Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jack London State Historic Park PARK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 707-938-5216; www.jacklondonpark.com ; 2400 London Ranch Rd, Glen El-
len; per car $10, tour adult/child $4/2; 9:30am-5pm)
Napa has Robert Louis Stevenson, but Sonoma's got Jack London. This 1400-acre park
frames the author's last years; don't miss the excellent onsite museum. Miles of hiking
trails (some open to mountain bikes) weave through oak-dotted woodlands, between 600ft
and 2300ft elevations; an easy 2-mile loop meanders to a lake, great for picnicking. Watch
for poison oak.
Changing occupations from Oakland fisherman to Alaska gold prospector to Pacific
yachtsman - and novelist on the side - London (1876-1916) ultimately took up farming.
He bought 'Beauty Ranch' in 1905 and moved here in 1910. With his second wife, Charmi-
an, he lived and wrote in a small cottage while his mansion, Wolf House , was under con-
struction. On the eve of its completion in 1913, it burned down. The disaster devastated
London, and although he toyed with rebuilding, he died before construction got underway.
His widow, Charmian, built the House of Happy Walls , which has been preserved as a
museum. It's a half-mile walk from there to the remains of Wolf House, passing London's
grave along the way. Other paths wind around the farm to the cottage where he lived and
worked.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park HIKING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ;
707-833-5712; www.parks.ca.gov ; 2605 Adobe Canyon Rd, Kenwood; per
car $8)
There's fantastic hiking - when it's not blazingly hot. On clear days, Bald Mountain has
drop-dead views to the sea; Bushy Peak Trail peers into Napa Valley. Both are moder-
ately strenuous; plan four hours round-trip.
Morton's Warm Springs SWIMMING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 707-833-5511; www.mortonswarmsprings.com ; 1651 Warm Springs Rd,
Glen Ellen; adult/child $15/5; 10am-6pm Sat, Sun & holidays May & Sep, Tue-Sun Jun-Aug; )
This old-fashioned family swim club has two mineral pools, limited hiking, volleyball and
BBQ facilities. No credit cards Tuesday to Friday: exact change required. From Sonoma
Hwy in Kenwood, turn west on Warm Springs Rd.
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