
Southeast
Mendocino National Forest: Mapping California's Remote Protected Mountain Landscape
Examining wilderness boundaries and rugged coastal terrain
Mendocino National Forest serves as a significant protected area in California, known for being the only national forest in the state without major paved access. Its terrain spans 913,000 acres of mountain peaks, deep river canyons, and old-growth conifer forests. Home to the unique tule elk population at Lake Pillsbury, this landscape provides a rare example of wilderness isolation, complex geothermal features, and rugged, largely untouched northern coastal topography.
- Area
- 3,696.02 km²
- Established
- 1907
- Relief
- Mountain
- Climate
- Mediterranean




