Gallery: Jack London State Historic Park

“I hope you brought an extra pair of shoes," Cedric told me as I clambered into a creaking Ford Ranger with a fading State Parks decal emblazoned on the side. "It's really muddy out there." 

Last month, I paid a visit to Jack London State Park to check out a project by the Bay Area Trail Crew and the California Conservation Corps. An unusually wet winter meant the crew had to deal with an abundance of mud. Before heading down the trail, we passed the CCC camp, where a lattice of boardwalking navigated the slop.

While the trail was a muddy mess when I visited, it has since been resurfaced and compacted, encouraging drainage and sheet flow. The crew built timber bridges, rock retaining walls, and armoring to further manage water. 

This is how the sausage is made. A finished trail typically hides the mess-making that happens in the process. Scroll through the gallery to see both the mid-process mud and the finished product. 

California Conservation Corpsmembers drive toters of shale to finish tread surface.

A dry-stone retaining wall was constructed to widen the trail and stabilize.

Trail one month later, after drying and resurfacing.

Photo courtesy of Cedric Cunningham

A CCC Corpsmember navigates the mud with a toter.

Members of the California State Parks Bay Area District Crew. Left to right: Edison Martel, Joseluis Blaza, and Cedric Cunningham.

Views of Sonoma Wine Country from the Vineyard Trail.

CA State Parks Crew Member Edison Martel.

Trail one month later, after drying and resurfacing.

Photo courtesy of Cedric Cunningham

Supervisor Cedric Cunningham surveys the mud situation.

Trail one month later, after drying and resurfacing.

Photo courtesy of Cedric Cunningham

A section of dry-stone wall built by the State Parks Crew, featuring Cedric’s “Maker’s Mark” of a heart-shaped stone.

The CCC crew built some primitive boardwalks to navigate the mud around camp.

The California State Parks Bay Area Trail Crew.