jack london state historic park

We thought this would be the usual state park fare, but it turned out to be absolutely charming. From the wonderful walks in the woods, to the historical ruins and then to the museums about the Londons. We learned so much it was a shame to have to go. One could easily spend a day there. Three or four hours is probably the minimum that you would want to allow. When you have finished here, you can retire to the Lodge at the bottom of the hills for refreshments.

Great day of wandering around through the history of Jack London. Great views, quite way to escape. Check their scheduling as there are a few days when schools are there and it can get a little busy. It is very spread out, so not hard to avoid the groups. I remember coming here in grade school and it was a wonderful memorable field trip, that inspired me to come back often in my life.

We just love this place-- when you tire of the vineyards, Jack London State Park is the antidote. There are well maintained trails and lots of history of the life and times of Jack London. Beautiful views too.

"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my time in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time." Jack London, 1876-1916Who wouldn't want to know such a man? The best we can do is read his works and see where he lived. Where he lived was wonderful. Wolf House where he lived, burned down, there among the tall trees, made of stone with an indoor/outdoor pool. Many rooms with a vineyard and the home of his wife, Charmian. Her home is filled with many of his and their possessions. His ashes are interred on a knoll there. Many photographs, models and busts. The property was awarded to the state of California by their nephew, Irving Shepard, in 1960.

I didn't arrive until about 330pm, so unfortunately I didn't have time to see everything. I would recommend at least half a day to see all of the major sites in the park. There is also the potential for a lot of walking, and you can minimize this somewhat by using both the upper and lower parking lots. To see the cottage, barns, winery ruins, pig palace, and silos you should park in upper lot. To see the museum, Wolf House, and grave site it's best to park in lower lot. Also the only regular restrooms (that flush) in the park are by the museum, the rest are all porta potties. While I saw most of the major sites, I didn't have time to see the Wolf House. It's an 0.6 mile walk each way and I just didn't have time to get to it before they closed for the day. Hopefully I'll get to go back some time!

The grounds feel magical as you take the hike to the lake and back. With the tall, mossy trees and the sight of the aged cabin, it feels like you're in the Northwest! It's easy to see why Jack London had an affinity for Glen Ellen...it's so beautiful! As you walk around the grounds of this Historic Park and museum, you get a sense of what he was trying to accomplish and preserve. Not only was he a well-known author and world traveler, he brought tiered agriculture from Japan and developed an innovative silo/piggery on this ranch.Although he died young, his accomplishments were many and preserved for all to see and remember.

I love Jack London Park. During our stay at Jack London Lodge we were able to visit the State Park on almost a daily basis. My favorite thing was to grab a picnic of a few paninis from the deli at the Glen Ellen Village Market and Deli and spend the day in the park! Such an amazing and therapeutic area!

Jack London was always the original American outdoors writer...but his real love was this enormous farm which is now a state park. He planted a large vineyard. He used Asian farming terraces techniques to not leach the soil; he planted nearly 80,000 eucalyptus trees. And his Wolf House, what an amazing though ruined mansion. This is a wonderful place for all sorts of hikes, easy and hard. Going later in the day, the sun sets behind the ridge and the woods are cooler. We got lost and some very nice people gave us a great review of the park highlights. Be sure to ask for a map at the guard entrance - it is $1, but worth it. A keeper! This is a complex park because of the personal story attached to it; but also, in that story, the tragedy of a great writer, with a new mission, who died only after being there a few years of liver disease. The park is definitely run down and needs major work; but it has a genuine nature to it.

Being fans of Jack London, it was a fabulous treat to visit Jack's home and ranch. The museum was brilliantly set up, especially the audio visual aids.The walk through the woodland to visit his derelict mansion was stunning, though we were a little worried about the rattle snake signs!His farm house was just as beautiful. The views all around took my breath away!

All you need to do is hike to the mountain tops here to see how glorious the Valley of the Moon wine area is of Sonoma. The view is awesome and the exercise you will get will burn enough calories to go have a great dinner in Sonoma guilt free. Be aware a hike to the very top is exhausting and time consuming, but you can stop any where and still feel like it was a great day in the country.

I like hiking and taking pictures. I was able to enjoy both visiting this park. The beautiful stone buildings and the vineyards make for some great pictures. I hiked up to Fern Lake which was not difficult and had some pretty views. Stopping at the Glen Ellen market for a picnic lunch added to a most pleasant day!

The State Park is located at the end of London Ranch Road (a bit past Benzinger Winery), which you access from the heart of Glen Ellen. The Park is centered around the life and times of Jack London who settled here with his wife, Charmian, after a very full, but short life of adventure around the world. Even if you have little interest in London, you will find miles of great trails through some beautiful woods and grasslands. At the entrance, you pay the $10 per car fee and get a map. At one parking lot, you access the Jack London Museum, which is housed in Charmian’s home, the House of Happy Walls. This museum gives you a window into the way of life at the time and London’s adventures around the world through the artifacts that he brought back. Take a one mile loop to visit London’s grave site (only a massive block of lava rock marks the plain site in keeping with the simple graves of pioneer children nearby) and the ruins of the impressive Wolf House that London had built and was just about to occupy when it burned. This was a massive and impressive undertaking and would have been a masterpiece that is easy to grasp from just the remaining ruins. There is a beautiful trail through the woods to get to the house and you can return the same way or take the wider paved path that allows handicapped access and skirts a working vineyard. Another parking lot in the park accesses London’s ranch, outbuildings, and cottage (small additional charge for entrance to the cottage) where London died in 1916. You can explore the ranch area and learn about many of the innovations that London introduced to improve farming techniques, some of which were successful and some of which were failures. Some of the outbuildings that survive are the sherry and stallion barns, the distillery, silos, manure pit, winery ruins, and the magnificent “pig palace.” You can continue on for less than a mile up a trail to London Lake and the log bathhouse used by the Londons and their guests. Unfortunately, the Lake is no longer very scenic as the dam now leaks and the lake has filled with silt and become overgrown. Most people turn back to the parking lot (for a total 2.5 mile loop) for a picnic, but, if you have water and the will, you can do an additional 7 miles or so through oak, fir, Manzanita, redwood and grasslands. It is an evocative and beautiful sojourn in the life and times of an iconic American author.

If you're both a history lover and a nature lover, you'll probably love this place more than if you're only one or the other. The museum is good, the scenery is pretty, and the place is very well maintained. There are nice short hikes.Go there early and spend a lot of time in the museum and cottage. Without that you will not be able to appreciate the history and the park as much. Allow yourself 4-5 hours if you want to take your time in the museum and cottage, see all the other attractions, and do a couple of hikes. If you want to breeze through, then a couple of hours should be enough.All in all, it makes for a very good day trip.

The property is amazing. There is a lot of info about Jack London's life (somewhat selectively edited...) and it is easy to imagine what it must have been like to settle in this beautiful but remote area 100 years ago.

The park is full of history and the trails and hillsides are gorgeous. It's so peaceful there. We bought a delicious lunch from the Glen Ellen market and brought it to the park for a lovely afternoon walk and picnic. This is beautiful park.