Jack London: Pig Palace and Lake Trail
by unpetitfauve
I needed to hike on Monday. It was necessary. The natural world offers incredible calm and joy for me, and I needed to be calm and joyful. Arthur was off work that day, so we decided to head to Jack London State Park, my favorite place in the world. I’d hiked to the Wolf House and Jack London’s grave many times before, and I have visited both museums in the park as well as explored the main area of London’s Beauty Ranch, so Arthur and I thought it would be nice to hike a new trail. Arthur and I had never visited the Pig Palace before, so we knew that was the top priority for our visit. We would continue on to hike to the lake afterward.
The Pig Palace really is grand. Jack London really cared about his pigs. The entire piggery was made to be spacious (especially for pregnant and birthing sows) and he was insistent on keeping it very clean. London even asked that people thoroughly clean their shoes before entering the piggery.
After passing the silos, we headed up the lake trail. There were two paths to choose from: a wide fire road and a narrow trail. We took the fire road on the way up and the narrow trail on the way back. I believe that smaller trail was the original one that London, his friends, and his family took to get to the lake on those hot Glen Ellen summer days.
Both the fire road and the original trail are shaded by towering redwoods and madrones. I love Northern Californian trees.
The lake is silted and dried up now, but it is still so beautiful. It’s surrounded by redwoods and lined with an old, time-worn dam that London built. Arthur and I were blown away by the beauty of this silted lake; a ruin of sorts, similar to London’s famous Wolf House on the other side of the park. While we were there, we relished the silence of this beautiful forest clearing, imagining how this lake must have been while London was still alive.
While I was writing this post, I found an excellent video about the park with a focus on the lake. You can watch it here. And it’s narrated by Doug McConnell, the coolest Northern Californian environmental journalist ever. If you lived around here in the 90′s, you’ll totally remember his old show, Bay Area Backroads, where he featured rad hikes, museums, and other local Northern Californian areas of interest.
My visits to Jack London State Park have been truly life-changing. I am always eager to bring friends and family there, and I often act as an unofficial docent when I bring people to hike there with me. I highly recommend visiting this park. It is on the chopping block for 2012 park closures, but it does have a glimmer of hope. The Valley of the Moon Natural History Association has begun negotiations with the state on taking over the park in order to keep it from being shut down. You can learn more about saving Jack London State Park by visiting these links:
Valley of the Moon Natural History Association shop (for donations…I have donated to them before!)
And of course I overpaid for parking while I was there. It’s a thing I do for all State Parks, especially Jack London. The self-registration parking fee at Jack London is $8. I paid $20.
