The Forest History Trail
A beautifully secluded, out of the way hike
I ran away this morning. Before the world was fully awake, I ran away to the woods. I wanted to immerse myself in the peaceful air that whispers through the redwood boughs, far from cars and people and noise. I wanted to listen to the birds as they greet the day with their happy, twittering song. I wanted to escape and just be.
So I did. I put on my old sneakers, packed my breakfast, and drove out through the winding, backcountry roads to one of my favorite spots – the Forest History Trail. It feels so beautifully secluded out there in the depths of Jackson Demonstration State Forest. There is usually no one for miles around. It’s just me, the trees, the rustle of a grey squirrel bounding away through the verdant ferns, the clickety buzz of some unseen insect, and the smell of the forest floor.
Sometimes I come out here to push myself and run the steeper inclines into and out of the gulch, but today I had no such agenda. I wanted to take my time, to stop and admire the intricately delicate petals of the wild irises that spread across an open little glen, to watch a banana slug as it eased its way across the trail, to pause in admiration of a bank of nodding ferns, to crouch down and study a new-to-me wildflower. I was in no hurry. And so I meandered along the trail, enjoying every breath of free and wild air, forgetting the world outside these lovely trees.
I did, however, keep enough presence of mind to take notes for you, in case you would like to get in a little escape of your own…
The trailhead off Road 408
To find this gem of a trail:
Turn east on Little Lake Road from the stoplight on Highway 1 just outside of Mendocino village. You’ll go about 5.5 miles before coming to a fork in the road where the pavement ends. Mendocino Woodlands is on the right, with very obvious signs; you want to take the left hand fork, which is County Road 408, although there aren’t any signs to tell you so. Follow the unpaved track about 1.2 miles, and you’ll see a sign announcing the trailhead and small parking area on the right side of the road. That final 1.2 miles should be passable to pretty much any car, but be aware that it is pretty darn bumpy in some spots.
The top of the loop. The Observation Point is along the lefthand trail. If you go clockwise, you’ll be coming back along the righthand trail.
Details of the trail itself:
The first half-mile or so down from the parking lot will bring you to a fork in the trail. There is a sign pointing out Manly Gulch to the left (another beautiful trail worth exploring if you’re up for a quick drop of 800 feet in 2 miles and a return trip up that same incline) and the Forest History Trail to the right. A little ways down that trail, you come to the top of the loop. I tend to always go clockwise myself, but the choice of direction is entirely up to you. The eastern / left hand trail has a short side track you can take up to the top of the hill, where there used to be an observation point, but which is now fully shaded by beautiful trees.
If you just hike the loop and head back to your car, it will be roughly 4 miles total. You can also add in a short out-and-back path to the Lower Trailhead about halfway through the loop. This side route will add another mile onto your total for the day.
The trail is well maintained and is mostly easy to intermediate in difficulty, with some sections that are fairly steep.
Map courtesy of the hiking guide Mendocino Outdoors by Dennis F. Freeze
Be on the lookout for these numbered signs as they walk you through the history of the Mendocino woods.
Why is it called the Forest History Trail?
This is a self-guided tour through the history of the redwood forests of Mendocino, taking you through five different main sections: Redwood Ecology, Demonstration Forestry, Native American Era, Early Logging, and Forest Management. The numbered posts scattered along the trail correspond to different informational nuggets on the trail guide. I was hoping to find a digital guide that I could download before heading out this morning, but I can’t seem to locate one online. However, you should be able to pick up a paper copy at the Cal Fire headquarters at 802 N Main St in Fort Bragg.
Words & pictures by Laura Hockett