I nland M endoc I no WI ll I ts

Willits, the third largest town in Mendocino County, is located on Hwy 101 approximately 22 miles north of Ukiah. Willits calls itself “Heart of Mendocino County — Gateway to the Redwoods,” and was incorporated in 1888. In 1911, tracks were extended from the California Western Railway’s Skunk Train to reach Willits. The former logging train connected Willits with Fort Bragg on the Mendocino coast until a collapse in the last decade, and is a favorite attraction for visitors to the area. Willits features excellent retail stores, restaurants, lodging, business and service establishments. Most of the businesses line Main Street, but a few can be found on quiet side streets. The town itself is set amid the beautiful rolling hills and forests of central Mendocino County.

83

Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort

Located in Northern California’s “Gateway to the Redwoods,” the Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort features an Old West theme and is laid out in a peaceful country setting with rolling hills and trees. It has something for everyone, including a swimming pool, fishing pond (freshly stocked and ready for summer), petting zoo, mini golf, the Rootin’ Tootin’ play tower, disc golf course, water spray park, sand volleyball court, two outdoor playgrounds, an arcade, and hiking trails. Their national awardwinning summer recreation program includes ice cream socials, Karaoke, and live entertainment.

Surprised by an unexpected rain shower? Not a problem. The resort also offers an arcade and time to catch your breath at the Zen Garden after trying to keep up with your kids. Ready to relax and watch a movie under the stars? There’s guaranteed to be an activity the whole family will enjoy.

Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort offers overnight camping in their spacious RV sites, shaded tent sites, and cozy cabins, which are also available for day-use fun. For your family reunion, office party, school field trip or a birthday bash for someone special, this is the perfect place to go.

Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort is open all year and pets are welcome.

WHERE: 1600 Hwy 20, Willits

MORE INFO: 707-459-6179, mendocinoredwoods.com

84 Willits Skate Park

The Willits Skate Park was the first skate park in Mendocino County. What began when organizers approached the Willits City Council in 2000 finally became a reality at its grand opening in June, 2005. The council initially declined to function as lead agency, so consequently the Willits Skate Park Association, an adult volunteer service group, formed. It raised money, mobilized people, and got the ball rolling. The vast community effort that ensued was truly a testament to what can be accomplished when enough people follow through on a big idea.

The finished product was an 18,500-square foot cement skate park, one of Northern California’s premier skate destinations. In the end, over 6,000 man-hours of volunteered time and roughly $800,000 in grants and donated funds helped to make it possible.

Go to skate or just to check out the action. The park welcomes anyone on a skateboard, roller skates or rollerblades. Please note that helmets, elbow pads and knee pads are a must, and drugs and alcohol are strictly forbidden, as are fighting and other violent behavior, weapons and tobacco use. The park is open from 8 am to 5 pm during Pacific Standard Time; summer hours are 8 am to 7pm Pacific Daylight Time. It is closed during inclement weather.

WHERE: From South Main Street turn east onto East Commercial Street. The park is about half a mile down on the left-hand side (north side) of the street.

MORE INFO: 707-459-4605, WillitsSkatePark.com

85 Roots of Motive Power

Take a trip back in time at Roots of Motive Power, and learn about steam engines and the roots of the logging industry in northwestern California. California’s history was built on the backs of these rolling marvels, and at Roots of Motive Power the past comes alive with physical history. Standing next to these locomotives is like standing near huge, metal, fire-eating and steam-breathing giants.

Roots is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1982 to preserve and restore steam and diesel powered equipment used in the California north coast logging industry from the 1850s to the present. Anyone interested in helping out is encouraged to become a member and lend a hand on scheduled workdays, which generally take place the first and third Sundays of each month. The organization also holds classes, such as Steam Engineer and Railroad Safety classes, and sponsors public events, including train rides and the Willits Frontier Days Steam-Up on the 4th of July.

Whether you would like to join in the action or just want to watch, this is a great way to connect with our collective past.

WHERE: 400 E. Commercial St., Willits MORE INFO: RootsOfMotivePower.com

86 Willits’ Family-Friendly City Parks

Recreation Grove Park , the largest park in Willits, sits at the corner of Commercial and South Lenore Streets. It includes a stage, arena, covered picnic tables, restrooms, barbecues, a food service building and a playground.

