Jack London State Park Hiking
Trails, Parking, and What to Know
Jack London State Historic Park sits above Glen Ellen on what Jack London called Beauty Ranch; it’s made up of 1,400-odd acres with more than 29 miles of trail running from 600 feet at the parking lot to 2,300 at the ridgeline. You can walk a flat mile to the Wolf House ruins, or climb all day to the summit of Sonoma Mountain.
This is RebuildU’s approach to a day at Jack London State Park: distance and elevation of each trail, where to park on a Saturday, what to bring during each season, and what's accessible. We always believe it is better to come prepared!
Quick facts
Address: 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442
Phone: (707) 938-5216
Hours: 9am–5pm daily, closed December 25
House of Happy Walls Museum: 10am–5pm
London Cottage: Noon–4pm
Entry fee: $10 per vehicle; $5 on foot or by bike. Membership from $59/year if you'll come back
Trails: 29+ miles, 600–2,300 ft elevation
Dogs: Leashed on the Wolf House trail and in the Beauty Ranch historic area only. Not permitted on any back-country trail
Restrooms: Accessible restroom in the museum parking lot; portable restrooms at the ranch lot and on the road to Wolf House
Smoking: Not permitted anywhere in the park
Cell service: Unreliable once you leave the ranch. Download the trail map before you arrive
Time to allow: Three hours minimum for the historic sites. A full day if you're hiking back-country
Getting there and parking
The park is in Glen Ellen, about 20 minutes north of the town of Sonoma and roughly 90 minutes from San Francisco. From Sonoma: Highway 12 west, left on Madrone Road, right on Arnold Drive, left on London Ranch Road. From San Francisco: 101 north, 37 east, 121 north, 116 north, right on Arnold Drive, left on London Ranch Road.
There are two lots, and which one you want depends entirely on your plan for the day.
The lower lot aka museum
This is where you land first. It serves the House of Happy Walls Museum and the Wolf House Historic Trail, and it has the park's only flush restroom. Park here if you're doing the history.
The upper lot aka Beauty Ranch
Further up the road, this lot serves the cottage, the barns, the silos, the winery ruins and the Pig Palace and every back-country trail in the park starts from here, via the Lake Service Road near the winery ruins. Park here if you're hiking.
Jack London State Historic Park trails, by effort
Every distance and elevation figure below comes from the park's own trail descriptions.
Only have an hour and half? No problem:
Ancient Redwood Trail is your best bet. It's the best ratio of effort to payoff in the park; 3.5 miles, almost no climbing, and it ends at a 2,000-year-old tree with a bench next to it.
If you have more time and brought your hiking shoes:
Sonoma Ridge Trail. Nine and a half miles and 1,500 feet, but the climb is spread across switchbacks rather than stacked into one wall, and it's shaded most of the way. Prettiest in early spring for the wildflowers.
If you’re not keen on hiking there are still options for you:
The Wolf House Historic Trail is a flat mile round trip on a wide path. It takes you past the Londons' gravesite to the ruins of the stone house Jack designed and never lived in, it burned in 1913, weeks before they were due to move in. Add the House of Happy Walls Museum and the Beauty Ranch loop and you have a full, satisfying two hours without ever leaving level ground.
What to bring, by season
Year-round
More water than feels necessary! There's none on the back-country trails
The downloaded trail map; service drops quickly past the ranch
Layers. The valley runs cool in the morning and cools off fast after 4pm
Cash or card for the entry gate
Spring (wildflowers, mud)
Shoes you don't mind ruining, trails are wet
If you are prone to allergies maybe pack some remedies here!
Summer (hot, but shaded)
Start before 10am.
Sun protection for the ridge and fire-road sections, which are exposed
Many trails are almost entirely shaded
Autumn (the best season)
Nothing special required. It’s not hot and the days are long.
Book anything you want to do afterward in Glen Ellen, harvest season fills the village
Winter (waterfalls, mud)
Waterproof footwear, not optional!
Check trail conditions before driving out; the streams run and sections close
Accessibility notes
The park is honest about being a historic hillside ranch, and so is this section.
The main parking area has three designated accessible spaces
There's a paved 400-foot route from the lot to the House of Happy Walls Museum. It's sloped — manageable for assisted wheelchair users or strong riders, but assistance may be needed
Park volunteers will run a golf cart for visitors who can transfer. Call (707) 938-5216 ext. 1 to arrange it
The museum's second floor is stairs-only. A booklet of the upstairs exhibits is available at the bookshop, with a table to view it at — ask the attendant
The restroom in the museum parking lot is wheelchair accessible, as are portable restrooms at the ranch lot and on the road to Wolf House
The Cottage has a ramp, though the path from the parking area may need assistance
There's an accessible path from the ranch lot to the entrance of the winery ruins
Back-country trails are unpaved, uneven dirt and fire road. They are not accessible, and strollers will struggle
The guided version: October 17
If you'd rather walk these trails with someone who knows them, our next one-day Sonoma retreat is October 17.
The morning is a guided renewal hike through the park with forest bathing; slow, sensory, no summit to reach. Forest bathing is a different practice from hiking and the redwood canyons here are among the best places in the valley to do it. The rest of the day is a farm-to-table lunch, The Renewal Workshop, and a closing floating sound bath.
Small group. Entry, guide and everything after it included.