Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$215-250; )
has private tubs, a sauna, spring-fed rock-bottomed swimming pool, steam,
massage and magical gardens. Day use costs $30.
Accommodation includes use of the spa and communal kitchen; some of the rustic cot-
tages have kitchens. Reservations are essential.
To get there from Hwy 101, take the N State St exit, go north a quarter of a mile to Orr
Springs Rd, then 9 miles west. The steep, winding mountain road takes 30 minutes to
drive.
Montgomery Woods State Reserve
Two miles west of Orr, this 1140-acre
reserve
(Orr Springs Rd)
protects five old-growth
redwood groves, and some of the best groves within a day's drive from San Francisco. A
2-mile loop trail crosses the creek, winding through the serene groves, starting near the
picnic tables and toilets. It's out of the way, so visitors are likely to have it mostly to them-
selves. Day use only; no camping.
Lake Mendocino
Amid rolling hills, 5 miles northeast of Ukiah, this tranquil 1822-acre artificial lake fills a
valley, once the ancestral home of the Pomo people. On the lake's north side,
Pomo Visit-
or Center
( 707-467-4200)
is modeled after a Pomo roundhouse, with exhibits on tribal
culture and the dam. The center was closed indefinitely for upgrades at the time of update,
but was still offering information via phone about camping.
Coyote Dam, 3500ft long and 160ft high, marks the lake's southwest corner; the lake's
eastern part is a 689-acre protected wildlife habitat. The
Army Corps of Engineers
(
www.spn.usace.army.mil/mendocino
; 1160 Lake Mendocino Dr; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri)
built the
dam, manages the lake and provides recreation information. Its office is inconveniently
located on the lower lake.
most with hot showers and primitive boat-in sites ($8).
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Three miles east of Ukiah, via Talmage Rd, the
site
(
707-462-0939;
www.cttbusa.org
; 2001
Talmage Rd;
8am-6pm)
used to be a state mental hospital. Since 1976 it has been a lush,
