Jack London State Historic Park

The 800-acre Jack London State Historic Park (2400 London Ranch Rd., Glen Ellen, 707/938-5216, open 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily, $6 entrance fee per car), past the Benziger Family Winery, offers a unique combination of scenic hiking and self-guided history tours around the buildings that once belonged to one of the valley’s best-known authors, Jack London.

From the entrance kiosk, turn left to visit the House of Happy Walls (open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, admission free), the former residence of Jack London’s widow, Charmian, and now a museum about the author’s life. From there it’s only a half-mile walk on a paved trail to London’s grave and the ruins of the spectacular Wolf House, his 17,000-square-foot dream home that burned down accidentally just before it was completed in 1913. There was speculation that it was arson, though modern-day investigators conducted a forensic arson investigation in 1995 and concluded the fire was probably caused by spontaneous combustion of rags soaked in highly flammable turpentine and linseed oil used during construction. Today, only the monumentally thick stone walls remain in the dappled shade of the surrounding redwoods, but there’s a model in the House of Happy Walls of just how impressive the house would have looked had it not met such a fiery fate.

The parking lot for the miles of hiking trails is to the right after the entrance. From there, the Beauty Ranch Trail winds around the buildings on London’s former ranch, including the cottage where he wrote many of his later books and died at a youthful 40 years old. Many of the other buildings once belonged to the 19th-century Kohler and Frohling winery, including a barn, an old distillery building, and the ruins of the winery itself. Others, like the piggery known as the Pig Palace, were built by London himself.

From the Beauty Ranch Trail, the Lake Trail goes uphill past the vineyards and through the redwoods for about half a mile to the forest-fringed lake created by London, where there are picnic spots and restrooms.

From there, explore the oak woods and meadows on a series of looping trails, or take the long Mountain Trail to the park summit next to Sonoma Mountain. That hike is about seven miles round-trip but can be lengthened by taking loops off the main trail. Another long hike is the Ridge Trail, which leaves the Mountain Trail and twists through forests and clearings with sweeping views before reaching the connecting Vineyard Trail leading back to the lake.

Mountain biking is allowed on all the trails in the park except the Cowan Meadow, Fallen Bridge, and Quarry Trails, plus a few around the lake. You might see a member of the Benziger family from the winery down the road hurtling by, but be aware that all trails are shared with hikers and some with horses. The Ridge Trail loop is recommended over the Mountain Trail to the summit, which is a steep uphill and perilously rocky downhill.