05/08/2026
As May 15 approaches and permit numbers increase from 30 to 60 hikers per day, we are already seeing the huge influx of people trying to get out on the Lost Coast Trail — especially around long weekends. Many of these dates have been sold out for months.
What people don’t always see behind the scenes are the countless calls, messages, and hours spent trying to help last-minute hikers find solutions. I constantly hear:
“Can you add another shuttle?”
“Do you have cancellations?”
“Can you squeeze in one more person?”
“Can you push the van to max capacity?”
And truthfully, I go above and beyond trying to help. I look into alternatives, I will add that second shuttle, shuffle schedules around, try to problem solve, and do my best to accommodate people whenever possible. These calls often take far longer than a normal booking call because I genuinely care and want people to have a good experience on the Lost Coast.
What becomes discouraging is when, after all that time and effort, people either ghost us or continue searching for “cheaper transportation” elsewhere. Then when those plans fall through — which happens often — they come back expecting us to magically fix the situation again last minute.
As I’ve stated many times before, we are the ONLY legally operating shuttle company in this area. We pay our dues, permits, insurance, commercial fees, taxes, maintenance, licensing — the list goes on. This is not a cheap business to operate, especially in such a remote region. Fuel prices alone have become insane, and despite rising costs across the board, we have not raised our prices in years.
We work incredibly hard to keep this business running smoothly: maintaining our vans so they don’t break down on rough backroads, coordinating logistics, staying compliant with multiple agencies, and making sure the people we transport get to and from the trail safely.
I try not to get discouraged by the few negative experiences because the majority of our customers are amazing and supportive. But I do think it’s important for people to understand the amount of work, stress, and dedication that goes into operating this business and trying to meet everyone’s needs the best we can.
We truly appreciate those who book ahead, respect our policies, and support local businesses.
-Silvia
