8 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents5 acres · Hidden Valley Lake, LakePeaceful 5 acre private mountaintop (possibly an extinct volcanic cone) with true 360 degree views of 4,000 to 7,000 foot mountains all around in every direction.
Each of our 7 sites and glamping yurts spaced apart on hilltop 5 acres has an ever-changing view. Our views span from Mt. St. Helena in Napa Valley, East and Sunrise, to the twinkling lights of ranches and green grassy golf courses of Hidden Valley lake below to Mount Harbin the geysers erupting over Anderson Springs, Bottle Rock and Cobb Mountain, and the distant peak of Mt. Konocti rising above Clearlake.
Pet friendly comfort camping with the comforts of home. The Hidden Knoll is kind of a hybrid between Bed and Breakfast lodging and DIY camping with the shared amenities you'd expect in a B and B. Your dog can go off leash while you are here, and we have an 8 x 15 foot fenced kennel with a sun deck perch for your pet.
"People" will appreciate comforts like a 3 by 5 foot walk in hot stone tiled shower with aromatherapy bath products by EO, (and solar outside shower and cold plunge in the Summer).
The Camp Kitchen in a shed has everything a camper might need, tea kettle and complimentary local roast Taylor coffee and Numi herbal teas, and delicious carbon-filtered mineral water from our well.
You can relax, barbecue and get work done with wifi in a huge 30 foot pine pergola, with patio heater in the Winter -- and fans and misters in Summer.
Our romantic luxury 200 square foot/5 meter Stout canvas "glamping" yurt on a huge private site with fire circle takes the hassle out of camping -- just show up and roll into a comfortable queen sized bed with flannel sheets, two duvets, fur rugs, and electric heated mattress pads. We just added a wood stove, rain fly, porch awning and thick coconut coir carpeting for Winter.
Just 5 miles from Harbin Hot Springs (available by reservation on a day pass), 1 mile from golf, 5 miles from several swimmable and fishable lakes, like Lake Burgundy and Bordeaux, and walking distance to Hidden Valley Lake.
We are 5 miles from the up and coming Guenoc Valley wine appellation and several organic and biodynamic wineries and farm-to-table experiences to explore (usually with free tastings and tours and no hoity-toity Napa attitude.)
Meditation, yoga, Watsu massage, and sound healing experiences abound throughout this region, where San Franciscans have historically come to revitalize and restore their health in the dry, sunny climate and "take the waters" of geothermal mineral springs.
It's a beautiful drive here from the San Francisco Bay Area through Sonoma County and Napa Valley's Silverado Trail -- or a scenic detour off Highway 5 if you are coming South from Oregon or West from Sacramento over to the Mendocino or Sonoma coast via Highway 20.
Uncrowded dog-friendly walks, hiking and mountain biking all around, swimming holes, waterfalls and other un-Yelped, secret undiscovered treasures.
Clearlake is 20 minutes North, with 11 free boat launches and many places to rent stand up paddle boards and kayaks.
Lakeport has a charming lakefront stroll with galleries, local crafts, farm to table goods, premium local cannabis boutiques, brewpubs and exciting new restaurants.
Super charming creekside Kelseyville has an up and coming art, food, wine bar and microbrew scene.
Each campsite at the Hidden Knoll has different inspiring ever-changing views above the vines, ranches, and Native oak forests facing Mt. Saint Helena, the Mayacamas Mountains towards Calistoga and the clouds and mist of the Pacific Ocean and Sonoma Coast beyond.
Our MoonRise and Moon Dance sites face the moon rising over a ridge.
Manzanita and Oak Camp are quietest with the brightest stars and darkest sky.
The Oak Meadow campsites have a sunrise to sunset East to West view, filtered through a native oak forest and a big fenced space for dogs to run.
Sunrise Site faces sunrise East over Angwin, Napa Valley and Mt. St. Helena
Sunset Camp has the most stunning view of all--almost 300 degrees all around.
Our knoll is on the edge of wilderness, in an upscale residential/rural area, and has the benefits of being close to shopping and highways, yet with abundant wildlife and native forest.
All campsites have a view, Oak tree, a stone fire ring (in season), vintage teak or metal chairs/tables and access to:
- Camp kitchen stocked with everything a camper needs
- Solo type wood fired barbecue grill to use
- Electricity to charge devices
- Tasty filtered well water
- Community fire pergola/wood fired pizza oven)
- Hanging hammock chair/s
- Dining area with wifi and seating
- Complimentary tea, coffee and drinking water.
- Dog run - up to 3 hours while you soak in hot spring or golf
- 30 foot shade pergola with Edison lights and panoramic view
- Shared use of indoor bathroom with large stone tile shower and Eo essential oil bath products.
