This Historic State Park Is Hosting Free Days This Month. Here’s How to Get Access.

One of Sonoma Valley’s most historic state parks is opening its gates for free in honor of local literary giant Jack London. To celebrate the 150th birthday of the author, Jack London State Historic Park is launching a year-long series of events inviting visitors to experience the land where he lived, worked, and built his dream ranch in Sonoma Valley. This weekend, the park is hosting several free events, and on Monday, January 12, admission to the park is free for all visitors.

The Bay Area-born writer, whose prose once graced the pages of Sunset, is one of the most widely read authors in American history, known for his enduring works including The Call of the Wild and White Fang. London passed at the age of 40, yet in that short span he spent time as a sailor, cannery worker, longshoreman, and itinerant laborer—experiences that deeply influenced his characters and literary perspective, eventually leading to the development of his Glen Ellen, California home. While his complex and controversial character has come into question, his work was categorically critical of capitalism, and the ranch now known as Jack London State Historic Park represented his vision of bringing equity, sustainability, and land stewardship to the forefront.

The park is now run by a non-profit organization, and offers glimpse into his life as an adventurer, rancher, and writer shaped by the natural world of the West. London’s birthday celebrations begin this Saturday, January 10 with a free guided hike. The approximately 3.5-mile walk leads visitors to the park’s ancient old-growth coastal redwoods, complete with stories of the land that inspired London’s work. It’s worth noting that the $10 park entry fee is not included, and reservations are required.

Courtesy of SonomaValley.com

On January 12, the park will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and at 1 p.m., a free, volunteer-led guided tour of the Wolf House departs from outside the House of Happy Walls Museum. Reservations are not required. If you want to get in on the celebrations early, visitors who make a purchase at the House of Happy Walls Museum bookshop on Sunday, January 11 will receive a free park pass for a return visit later in 2026. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Normally $10 per vehicle, the park’s free-admission offerings give a rare chance to walk the shaded redwood trails and step into the setting that influenced one of America’s most lauded literary voices.