Photos by Dani Padgett
The happiest place on earth
Tucked away in the horseshoe bend of Highway 172, just six miles southeast of Mineral, nature’s playground awaits. Mill Creek Resort is 13 wooded acres backed up to endless wandering opportunities in the Lassen National Forest. A young girl who visits every year was asked if she would rather visit Mill Creek Resort or Disneyland? Her reply, “Mill Creek Resort…a 100%”. When she goes back to her hometown of Concord she can’t wait to tell her friends new stories from her happiest place on earth.
Parents and children find their own wild
This is exactly the kind of experience that Mill Creek Resort’s owners, Joseph and Jillian, strive to offer their guests. With only “light” cell service in the area, they hope people will come to their resort to tune into nature and disconnect from the interruptions of everyday life. Visiting children can enjoy a playground structure while their parents find their own wild among the sheltering Douglas fir, incense cedar, Jeffrey and Ponderosa pine, dogwood, maple, oak, and even five nonnative Sequoia trees.
Purchasing the Mill Creek Resort in 2017 was a lifestyle choice for Joseph and Jillian. Jillian had been working in the hospitality field in San Diego for years and Joseph was already handy in all things construction. Pair those skills with a love for the outdoors and the couple was the perfect match for the resort’s needs. The couple, with their eight-month-old daughter, Sonora, own and operate nine cabins, an RV park, and a 20-site campground.
Many families created this magical place
The young family still can’t believe the scope and beauty of their “backyard.” Jillian feels privileged to be raising their daughter in such a stimulating environment. Sonora interacts, from a safe distance, with people from all over the world and also with the wildlife that frequent the property. Jillian is thankful for the families who came before them, similarly raising their kids at the resort and helping to create such a magical place.
The Mill Creek Resort lodge, built by E.J. and Hank Foster in 1935, is nestled among almost 120 private summer homes that started popping up in the 1920s. “Mill Creek Summer Home Tract” is a collection of cabin histories that offers a lot of information about Mill Creek proper. These cabins were built on Lassen National Forest property and were initially distributed by a lottery system. The first lot was awarded to Dr. Godbolt, a dentist from the Sacramento Valley.
During those early development years, the Fosters were instrumental in setting up the area’s water system, which collected spring water in a reservoir before feeding into cast-iron pipes above ground. Another founding family included Terry and Georgene Neher and her parents, Gene and Georgia Litzler. The Nehers moved onsite with their 4-year-old daughter, Kelly, who was soon joined by a younger brother, Jake. Jake’s birth brought the permanent population in Mill Creek to 12. Joseph and Jillian credit the Nehers for creating the resort environment that continues today.
Open in January, possibly February, and again in May
Joseph and Jillian’s cozy, rustic cabins will be open the month of January and possibly into February before closing for the 2021 winter season. Look for them to reopen in May. The cost for these adorable, functional cabins ranges from $120 to 165. Feel free to access the winter wonderland in the area anytime for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling. Personally, I will be looking forward to May and one of their famous hamburgers!
In the 2021 season, Jillian and Joseph hope to plan more educational opportunities, like the star-gazing dinner they hosted this year with farm-to-table foods. One fun idea is for a wild foraging class. They also hope to keep incorporating local food at their restaurant in their efforts to support local farmers and families. Keep a lookout for their Father’s Day Arts & Craft Show in June.
Rediscover the art of downtime in nature
Joseph and Jillian are beckoning you to leave the chaos of 2020 behind and rediscover the lost art of downtime in nature. Wake up your playful side as you follow their signs in the meadow…” adventure awaits” and “all who wander are not lost.” Mill Creek Resort would love to add you to their list of repeat customers.
While reading the history of the Mill Creek cabins, I noticed a cabin owner, Jerry Cleek, who agreed with Joseph and Jillian’s young guest from Concord. Jerry said, “Mill Creek is my favorite place on earth–one step above Disneyland.”
I’ll venture to say that the mental health benefits of play, movement, and “going wild” in the crisp, mountain air of Mill Creek are simply beyond compare.
Posted in: This is Tehama
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Mill Creek Resort is now officially on my list to visit when the snow stops flying! The journalist who wrote this article quickly drew me in, peeking my interest immediately with her enthusiasm! New horizons already await with the new year! Sincerely, Christine Favor, Red Bluff, CA.