- "cowboy" plunge pool and solar shower, patio misters and ceiling fans in Summer
- 110 power and water available by request for your RV
COMFORTABLE GLAMPING
My partner and I have spent years traveling Earth, and camping and traveling in vans -- the camping we offer here at the Hidden Knoll is exactly what we always dreamed of but almost never found on our journey. The moment we saw this farm, we knew we were finally home. It's so close to conveniences--but also very private and feels like wilderness..
The Hidden Knoll's structures and landscape are uncluttered and what we call "Zen Modern Farmhouse" -- the 40 year old ranch was renovated by master craftspeople in typical wine country Modern Farmhouse style -- sparse, humble, simple, practical -- using repurposed and reclaimed materials due to the lack of outside design influences here.
The house had a dog run/kennel when we bought it, so we offer dog friendly camping. (Note: Use at your own risk, it has Some guests leave their pet in the kennel while they soak for a few hours at Harbin, as the resort does not allow pets. Dogs can also run off leash here, and they love it.
We have wifi, and a cell signal -- so you can work while you travel. You can clean up and get a hot shower. Cook a good meal with fresh, local ingredients--you can literally walk or bicycle to buy high quality, inexpensive groceries at two excellent stores and organic locally produced meat, bread, wine, honey and produce at a weekly farmer's market. Services are nearby so you can repair your rig -- a tire store, auto parts, hardware.
And you can even visit a hot spring or go swimming in a community pool, a natural lake or swimming hole.
My partner and I have spent years traveling Earth, and camping and traveling in vans -- the camping we offer here at the Hidden Knoll is exactly what we always dreamed of but never found on our journey. It's so close to conveniences--but also feels like wilderness nature.
The house had a dog run/kennel when we bought it, so we offer dog friendly camping. Some guests leave their pet in the kennel while they soak for a few hours at Harbin, as the resort does not allow pets. Dogs can also run off leash here, and they love it.
We have wifi, and a cell signal -- so you can work while you travel. You can clean up and get a hot shower. Cook a good meal with fresh, local ingredients--you can literally walk or bicycle to buy high quality, inexpensive groceries at two excellent stores and organic locally produced meat, bread, wine, honey and produce at a weekly farmer's market. Services are nearby so you can repair your rig -- a tire store, auto parts, hardware.
And you can even visit a hot spring or go swimming in a community pool, a natural lake or swimming hole.
TRUE 360 VIEW
A rare 360 view on a knoll top -- you can see the Sunrise, Moon Rise and Sunset from various points on the land.
LAKES EVERYWHERE
There are 11 free places to launch a boat on nearby Clearlake. (You can rent a kayak). And several other small (clean enough to swim and fish in) lakes within 5 miles.
WARM DRY MICROCLIMATE
Lake County has historically been a retreat from San Francisco's damp coastal fog. The mountain range and 4700 foot pass over Mt. St. Helena blocks the coastal fog and sea air, creating a dry, warm microclimate isolated from the Bay Area, geographically and culturally.
We are astonished that we're usually above the frost and mist of the valley, with frequent sunny days in the 60s, even in December!
The air is crystal clear on most days, (cleanest air in California) and due to the absence of street lights, stars are bright, guests say they see the Milky Way with their bare eyes on New Moon.
My partner and I have spent years traveling Earth, and camping and traveling in vans -- the camping we offer here at the Hidden Knoll is exactly what we always dreamed of but never found on our journey. It's so close to conveniences--but also feels like wilderness nature.
The house had a dog run/kennel when we bought it, so we offer dog friendly camping. Some guests leave their pet in the kennel while they soak for a few hours at Harbin, as the resort does not allow pets. Dogs can also run off leash here, and they love it.
We have wifi, and a cell signal -- so you can work while you travel. You can clean up and get a hot shower. Cook a good meal with fresh, local ingredients--you can literally walk or bicycle to buy high quality, inexpensive groceries at two excellent stores and organic locally produced meat, bread, wine, honey and produce at a weekly farmer's market. Services are nearby so you can repair your rig -- a tire store, auto parts, hardware.
And you can even visit a hot spring or go swimming in a community pool, a natural lake or swimming hole.
EV ACCESSIBLE
If you have an EV, you will appreciate that most RVs can get here from San Francisco round trip without a tedious recharge--95 miles each way.
There is an EV charging station at the Twin Pines Casino, as well as inexpensive gas here -- $1 a gallon less than you will find in the Bay Area.
HAVE YOU DISCOVERED CALIFORNIA'S "SECRET WINE COUNTRY?"
California's remote and little visited Lake County is somewhere in between the Wine Country, Sonoma County and the Mendocino Coast and only 2 hours North of the San Francisco Bay Area or West of Sacramento.
The dry, sunny climate, on the 39th Parallel North, ideal for growing grapes, is similar to other beautiful grape growing climates at this latitude, like Crete, Ibiza, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Sardinia, Turkey and Mongolia.
