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Traveling along the South Fork Smith Road you first cross the Middle Fork Smith and then cross the South Fork before heading southeast to Rock Creek Ranch. Within the first mile, you won’t see the river much because it is dancing through the South Fork Gorge -- a narrow steep walled fish “refuge” that is off limits to fishing. The Ranch is located eight miles beyond the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Smith, in the heart of the Smith River National Recreation Area. There was no road in the 1930’s when the original owner of Rock Creek Ranch first arrived by trail over the Little Bald Hills. Drawn by the beauty, fishing and solitude, George Owen Knapp built the present day Ranch house and a lodge that was used until the river swept it away in 1955. Knapp was a wealthy, retired industrialist, and a philanthropist. He financed the first modern hospital to be built in Del Norte County. In May 2002, the Alliance acquired Rock Creek Ranch from Ralph and Dorothy Hollingsworth, who were both active and volunteered widely in the community. The Alliance is has continued that community spirit with many cooperative projects both on and off the property including youth camps, community education programs, and retreats. Rock Creek Ranch provides a place where visitors can withdraw from the busy world for inspiration and renewal. The summer season offers retreats, slide shows, youth camps and workshops. Additional programs at the Ranch are under development.
The fifteen-acre property has a significant amount of Smith River frontage. This section of the South Fork includes both rapids and deep pools. The site is level and with a mature tree cover and easy river access at several locations. RCR facilities include a fully furnished three bedroom/two bathroom house, garage, power plant, garden and orchard. The ranch house has a very large (and new) deck. The property also has a state-of-the art composting toilet, which serves visitors and campers that use the beautiful riverside terrace at the upstream end of the property. A covered Outdoor Use Area is under construction at this location. Remnants of the old lodge are located adjacent to a magnificent pool. Vegetation around the original lodge foundation has been cleared to enable this inspiring site to serve as an impromptu amphitheater and outdoor classroom. The balance of the property includes an orchard, garden, and trees and shrubs native to the watershed. Smith River National Recreation Area Six Rivers National Forest lies east of Redwood State and National Parks in northwestern California, and stretches southward from the Oregon border for about 140 miles. It encompasses 957,590 National Forest acres and 133,410 acres of other ownership. Smith River National Recreation Area and Orleans, Lower Trinity, and Mad River Ranger Districts make up the Forest. It forms a long, narrow land section, stretching from the Oregon border on the north to Mendocino County on the south. The Six Rivers National Forest was established by President Truman on June 3, 1947, from parts of the Siskiyou, Klamath, and Trinity National Forests. 450 square miles of the Smith River watershed land in the Six Rivers National Forest was designated as a National Recreation Area in 1990 for protection of wild and scenic rivers, ecological diversity and recreation opportunities while providing for sustained productivity of natural resources. Overall, the Act specifically prohibits new mining claims, greatly restricts timber harvest to a specific management zone and is prohibited in streamside protection zones/inner gorge areas -- generally one quarter mile on either side of listed rivers unless erosion hazard areas are present and then the protection zone is enlarged, and provides for improving salmon and steelhead fisheries. Click the left-side links on this page to learn more about Rock Creek Ranch and to view our useful Resources pages. Smith River Alliance © 2004-2007 Smith River Alliance |
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