Restorative Glamping at Tobacco River Ranch

When Karl Kassler and his father purchased 450 acres just west of downtown Eureka 30 years ago where they began a hay growing operation, the banks along the Tobacco River were collapsing, it had little native vegetation left, and elk and bear populations bypassed the region due to previous mining and railroad operations.

But after two years of a mile-long river restoration project, the waterway meanders once again, native grasses and cottonwoods have been planted, thousands of trees have been thinned on 100 acres and last year Kassler and his partner, Nikki Eisinger, launched Tobacco River Glamping on the property.

Featuring five cabins and two Airstream trailers near the river, guests can enjoy the newly regenerated ecosystem with views of the Canadian Rockies. The cabins are built with repurposed wood from historic Forest Service cabins and logging bunkhouses and Kassler recently finished building an A-frame made with Oregon cedar wood. Other cabins include The Logger and The Ranch Hand, which was originally a single logging bunkhouse from J Neils Lumber Company that resided on the property when Kassler purchased it.

The property also has a community kitchen equipped with a shower, a washer and dryer and a stove, which is also available for guests in the winter.

While most of the cabins only accommodate one to two beds, Kassler and Eisinger are currently building a space that can sleep larger families and will eventually host workshops and yoga classes in a former Forest Service bunkhouse that was originally in Rexford.

“Nikki’s enterprise in this is glamping and my vision for this is to become an artistic and educational center where people have a place to get together,” Kassler said. “Like-minded folks can do retreats or have workshops and classes.”

State land borders the area and the Pacific Northwest Rails-to-Trails runs through the property, which leads to downtown Eureka. About 200 head of cattle from a neighboring ranch graze the land, contributing to the property’s restoration by providing weed and species management.

In addition to cattle, a few canines and a herd of Nigerian goats also roam the property, however they are usually at the tail of Eisinger and Kassler.

“We’ve just had a lot of fun being stewards of the land and really seeing the benefit and results of the river restoration, flora and fauna and the fish species seem to be responding well,” Kassler said.

Kassler and Eisinger see native bull trout on occasion and the kokanee salmon come up the river in the fall.

“The salmon were so thick last year, you could walk across them,” Eisinger said.

Kassler says the two-year restoration project brought together multiple stakeholders from state agencies like the Department of Natural Resource Conservation, the Department of Environmental Quality, who awarded grants, the Lincoln County Conservation District, local property owners and more.

“It was a major operation,” Kassler said. “Just picture huge piles of gravel and dirt.”

The property serves as a model restoration project, and Kassler and Eisinger try to mentor others about the Tobacco River tributary.

“There’s sort of an integrative approach to his whole thing and we did educational outreach in the local community,” Kassler said. “We’ve planted native grasses and wildflowers and we’ve worked with local agents here. We’re just doing our best to foster good stewardship of this property.”

For more information, visit www.tobaccoriverranch.com.