Land

The Land

Location & Surrounding Area

Avalon Springs is located in the rolling hills of Northern California’s Lake County, two and a half hours northeast of San Francisco, and two hours northwest of Sacramento, just north of Calistoga and the Napa Valley wine country. We are on Big Canyon Road, near Middletown, nine miles north of the turnoff to Harbin Springs Road. Hot springs and clear clean spring water abound in this area, and there are many successful hot springs resorts nearby including hotels and spas in nearby Calistoga, and Harbin Hot Springs, which is twenty minutes from Avalon. The resort occupancy of this area is running at a rate well above the average California resort industry. The Northern Napa and Southern Lake County area is reaching average occupancy rates above 75%, pointing to the fact that this area is the growing edge of Bay Area development. This bodes well for the development of an eco-retreat operation like Avalon. The entire Southern Lake County area around Middletown is growing fast. Big Canyon Creek Falls

Interest in building sustainable intentional communities is also expanding. Since the beginning of Avalon’s visioning process was made public in the last year, several groups looking to build intentional communities have identified the green meadows and lush oak forests in Big Canyon, Avalon’s neighborhood, as potential community sites, in order to collaborate and connect with the Avalon Springs project. The Vision for Avalon now includes networking and collaborating with other related projects with the vision of establishing a sustainably developed region steeped in permaculture and community living.

Our 318 acres of beautiful hilltop land engages two bioclimactic zones, hosting both live oak and pine forest. Of the 318 acres, 80 acres are zoned for commercial resort development.

After two years of extensive due diligence and after living on the land for one year, we have completed the purchase of our land as of September 5th, 2007.

The Waters

The waters that enliven this land are truly magical. The bubbling spirit of the waters is felt coursing underground throughout Avalon Springs. One of the first items of business in the remodel is to bring these waters up above ground again to allow them to flow through the property as gurgling streams.

There are ten natural springs on the property, including seven springs with drinkable mineral water and three hot springs for soaking. Each spring has a unique combination of mineral components. One drinking spring contains Lithium, a mood elevator commonly used to treat Manic-Depressive Disorder. Other springs include a bubbly iron soda drinking spring, a Magnesium spring for digestive aid, and other mineral combinations in each of the seven

The hottest spring on the property comes out of the ground at 112 degrees. As it fills the bubbling hot bath in the bath house, it cools to a delightful 109 degrees. The 99-degree “goddess bath” contains Boron, a natural skin softening spa treatment. Each of the soaking baths that already exist on the land is built directly over the rock from which the water exudes. As you stand in the hot pool on the wooden slats that cover the rock below, the bubbles you feel tickling up your legs are ascending directly from deep in the Earth.

Springs Location Map

The Beauty

The land of Avalon Springs commands panoramic views beyond Big Canyon’s wooded valleys and into the Mayacamas Mountains. The wind blows soft and steady from the ocean across the tops of the foothills to the West. A majestic rock face stands guard over the Special Events site.

The retreat center is shaded in the hot summer months by the hilltop we call our Torr, which sits on the south side of the property. The community site across the road from the retreat center, with its large open meadows ready for organic gardens, commands beautiful views over the neighboring valleys and wineries.

The spirit of this land is welcoming, calming, and delightful. The summers are hot and sunny, and the winters cool and wet. The seasons are alive here. The waters run year round, offering a constant reminder of the sweetness of life, and the abundance of the Earth.