Mendocino National Forest, California

Those looking for solitude will find it in droves. This is the only forest in California without a paved road or highway going through it. That should give you some idea of its rugged nature.

Backpackers will delight in the wide-open meadows and waterfalls of Snow Mountain Wilderness. Water is scarce around here, so be sure to pack in extra. If trails aren’t your thing, go full cross-country in the Sanhedrin Wilderness.

Camping is easy to come by with plenty of developed campgrounds and dispersed sites to choose from. Even though it’s a National Forest, be sure to keep your dog leashed in the developed campgrounds.

Anglers can fish the abundant trout in the streams or catch bass in Lake Pillsbury. Off-roaders will find a bounty of dirt roads to ride in the Knoxville Wildlife Area.

The archaeology of the Mendo area is fascinating. There are more than 1,800 Native American sites in the forest from the Yuki, Nomlaki Wintu, Patwin Wintu, Eastern Pomo, and Northeastern Pomo. In the latter half of the nineteenth centuries miners and foresters moved in. 

The minerals that attracted most people, however, were the ones dissolved in waters of the Forest's gurgling, steaming hot springs. During the early 1900's, visitors would travel many miles to soak up the supposed health benefits of baths in several resorts and spas. You can see remains of three resort hotels, mineral baths, and a bottling plant for mineral water at Bartlett Flats. Fouts Springs, Hough Springs, and Allen Springs also boasted popular resort facilities, although little evidence of their buildings remains.