About Us
Forest Overview
![[Photograph] Snow covered ridge.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090118050235im_/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/images/snow-ridge.jpg)
Grindstone Ranger District has both the highest and lowest points on the Forest
(Mount Linn, in the Yolla Bolly - Middle Eel Wilderness at 8092 feet and Grindstone
Creek at 720 feet as it leaves the Forest). It also shares the other two Districts'
highest points.
Covelo Ranger District's highest point is Solomon Peak (7581 feet) in the Yolla Bolly - Middle Eel Wilderness on the District Boundary with Grindstone Ranger District; the lowest points are at 1480 feet, where the Middle Fork Eel and Black Butte Rivers leave the Forest near their confluence.
Upper Lake Ranger District's highest point is Snow Mountain West (7038 feet) in the Snow Mountain Wilderness, on the District Boundary with Grindstone Ranger District; the lowest point is 1480 feet, where Elk Creek leaves the Forest.
The waters of the Mendocino flow to the Pacific Ocean, westward through the Eel River system, and eastward through the Sacramento River system to San Francisco Bay.
![[Photograph] Wildflowers.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090118050235im_/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/images/wildflowers.jpg)
All of the Ranger Districts have a wide variety of wildflowers
that bloom at various times through spring and summer: California
poppy, penstemon, shooting stars, wild iris, milkweed, Indian
paintbrush, buttercups, dogwood, wild lilac, and many varieties
of lupine. Vegetation types include mixed conifer forests,
oak woodlands and savannah, chaparral, annual and perennial
grass glades, and wet meadows.
The Districts also share many species of wildlife in common, including black-tailed deer, black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, skunk, jackrabbits, oppossum, badger, gray squirrel, ground squirrel, rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, lizards, toads, pacific tree frog, quail, wild turkey, blue grouse, golden eagle, spotted owl, goshawk, prairie falcon, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, turkey buzzard, scrub jays, woodpeckers and a variety of migratory water and song birds. Upper Lake Ranger District has a small population of tule elk. Salmon and steelhead spawn in streams of the Covelo and Upper Lake Ranger Districts, and rainbow trout, western pond turtle, and yellow-legged frog live in and around many of the streams of each of the three Districts.
Lake Pillsbury, the only sizable lake on the Mendocino National Forest, is a popular attraction on Upper Lake Ranger District. Howard and Hammerhorn Lakes on Covelo Ranger District, and Letts and Plaskett Lakes on Grindstone Ranger District range in size from 3 to 13 acres, and are locally popular for camping and fishing. Yolla Bolly - Middle Eel Wilderness is shared by the Covelo and Grindstone Ranger Districts, and Snow Mountain Wilderness is shared by Grindstone and Upper Lake. Travel times to the major trail heads range from three to six hours from the San Francisco Bay Area, including one to two hours on dirt roads. Both Grindstone and Upper Lake Ranger Districts manage a system of off-highway vehicle trails that are recognized by users and environmentalists as a model for quality, environmentally sound Off-Highway Vehicle recreation.
![[Link]: The U.S. government's official
web portal.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090118050235im_/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/images/usagov_logo.jpg){kind=logo}
![[Printer]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090118050235im_/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/local-common/images/print/print.gif){kind=small}