Looking towards the Sutter Buttes from Goat Mountain. Credit: Mendocino National Forest (USDA Forest Service). Photo by Robin Mowery.

While the Mendocino National Forest is located primarily along the coast range in western Colusa, Glenn and Tehama Counties and eastern Lake and Mendocino Counties: A small portion of the Forest is in Chico. The Genetic Resource & Conservation Center (GRCC), 2741 Cramer Lane, Chico, California 95928, (530) 895-1176 (530) 895-8931 (TTY), often referred to by locals as the Dog Park (but please note that it is not actually a dog park and that all dogs must be on a leash while in the GRCC!), technically is a tree nursery for genetically superior trees grown from seeds collected all over the north state. The GRCC allows visitors of the two legged and four legged variety. Please pick up after your pet and keep it on its leash!

The Mendocino National Forest has a wide variety of regions in which to recreate. Fouts Springs is a popular Off-Highway Vehicle destination that hosts several enduros every year. Lake Pilsbury is popular for fishing and swimming (but the lake does have high mercury levels from an unknown geologic source). Most of the forest is popular with hunters, though they must be aware of the locations of a few game refuges where hunting is not allowed.

The Mendocino National Forest has a large number of camp sites, some "improved" while others have no toilet facilities or running water. Camp sites that do have some amenities may charge a nightly fee. Amenities may be paved entry ways, serviced outhouses, and sometimes a camp host who may provide free fire wood (thanks to cutting of trees to help maintain health of forests without fire — known as fuels management). A few of sites have running water and trash disposal. The forest also has a few wilderness areas. These include the Yuki, Sanhedrin, Snow Mountain, and Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wildernesses. These are are great places to backpack for days at a time and may provide the best opportunity to experience solitude. Pack animals are sometimes allowed to help carry supplies for longer stays; vehicles are not allowed. If you want to have a camp fire, no matter where you are, you must have a fire permit. They are available for free from forest stations, Willows headquarters, and perhaps from park rangers. Most forest service employees will not provide permits.

Mendocino National Forest has a contingent of wildland firefighters and engines to help maintain the forests and keep the public safe. They are most active during the summer and into the fall months. Lookouts are strategically placed in the forest to help quickly spot fires. While in most places firefighters are allowed to use all tools at their disposal such as bulldozers to create fire breaks, in Wilderness areas they must only use hand tools unless given authorization at the federal level. After a fire, areas must be remediated to allow full recovery of the burned areas. This is especially important to prevent erosion which may impair watersheds.

Major Watersheds in the MNF

• Thomes Creek
• Stony Creek
• Grindstone Creek
• Elk Creek
• Eel River
• Cache Creek

Map of Relative location of Mendocino National Forest. Created using QGIS by RyanMikulovsky. Snow Mountain. Credit: Larry Cregger.

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Comments

2009-11-21 15:43:16   Please correct: The tree farm has nine seed production orchards which produce high quality seeds for a variety zones and elevations in northern California, for reforestation and restoration. It is no longer a nursery. It is not a dog park, and should not be referred to as one. This is misleading. It is a day use recreation area for people to enjoy nature, walk the trails and enjoy the the scenery. Birders, nature lovers, photographers, artists and the elderly have been virtually pushed out by this "dog park" theme. I recommend removing the mention of "dog park" from your site. Dog owners in Chico need to be aware there are policies and restrictions concerning dogs. These policies are posted. People will get ticketed for ignoring the policies. —75.93.89.115

• Thanks for the clarification. I guess the larger community thinks about the park a bit differently, hence how it is represented here. If I have time I'll fix the page up. But you may also do so yourself by clicking the Edit icon above :-) Cheers and thanks again! —RyanMikulovsky

2010-07-26 13:54:54   Now that Mendocino has a wiki of its own (Mendocino Wiki) maybe this page should be moved over there. —BruceThomas

• Interestingly, the MNF boundaries are largely outside of Mendocino County (e.g., Lake, Glenn, Colusa, and Tehama, with Lake or Glenn taking the largest share). Feel free to use whatever material you find here on your wiki, with attribution. I might head over there myself, since I spend an awful lot of time visiting Fort Bragg etc. Good luck and thanks tons for editing the Chico Wiki! —RyanMikulovsky