Bud Snider City Park is downtown across from City Hall. Under a canopy of trees you’ll find a playground and the Centennial Monument, the latter dedicated in 1988 in celebration of Willits’ 100 years as an incorporated city. This park is also the location for the weekly Farmers’ Market during summer.

Babcock Park , the smallest park in Willits, is off South Main Street adjacent to the Adventist Health Memorial Hospital. There you can stretch your legs under the trees by the fountain, and, should you wish, enjoy a picnic lunch.

Frank Grasse Dog Park , located on East Commercial Street next to the Willits Skate Park, is a free, off-leash dog park. It is fully fenced, open from dawn until dusk, and offers shade and water.

MORE INFO: 707-459-4601, Willits.org

E v E nts & FE stivals

• Year-Round: Thursday Farmers’ Market, May to October at West Mendocino Ave, between Muir & Main St. 3–6 pm and November to April at Little Lake Grange, 3–5:30 pm , MCFarm.org

• M ay: Willits Community Festival & Car & Bike Show

• J une: Summer Hometown Celebration

• J uly: Willits Frontier Days, weeklong 4th of July Celebration with Rodeo, Carnival, Parade, willitsfrontierdays.com;

Sherwood Valley Big Time Event (Native American Festival), 707-459-9690

• S eptember: Roots of Motive Power Annual Steam Festival, RootsOfMotivePower.com

• October: Harvest Moon Hometown Celebration

• December: Christmas Express Train, RootsOfMotivePower.com

Willits

87 Willits Frontier Days

Spend the 4th of July in the Old West at the week-long Fourth of July celebration known as Willits Frontier Days. This event stars California’s oldest continuous rodeo, which has run for over 90 years.

The rodeo and a full week of events draw people from all over California and the world. Willits Frontier Days was started by the American Legion in 1926 with the intention of raising money to build a hospital for the town. In 1932 the reins were handed over to the Willits Volunteer Fire Department, and since 1950 it’s been run by the Willits Frontier Days Association, a nonprofit organization of businessmen and ranchers raising funds for community projects.

The main event is the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association (CCPRA) Rodeo. This is rodeo at its finest, featuring some of the finest cowboy talent in California. It’s got the right stuff: bull riding, bulldogging, bronc riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing, team roping and more, plus all the dust, sweat and excitement anyone could want. Live professional rodeo is a spectator sport like no other in America, and in Willits it’s clear the Old West is still alive and kicking. This is the real deal. Centered around this semi-professional, top competition are a traditional rodeo parade, rodeo sweetheart competition, junior rodeo, old-time carnival, classic western dance, cowboy barbecue and breakfast, a truck-pull, and a national anthem singing contest. Get a hat (horses and six-shooters are optional) and come be a cowboy or cowgirl for a week!

MORE INFO: 707-459-6330, WillitsFrontierDays.com

600 S. Main St. Willits, CA 95490

(707) 472-7412

Gems

Jewelry Geodes

Minerals Fossils Beads Crystals

Veteran’s Memorial at Mendocino County Museum. Photos by Steve Eberhard

88 Mendocino County Museum

The Mendocino County Museum opens a window onto the past of the people and places that make up Mendocino County. Fascinating temporary exhibits change regularly; check online or give them a call to find out what’s current. An exhibit of antique toys will end in March of 2019, and two exhibits relating to World War I will open.

Be sure to visit favorite ongoing exhibits as well: an authentic “hippie” van replete with trippy hippie decor from the ’60s, real stagecoaches, a recreated old time creamery, Pomo and other local indigenous people’s basketry, relics from the ill-fated clipper ship Frolic, Seabiscuit’s friends, and a great museum shop featuring locally made gift items. Next door is Roots of Motive Power and its collection of steam-powered trains and machines.

The Mendocino County Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4:30 pm . Admission is free on the first Wednesday of each month, and more than reasonable the rest of the time.

WHERE: 400 E. Commercial St., Willits, Recreation Grove Park and the Willits Rodeo Grounds.

MORE INFO: 707-459-2736, MendocinoMuseum.org

89 Willits Center for the Arts

The Willits Center for the Arts was created to support and showcase the local art scene in and around Willits, showcasing and supporting local and art-related activities. It holds locally-grown art shows monthly.

