Museum in the Redwoods

Hike Among Redwoods at Sonoma Valley's Jack London State Park

Wanna find some solitude to read more this year? Get inspired at a literary museum and an adjacent hiking trail leading to famous ruins tucked among redwoods. The all new House of Happy Walls in Sonoma Valley’s Jack London State Historic Park just opened in early November, featuring a wholly revamped and modernized exhibit of the life and times of adventure writer Jack London and his wife Charmian.

Explore 22 multi-sensory and interactive exhibits highlighting London’s literary career, political activism, animal rights initiatives, photojournalism, and more—including, notably, his adventurous life with Charmian. An independent-minded trailblazer, Charmian London built the original House of Happy Walls after her husband’s death, intent on having it become a museum representing their pursuit of a storied life.

After visiting the two-level museum and bookstore, head out on a short hike under a forested canopy including second-growth redwoods to the ruins of London’s dream home, Wolf House, which mysteriously burned down just two weeks before he and Charmian were to move in. The London gravesite is tucked among trees on a nearby knoll.

The hike to the ruins is dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  3. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  4. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. Two women on e-bikes at Cass Vineyard and Winery near Paso Robles

    Eat, Drink, E-bike!

    No offense to charcuterie but sometimes you want a full meal while tasting world-class wine. And Paso Robles knows this better than perhaps any other wine region in California. Case in point: Cass Vineyard and Winery, where you can eat, drink, and e-bike!

    View
  3. Diamond in the Rough

    March Madness may be over, but the wildflower rush has just begun! This spring, in the Southern California regional bracket, Hemet’s Diamond Valley Lake is our surprise pick for the Fab Flowers Finals. Take a 2-mile round-trip hike in botanical bliss.

    View
  4. Jurupa Jamboree

    If you like a short hike with a side of adventure, try the Jurupa Hills North Trail in Martin Tudor Jurupa Hills Regional Park.

    View