The price of visiting one of Sonoma County’s most storied parks has gone up for the first time in 14 years.
Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen now runs $15 per vehicle, up from $10, with the increase taking effect June 1. It is the first bump in the park’s entrance fee since 2012.
California State Parks and the nonprofit Jack London Park Partners, which jointly run the site, say the extra revenue will go toward trail upkeep, protecting natural resources and absorbing new acreage. That includes open space recently transferred from the shuttered Sonoma Developmental Center, which expands the park’s footprint and its maintenance needs.
Officials framed the adjustment as a last resort rather than a money grab, pointing to more than a decade of flat pricing against rising costs. Walk-in and bike-in visitors still pay $5 each.
The park preserves the legacy of writer Jack London and his wife, Charmian, on the grounds of his old Beauty Ranch. Its roughly 1,400 acres sweep across oak woodlands, redwood and Douglas fir stands, grasslands and the Sonoma Creek watershed, and serve as a wildlife corridor linking the Sonoma Mountain and Mayacamas ranges. More than two dozen miles of trails wind past the Wolf House ruins, the London cottage and the famous Pig Palace.
Sitting about 20 minutes north of Sonoma, the park remains an easy escape from the valley’s wineries. Five extra dollars, supporters argue, is a modest price to keep the trails open and the ranch intact.