Work on renovating the historic 1926 Women’s Improvement Club building that would house the WCA began in 1993, and by 2000 the center was finally opened. Another milestone was reached in 2008 with the opening of the upstairs “Great Room,” which increased available exhibit space and provided a venue for music, physical arts and dance classes and performances, meetings, and celebrations.

The Willits Center for the Arts is open from 11am to 5pm, Friday through Sunday. An updated listing of current shows and events can be found on its website where you can also subscribe to their email newsletter.

WHERE: 71 E. Commercial St., Willits

MORE INFO: 707-459-1726, WillitsCenterForTheArts.org

90 Willits Community Theatre

Live theatre is a transformative experience. People who appreciate it flock to the Willits Community Theatre from all over Mendocino County and beyond to see and hear actors live and up close, and immerse themselves in the magic that occurs when performers and an audience intersect.

Established in 1977, the WCT is proud to present an annual season of new and classic plays every year, as well as ongoing concerts, dance performances and community events. It also offers its stage on a rental basis, collaborating with schools and other groups, and providing a venue for artists to audio and video record their shows in front of an artistically sophisticated live local audience.

WHERE: 37 W. Van Ln., Willits

MORE INFO: 707-459-0895, WillitsTheatre.org

91 Historic Skunk Train

Since 1885 California’s renowned Skunk Train has been transporting passengers along the world-famous Redwood Route. The views on this scenic stretch of track are nearly the same as they would have been more than a century ago — the result of visionary forest stewardship and a dedication to the natural wonder of the redwoods. Some of the trees along the route are more than 1,000 years old, and reach more than 300 feet tall. They have awed passengers both young and old riding on the back of the Skunk for generations, and remain as delightful today as they were for those first riders.

The train offers two points of departure — from the iconic fishing town of Fort Bragg on the stunning Mendocino Coast, and from the inland city of Willits, nestled among the redwoods and sweeping hills of the 101 corridor.

From Willits you’ll travel up to the summit of the line and through a historic tunnel, then down miles of curving track deep into the heart of the Noyo River Canyon. Here you’ll be surrounded by towering redwoods, and will make a stop at historic Crowley, underneath the shade of the iconic Wolf Tree.

Wherever you choose as your point of departure, you’ll experience the same great connection with a living, breathing piece of history, and discover the majesty of the California redwoods in a way unlike any other. The Skunk Train operates year-round, is child- and dog-friendly, and offers snacks and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) on board the train. Throughout the year there are seasonal event trains, and for most of December it transforms into the Magical Christmas Train, an experience featuring caroling, hot cocoa, an interactive story, and a visit from Santa Claus.

WHERE: (Depot) 299 E. Commercial St., Willits

MORE INFO: 707-964-6371, SkunkTrain.com

e vents & Fest I vals

• M ay: FFA Parade on Mother’s Day Weekend

• A ugust: Blackberry Festival

• S eptember: Round Valley Rodeo, Round Valley Indian Tribe’s “Indian Days”

• December: Lioness Club Christmas Bazaar

Ascenic turn off Hwy 101 northeast onto Route 162 will bring you to one of California’s prettiest pockets of nature. The drive takes you along the old Northwestern Pacific Railroad and the ancient waters of the Eel River into a land that Native Americans venerate to this day. Covelo and the Round Valley, with its breathtaking mountains, the majestic Eel River, and groves of conifers and valley oaks, offer a rare glimpse of the wilderness to share and remember. The air is fresh, crisp and clean, and the view is literally panoramic.

The oldest known inhabitants of Round Valley were members of the Native American Yuki tribe, who lived there for thousands of years. Tragically, in the late 1850s they were driven onto a small remnant of their land that had been designated an Indian reservation, and eventually seven other California tribes were forcibly relocated there as well.

Over the past century, the area around the reservation became populated with small settlements. Industry did pass through briefly, but today the natural beauty of the landscape is essentially unscathed, as over time many of the scars slowly healed. Even the old railroad line with its turn-of-the-century designed trestles and tunnels now seems almost a natural work of art. Today the little town of Covelo at the middle of Round Valley is a unique cultural enclave set in the heart of the natural world. Close to half of its population are Native Americans. The town has a vibrant artistic community and a Community Radio Station, KYBU 96.9 FM. With a large number of talented artists who specialize in many different media including ceramics, basket-making, drumming, photography, painting, Japanese textiles, quilting and sculpture, Covelo is one of the most culturally rich and artistically exciting towns in Mendocino County. It is an exceptional place to stop for gallery-browsing and purchasing unique local items.

