You are invited to join a weekend campout to explore fire history and fuels reduction in the King Range National Conservation Area on May 18-19!
WHAT: 2024 Fire Campout on the King Range (Click here to share the Facebook event!)
WHO: All are welcome! Bring your camping/field gear, food, water, and a comfy chair.
WHEN: May 18–19, 2024 (recommended arrival for camping Friday, May 17)
WHERE: Tolkan Campground on King Peak Road, north of Shelter Cove (40.081651, -124.057402). Non-camping locals are welcome to register and join for the daily outings. Please be advised King Peak Road is unpaved, sometimes rocky, with ruts and potholes, and may not be suitable for low-slung vehicles. Carpooling to field trips will be provided.
WHY: To explore fire history and fuels reduction in King Range National Conservation Area, and see natural fire recovery in the wilderness against magnificent views of the coast.
All must register to attend - campers and day-trippers alike. To register, email Susan Nolan at snolan@humboldt1.com, and please include:
The number of people in your party
Whether you will be camping or day-tripping, plus which nights you plan to stay and/or which outings you plan to attend?
What sort of vehicle you’re driving. If you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, would you be willing to provide carpooling to the field trips for others ($20 stipend available)?
Whether you would like to receive or provide carpooling to the campground?
PHILOSOPHY
The 2024 fire campout is shaping up! While there is a lot of information these days about controlling fire for human purposes, we don’t hear much about fire as a critical part of California’s ecosystems, integrated into the life cycles of many life forms. The campout aims to look at wildfire with an open mind — to appreciate natural post-fire recovery, to accept long-term changes, to challenge not only the old myths but also the new conventional thinking, and to consider the medium and long term consequences of what we do in a crisis. One participant described it as "casual but deep, with a volunteer spirit.” This free event is sponsored by EPIC, Friends of the Lost Coast, and the Bureau of Land Management.
CAMPING
We’ll be staying in Tolkan Campground on King Peak Road, north of Shelter Cove. Tolkan provides picnic tables, fire pits, and a pit toilet. Water is not provided; you will need to bring your own water for cooking, drinking, and bathing. As Tolkan only has nine sites, we will probably have to share. There is no charge for camping in the shared group sites, available May 17-19. Well-behaved dogs on a leash are allowed.
SCHEDULE
Friday arrival is suggested so that you can camp overnight and be ready for the weekend's activities.
On Saturday, Bureau of Land Management staff will share their recent fuels management work on Paradise Ridge Road amid dramatic views and varied forest types. Potluck Saturday night—bring your specialty!
On Sunday, we’ll hike the Buck Creek Trail to look at the aftermath of the 2015 Horse fire in King Range Wilderness. We’ll see natural fire recovery in the wilderness against magnificent views of the coast.
DIRECTIONS
Take Highway 101-S to exit 642 for Redwood Drive toward Redway. Continue on Redwood Drive for 1.8 miles, then turn right onto Briceland Road and continue for 12.1 miles. Take a slight right onto Shelter Cove Road, continue for 5.6 miles, and then turn right onto Kings Peak Road. Make a sharp right to continue on Kings Peak Road after 2.3 miles (do not turn left on Rancho Lane), and continue for 1.5 miles before turning right into Tolkan Campground.
Take Highway 101-N to exit 639B for Redwood Drive toward Redway. Turn left onto Redwood Drive, continue for 2.6 miles, then turn left onto Briceland Road and continue for 12.1 miles. Take a slight right onto Shelter Cove Road, continue for 5.6 miles, and then turn right onto Kings Peak Road. Make a sharp right to continue on Kings Peak Road after 2.3 miles (do not turn left on Rancho Lane), and continue for 1.5 miles before turning right into Tolkan Campground.