About the Land

The Smith River National Recreation Area makes up part of the million-acre Six Rivers National Forest, of which we are about in the middle of. It's a rugged landscape, densely forested, often with steep embankments filled with Douglas Fir, Madrone, Chinkapin Oak and Tan Oak and other hardwoods and pines. The forested mountainsides present opportunities for bird watching, wildflower walks, and hiking. There are old logging roads and miles of pristine (forest service) trails to explore.

World-class fishing opportunities present for steelhead, salmon and trout nearby on the Smith River, california's only undammed water system. Especially during the summer months, the pure, clear waters of the Smith River are also great for swimming, tubing, and whitewater rafting.

The redwood forests are close, too , about 15 miles away, with some of the world's tallest old-growth trees.  The redwoods are amazing.  Return of the Jedi was filmed at Jedediah Smith Redwood Park, because, I suppose, it's an otherworldly experience.  The Pacific Ocean is approximately a 45 minute drive.

Native food sources (that we've found so far) include mushrooms, huckleberries and fish galore. Game is abundant for meat eaters. On site water is plentiful, the Little Jones Creek (tributary to the Smith), smaller streams, and ground springs are easily accessible on property.

The climate is subtropical rainforest with very enjoyable, long, sunny, dry, moderate to hot summers then (suddenly) heavy rains in our eight weeks of winter (usually some limited, light, transient, snow). We will easily capture an entire year's water requirements with catchment systems alone.
(See Weather/Conditions for more details)

Nearby Population Centers are (in order of proximity) Cave Junction, Oregon (27 miles), Crescent City, CA (32 miles), Grants Pass, OR (52 miles), Eureka, CA (66 miles) and Medford/Ashland, OR (82 miles)