

Reservations

No

Accessibility Information

Lost Man Trail is not wheelchair accessible due to steep grades and rough, uneven trail surfaces. The trailhead parking lot has accessible parking and an accessible restroom.

Bald Hills Road Intersection is approximately halfway through the loop trail. We recommend turning around here if you want to avoid biking along HWY 101.