DEEP Wild

Birch Creek Arts & Ecology Center

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Trillium Farm

TELAV

Historic Trillium Farm


Historic Trillium House, circa 1902


Trillium Farm’s Location and Setting

        Located in the eastern Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, Trillium is located approximately 10 miles north of the California border.  It is slightly less than an hour drive from the small cities of Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass.  Trillium sits in a “banana belt” microclimate with warmer, sunnier winters than most of the surrounding areas, making the location excellent for organic gardening and year-round retreats.  Four distinct seasons feature a luxuriantly green springtime, long hot summers, colorful autumns brilliant with the turning of deciduous trees, and mild winters with just enough snow to remind us of the season.

        Trillium lies deep in the canyon of the Little Applegate River at its confluence with Birch Creek, and between two roadless areas that have been nominated for wilderness protection, and are part of the proposed 21,200 acre Dakubetede Primitive Backcountry Area.  The surrounding landscape supports a complex mosaic of ecosystems, including old-growth conifer forest, oak woodland, diverse shrublands, extensive dry grasslands, and wet meadows.  Trails at Trillium link with over 30 miles of hiking trails on the surrounding federal land, surrounded by pristine mountains up to 5,200 feet in elevation.  The Siskiyou crest rises at the head of the Little Applegate watershed, where the Pacific Crest Trail weaves between several peaks above 7,000 feet in elevation.

        Topographically, Trillium is blessed by a unique arrangement of mountains and canyons. The Little Applegate River canyon runs east-west, brining in lots of sunlight from early morning into the evening.  Birch Creek canyon opens to the south, providing the sweet little valley with a southern exposure that fills with sunshine during sunny winter days.  Surrounding mountains often create a local zone of high pressure, ensuring many sunny days while other areas nearby are cloaked with clouds or filled with fog.

        Within a few hours’ drive of Trillium are many natural attractions such as Crater Lake National Park, Cascade Siskiyou and Oregon Caves National Monuments, and the soaring volcanoes of the Cascade Range, including 14,000-foot Mt. Shasta.  Further east lie the high deserts, and westward, the road to the coast passes through Smith River National Recreation Area and Redwood National Park.  The tangled geology of this Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion is carved by several world class Wild and Scenic Rivers including the Rogue, Klamath, California Salmon, Umpqua, Illinois, Chetco, Trinity, and Smith. Interstate Highway 5 provides scenic access to distant cities: 5 hours north to Portland or south to Sacramento.

        The town of choice for shopping, social life, and outside employment is beautiful Ashland, a small city of about 25,000 nestled in a long narrow valley where the Siskiyou and Cascade Mountains collide.  Ashland, a university and arts town, hosts Southern Oregon University and the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  The city also operates its own snow board/ski area on 7,545-foot Mt. Ashland, highest peak in the Siskiyous.

        At 22 miles distant, the closest town to Trillium is Jacksonville, a National Historic Landmark, and home of the wonderful outdoor Peter Britt Music Festival.  Jacksonville’s restored pioneer era buildings, museum, and the Southern Oregon Historical Society bring history alive in everyday life.

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