When entering the national forest the road becomes Forest Highway 7 (FH 7). FH 7 is maintained by the U.S. Forest Service as it continues across the Mendocino National Forest for approximately over Mendocino Pass (), which is closed in winter due to heavy snowfall. The highest point on the road () is just north of Black Butte and about NW of Copper City. It is roughly along the unpaved road to Alder Springs, which is inside the Mendocino National Forest in Glenn County. Alder Springs is the location of the Alder Springs GASB site, which is part of the Consolidated Reporting of Earthquakes and Tsunamis (CREST) network run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). State Route 162 resumes near Alder Springs and it is from there to Willows. Along the way, SR 162 crosses Stoney Creek and runs east paralleling Nye Creek. Seven miles west () of Willows is Thunderhill Raceway Park. At Willows, SR 162 passes the Willows-Glenn County Airport and crosses Interstate 5.