MYSTIC VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE
In the Pacific Ring of Fire, the landscape often reminds me of the Big Island of Hawaii, or upland Maui. The volcanic landscape has active geothermal and hot springs, and a potent spiritual power much like Hawaii, Sedona or Mt. Shasta.
The red volcanic soils create a unique fertility and character and enable a wider variety of grapes than Napa Valley.
Lake County has a long wine history that dates back to the 1850s when early settlers first began planting vineyards, which flourished in Lake County’s Mediterranean microclimates and soil rich in volcanic ash.
In the 1870s, acres of vines were planted by visionaries such as Serranus C. Hastings, the founder of Hastings Law School. In 1888, acclaimed British actress Lillie Langtry purchased 4,190 acres in Guenoc Valley (five miles from us) which included vineyards that had been planted in 1854.
But due to the isolation of the steep mountains, Lake County has remained isolated and iconoclastic, less concerned with the outside world. Many businesses here still only take cash.
Many locals are third generation farmers. The food here is amazing -- including local wine, honey, pears, grass fed beef, pastured eggs, olive oil, saffron, microbrew beer, and bread.
If cannabis is your thing -- there are legal dispensaries with some of the finest sun grown and organic on Earth.
There is an Italian and Mexican heritage -- so you will find wood-fired pizza, Mexican food and markets, and locally baked French bread and pastries--as well as old fashioned American wood grilled barbecue and roadside smokehouses.
There are few chain stores--most businesses are locally owned.
EPICENTER OF CALIFORNIA'S NEW AGE
According to legend, a network of seven points of spiritual power forms a ring around Harbin Hot Springs, giving people who tap into their arcane energies the power to dream, see visions, and reach “between the worlds.”
This is a dormant volcanic region, and one of the most active geothermal regions on Earth. It's possible that this land is one of those points. And we invite you to decide for yourself.
The red volcanic soil has an energy that feels clear yet still -- much like the power points and vortices in Sedona.
The volcanic field, part of the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, contains seven volcanic vents from 10,000 to 2.5 million years old. The Xa-Ben-Na-Po Band of Pomo Indians inhabited the region as many as 12,000 years ago – 4,000 years before Egyptian civilization.
In 1874, steamers began ferrying locals and tourists from town to town around Clearlake. Hotels and retreats were built at a feverish pace throughout the region, prospering even though the Clear Lake Railroad never made it to Lake County, keeping the region isolated. By the 1880s, the hills were dotted with luxurious resorts built around mineral springs.
Wealthy visitors from San Francisco and celebrities frequented the resorts, traveling to “take the waters” and indulge in lavish parties at establishments such as Hoberg’s Resort. It is believed that the 1906 earthquake caused many of the hot springs to stop, slow down, or go underground because most springs changed around that time and in the years that followed, fires destroyed most of the resorts that remained.
Due to abundant geothermal activity and deep springs of varying temperatures and mineral content, there remains a century long history of hot spring spas and yoga/meditation retreats here.
A spiritual community grew around several intentional communities -- including Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement, at (now defunct) Hobergs Resort.
There are still thousands of devotees here of Vipassana, Osho, and the guru Adidam's oldest Sanctuary, The Mountain Of Attention. Hare Krishna have recently restored Mandala Springs on Cobb Mountain.
This area was integral to the birth of the Human Potential Movement, and the Human Awareness Institute, the invention of several styles of bodywork, including Harold Dull's underwater Watsu massage, the early roots of veganism and the "Blue Zone" diet in Angwin -- and even the early work of Dr. Timothy Leary at Harbin Hot Springs.
We fell deeply in love with Lake County, the people and this land, and are excited to share it with you.
A BIT RURAL, A BIT SUBURBAN
We are on the grid with lights twinkling in the distance and nearby roads, restaurants and stores -- but are also on the edge of wilderness.
Due to abundant food sources for wildlife at the Hidden Knoll and in the surrounding wilderness we have soaring hawks, raven, black tail deer, rabbit, wild turkey, quail, tule elk, migrating bald eagle, egret, duck, osprey, bats, owl, hummingbirds, bees, lizards and butterflies.
At sunrise, you hear roosters and goats from neighboring ranches in the distance. At night, when it's warm, symphonies of cicadas and crickets.
MICROCLIMATE
Autumn brings Fall colors, new green grass, and temperatures in the 60s in daytime, 40s at night. Winter has sunshine and very rarely snow.
The Hidden Knoll is in a microclimate above the frost of the valley -- usually brilliant sunshine with vivid blue skies, but sometimes we get fog and mist and are in a cloud forest.
We're just getting started. Bear with us as we learn how to host, improve the property and grow from your feedback.