Location: County: Sonoma. Nearest City: Glen
Ellen.
Campsites, facilities: No campsites. Point of interest
to visit while on tour.
Reservations, fees: Call the park for information.
Contact: Phone the park at 1-707-938-5216.
Jack London Collection Web site: sunsite.berkeley.edu/London
Operating hours, seasons: Call the park for information;
open all year round.
Directions: The historic park is at 2400 London Ranch
Road in Glen Ellen, about 20 minutes north of Sonoma.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: Jack London State Historic Park is a memorial
to writer and adventurer Jack London, who made his home at the
site from 1905 until his death in 1916. The park was once part
of the famous writer's 1,500-acre Beauty Ranch. The 800-acre
park contains the cottage residence where he wrote books, short
stories, articles and letters while he oversaw various agricultural
enterprises. After London's death, his wife, Charmian, continued
to live in the cottage until her death in 1955. It was her wish
that the ranch be preserved in memory of Jack London and his
work. There is a museum in "The House of Happy Walls,"
which Mrs. London built in a redwood grove. A trail leads to
Jack London's grave and to "Wolf House," London's dream
house, which was destroyed by fire in 1913. The park's upper
parking lot provides access to a picnic area, London's cottage,
stables, stone barns, silos and "pig palace." A æ
mile walk takes visitors to a dam, lake, and bathhouse built
by London. Other hikes lead up through fir and oak woodlands
to views of the Valley of the Moon. Bicycling and horseback riding
are permitted on some trails. A summer horseback riding concession
is available in the park. Camping is available at nearby Sugarloaf
Ridge State Park.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