92 Scenic Drive to Covelo

(see page 76 for more on Mendocino National Forest)

Ten miles north of Willits, State Route 162 runs east from Hwy 101. Known at that point as Covelo Road, it meanders through the Mendocino National Forest all the way to Glenn County and Willows. It is one the most beautiful back roads in California. A 45-minute drive over its first 30 miles will take you from Hwy 101 through Dos Rios and on to Covelo. You will travel back to the past and into the heart of unspoiled nature. Your odyssey will follow the tracks of the historic Northwestern Pacific Railroad with its majestic tunnels, trestles and tracks cutting through the hills and river canyons. Opened in 1914, with its final run in the 1990s, the NWP railroad that once ran the length of the Eel River from Willits to Eureka is itself a man-made wonder. Built by hard-working, mostly immigrant labor at the turn of the century, it is a remarkable sight. The remaining glory of the railroad invokes a sense of history and nostalgia for a time no longer here.

Covelo Road will transport you through mixed conifer forests, oak woodlands, grass glades, canyons and wet meadows. In fall and winter, the forests and the majestic Eel River are the stars of the journey. The road follows the course of both the main branch of the Eel and its middle fork for a time. See a wild, natural waterway in motion, waxing and waning through the seasons, perpetually refreshing. In spring and summer, California poppies, penstemon, shooting stars, wild iris, Indian paintbrush, dogwood, wild lilac and several varieties of lupine steal the show with breathtaking explosions of color. Go for it — head for Covelo and an outdoor experience you’ll never forget!

93 Black Butte River Ranch

Covelo’s Full Service Supermarket & Deli

Just 14 miles east of Covelo, “where the pavement ends,” lies the secluded and magnificent Black Butte River Ranch. This 14-acre facility is minutes from great swimming holes on the Eel River and the wilds of the Mendocino National Forest. The ranch offers full hookup RV sites, tent camping and rustic cabins along the Black Butte River. A Country Store, a barbecue featuring local grass fed beef, and showers and a laundromat are all on site. Bring your horse; Black Butte River Ranch provides 9 paddocks and 7 acres of pasture. Recreational opportunities abound, including camping, hiking, backpacking, rafting, kayaking, hunting, fishing, nature study, mushroom hunting, photography and off-highway vehicle travel. Black Butte River Ranch is available for weddings and events.

You’ll find mountains of fresh fruit and vegetables, a large selection of organic & natural items, wines, nuts and sweets, a full service deli, the best smoked meats in Mendocino County, and great cheeses, & beer.

The Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness to the north provides the experience of deep mountain forests and swift rivers. Mendocino National Forest is located only 6 miles from the Ranch. Rainbow trout, salmon and steelhead can be found there in over 300 miles of streams and 2,000 acres of lakes and ponds. The changing elevations in this wilderness offer a wide variety of outdoor conditions.

WHERE: 34985 Etsel Ridge Rd., Covelo MORE INFO: 707-983-9438, BlackButteRiverRanch.com

94 The Blackberry Festival

The 40th annual Round Valley Blackberry Festival is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, August 19 and 20, 2023, at the Blackberry Festival grounds in Covelo. Organized by a committee of the Friends of the Round Valley Public Library and sponsored by more than a dozen local businesses and groups of volunteers, the festival features arts and crafts booths, kids’ activities, blackberry delicacies, Mendocino wine tasting, a climbing wall and live music both days. Admission is free.

The grounds include a large wisteria-covered, semi-circular arbor with a bandstand in the middle, both originally built for the first festival in 1983. The wisteria arbor was renewed in 2018 thanks to generous donations of redwood lumber.

Inspired by the delicious blackberries that grow all around Round Valley, the event was begun in order to provide an outlet for local citizens to sell their handiwork, to boost the Round Valley economy by promoting tourism, and to unite the people of Round Valley in a common cause.

WHERE: Festival grounds are located at the corner of Main and Grange Streets, in the park of the historic Round Valley Flour Mill in Covelo.

MORE INFO: RoundValleyBlackberryFestival.com