Jack London State Historic Park
Tuesday, Apr 19, 2016
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: Main hike 6.0 miles. Hike to Wolf House 1.2 miles
Elevation: About 700 feet. Total elevation gain about 1400 feet. One hill is 200 foot unbroken climb.
General Location: Near Glen Ellen in the Valley of the Moon, a little north of Sonoma.
Hike Description:
The hike is in the western foothills (Sonoma Mountain) of the Valley of
the Moon. The Jack London property covers about 1400 acres, and
has 26 miles of hiking trails. The property, Beauty Ranch,
is filled with history and wonderful sights (and sites). We have chosen
6 miles that cover a variety of terrain and flora. Part is in
dense forest of oak and beautiful stands of redwoods. Part is in quite open scrub
terrain. We hike by two lakes. There is quite a bit of up
and down hiking, but there are also level areas. The Jack London
estate is a whole world of fascinating ideas. Part of the complex
includes a museum of Jack London memorabilia, his personal home ($2
entry fee), his fire-destroyed dream home, and his gravesite. We
will start our day with the main hike. At 3.3 miles into
the hike, we will have a stop at Fern Lake for a snack. Lunch
will be postponed for another mile (mostly uphill), where there are
picnic tables near a magnificent redwood grove with an ancient giant
redwood tree. Before/during/after lunch we can wander a couple of
hundred feet to view this magnificent tree. When this hike is
completed, we will move our cars a short distance to the museum area,
where we will allow about 2 hours of free time to explore the various
facilities. How can you use 2 hours? Here is
information on available activities:
On the museum: http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-museum.html
On the Wolf House: http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-wolf-house.html
and the nearby gravesite: http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-grave-site.html . The hike to Wolf House and the gravesite is a 1 1/4 mile round trip.
On the London’s cottage: http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-cottage.html .
There are also interesting remnants of Jack London’s farming activities:
http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-beauty-ranch.html
We plan to stop for dinner on the way home at Mary’s Pizza Shack in Dixon.
Travel Time/Distance:
105 miles, about 2 hours. We will take a bathroom break in
Fairfield. Suggest driver donation is $16. This is a State
Park, and we need either to use State Park passes or pay the entry fee
($10). Since we plan to stop for dinner, return time likely will
be after 7 PM. If you do not want to stop, then we can try and
identify a car of non-diners. Also, last time we did this hike,
we also had a car of wine-tasters, who muddled their way home
separately. We can try and identify cars with 4 different goals:
1) return home right after hike, 2) return home right after museums,
3) linger in the area for wine tasting, 4) stop for dinner
(Mary's Pizza Shack in Dixon) on the way home.
Hike Leader/Sweep: David & Monique Wood
Special Notes:
Facilities Available: Bathroom stop in Fairfield on the way, and port-a-john at trailhead.
Preparation for hike:
1.
Bring a copy of your ID (driver's license), Health Card, and an
emergency contact name and phone number with you when you hike.
2. If you have any health issues, please consider your condition before hiking.
3.
Always bring 2 pairs of shoes, along with a plastic bag to store your
muddy/dusty hiking boots after the hike. DO NOT get your driver's
car dirty by wearing your dirty boots on the drive home.
4. Trekking poles are advised, along with lunch, snack, water and sun screen.
5. Bring money for dinner at Mary’s Pizza Shack.
Risks:
In general, the trails are well-maintained. There are no stream
crossings. There are posted warnings of rattle snakes and poison oak –
we saw neither.
Meeting Time: Meet at 7:45, depart at 8:00
Hike will be cancelled in the event of rain
(on the day of the hike or the day preceding the hike).
Prehike Photos
Driving Directions
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