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Hiking through history in Jack London State Park

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Sonoma Valley Sun

event_22931807(By Tracy Salcedo | For The Sun) — Think about Glen Ellen, and iconic writer Jack London comes to mind. The adventurer is an anchor in this north valley town, lending his name to a bar, a lodge, a road, and, of course, Jack London State Historic Park.

This 7.6-mile tour of London’s Beauty Ranch and the Sonoma Developmental Center’s historic Old Orchard is a great way to experience first-hand the natural beauty that has drawn people to Glen Ellen for more than 100 years. The hike encompasses the Wolf House, which burned before Jack and wife Charmian could take up residence, the Pig Palace and other Beauty Ranch buildings, London Lake, and the orchard.

jack-london-state-historic-park-wolf-20house_54_990x660_201404212052You can also hike to each of the sites in smaller bites—an out-and-back to the Wolf House (1.6 miles round-trip); an out-and-back to London Lake (1.8 miles round-trip)—and can incorporate a number of variations. An excellent trail map is on the website for Jack London Park Partners/Valley of the Moon Natural History Association (www.jacklondonpark.com/index.html), which has overseen operation of the park since 2012.

Begin at the House of Happy Walls, home of Charmian London following London’s death from kidney disease in 1916 (and now a museum). Charmian, along with Eliza Shepard and her family, ran the ranch for nearly half a century before giving the House of Happy Walls and the 39-acre core of the Beauty Ranch to the state of California in 1960.

From the museum, take a short trail to meet the paved roadway that leads to London’s gravesite and the Wolf House. The gravesite is in an oak-shaded glen: The author and his wife’s cremains are interred under a moss-covered rock behind a picket fence. In a separate plot David and Lillie Greenlaw, children of the previous homesteaders, rest in peace.

From the gravesite, a short hitch over a meadowy knoll drops into the redwood grove surrounding the impressive ruins of the four-story Wolf House (0.8 mile). Though built of materials meant to withstand both earthquake and fire, the house burned before the Londons could take up residence.

The second leg of the hike leads through historic ranch buildings, an operating vineyard, and up to London Lake (about 1.8 miles round-trip from the upper parking lot). From the lot, wander around the barns, a cactus garden, the winery ruins (where Transcendence Theater stages its summertime productions), and the London cottage, which is open for tours. Follow the vineyard road to reach the footpath to the Pig Palace. Then follow the ranch road to the west side of the vineyard and climb to overgrown London Lake, corralled by a century-old half-moon dam.

The third leg of the hike (a 3.8-mile addition that starts and ends at London Lake) climbs from the dam via the Mountain Trail to the Upper Fallen Bridge Trail, which leads through the Woodcutters Meadow and then descends steeply down the north fork of Asbury Creek. Redwood groves cluster around the watercourse, shading the route as it drops to the Old Orchard.

A series of linked trails (the Apple Tree, Apricot Tree, Plum Tree, and Pear Tree) lead in a mile-long loop around the orchard, and views open across the trees to the Mayacamas ridgeline. On the east side of the meadow, the Old Orchard loop breaks left, through a gate. You can head directly back toward the Fallen Bridge trails, or follow a short spur off the Plum Tree Trail down to an ancient redwood known locally as the “grandmother tree.”

Complete the orchard loop back at the junction with the Fallen Bridge trails. Combine the New Fallen Bridge Trail with the Quarry Trail, a lovely path through redwoods with great views opening across the valley onto the Mayacamas, to return to the dam at London Lake.

To finish the hike, walk through the lakeside picnic site to pick up the hiker’s-only Lake Trail at the north end of reservoir. The singletrack path descends through redwood groves to the main trail at the vineyard. From here, retrace your steps to the trailhead.

If you take on the whole hike, you will be on the trail for about three hours. The route includes several significant climbs and descents, and traverses pavement, dirt ranch road, and singletrack, so being fit and proper footwear are recommended.

This hike description was adapted from Glen Ellen author Tracy Salcedo’s newest guidebook, “Hiking Through History San Francisco” (April 2016). Salcedo is the author of more than 20 FalconGuides to outdoor destinations in California and Colorado. Her most recent publications include “Hiking Waterfalls in Northern California” (2015) and “Historic Yosemite National Park” (June 2016). 

 



One thought on “Hiking through history in Jack London State Park

  1. Good retrospect give of London’s final endeavor. More attention needs to be paid to his utopian dreams for Beauty Ranch.

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