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The Forest History Trail is located in the Jackson
Demonstration State Forest near Mendocino, California. The trail traverses
several ridges through a mixed forest of redwoods, pines, oaks, and alders.The
round-trip distance is about 4.5 miles, and there is quite a bit of up
and down over the distance.
To get to the start of the hike, take Little
Lake Road east from Highway One in Mendocino for 5.5 miles to the end
of the pavement. At this point, go left on unpaved County Road 408 for
1.2 miles to the parking area on the right. The trail begins at the end
of the parking lot. After half a mile, you reach the beginning of the
loop. Going clockwise on the loop gives you steep downhill sections and
a long gradual climb, whereas widdershins gives you the long gradual downhill
with short, steep climbs.
This area has some exciting biking, too, especially
when you take the side trip down through Manly Gulch. This is not for
the faint at heart — make sure you know what you’re doing if you take
this route on a mountain bike! On the way down to Big River and the
Woodlands State Park, Road 705 is an excellent ride for the well-conditioned
biker.
If you go down to Lily’s Beach on Big River, you’ll
find a beautiful swimming area frequented by locals in the summer.
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