Help us build a nature sanctuary & retreat center, camp, and regenerative farm in the Hudson Valley

Why We Want to Build This

The Hudson Valley is an amazing place chock full of beautiful landscapes, farms, retreat centers, campgrounds, cabin resorts, and wedding venues. But what it has a noticeable lack of is something that combines all these things while remaining connected to nature, truly inclusive, and affordable for the average person.

In this time of rapidly decreasing mental wellness, exorbitant hospitality costs, and forever chemicals threatening our water and food, we believe providing a space for people to come together to decompress, build relationships, learn, and feel the benefits of being in nature in ways they may never have before is something that’s needed now more than ever. We want to take a beautiful piece of raw land and transform it into something special to share with our community and beyond.

Our Vision

Our plan is to start small, establish a reputation and revenue stream, and expand from there. We will build minimal guest accommodations, as "glamping" structures are hugely popular and in high demand in the Hudson Valley. Additionally, they require minimal cost and effort to set up, have high revenue potential, and unlike full homes used as short-term rentals, they don't subtract from the local housing stock for local residents. This is what we’re thinking about for phase 1 of the business:

6 small sleeping structures (bell tents, yurts, tiny cabins, or a combination of those)
Bath house (2 toilets, 2 indoor showers, and 1 outdoor shower)
Wood-burning sauna
Outdoor communal area with seating picnic tables, and fire pits
Small indoor/outdoor structure for food preparation
Garden and small greenhouse
Storage shed for supplies, extra seating, gardening tools, etc.

To build phase 1, of course we first need to acquire land and put the necessary infrastructure in place: an access road, electricity (though the sleeping structures will only have solar), a drilled well and pump house, heating and water for the common facilities, and an approved septic system. We plan to build composting toilets (humanure is excellent fertilizer for farming!) in the bath house and a county required septic to dispose of gray water from sinks and showers.

Our goal is to have phase 1 finished in under 6 months, and then open it up for guests. Phase 2 will likely be focused on expanding capacity for group rentals for retreats and other events, like weddings. This would include building additional sleeping structures and more communal amenities, like a fully enclosed, 30-foot yurt or dome for events, classes, and workshops.

Eventually we'd like to have 10-12 sleeping structures, enough capacity for events with up to 50 guests, and a farm that produces food to supplement guests and the local community. Our plan will generate enough revenue to ensure accommodations remain affordable and in demand while not putting strain on the ecosystem and local residents (e.g. traffic and noise). After all, we want this to be a place for our community as much as for out-of-towners.

This vision board illustrates some of our ideas for the various structures and features we're thinking about...

Who We Are

And why we're capable of creating such a place.

Jeff

I’ve been a creator of some variety my whole life. As a child it was art and outdoor forts. Today, I create digital products and experiences for my full-time job, but in my spare time I create beautiful, memorable short-term rental spaces and experiences. With a focus on immersion with the surrounding environment and integration of natural features, these spaces have become guest favorites on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Hipcamp. The feedback I get from those guests is more rewarding than any I've ever gotten at a desk job.

I come from a background of builders, and I designed and built the tiny house I currently live in with my partner, on 5 acres of forest in the Hudson Valley. As a lifelong camper and hiker (and trail maintainer for the NY/NJ Trail Conference), I have an appreciation and love of nature that drives my values and the way I live. I've traveled the world, camping in some of the most remote backcountry locations, and staying on farms, in off-grid yurts, and at eco-retreats—the types of places I've always dreamed of owning and running myself. I think (at least I hope) you can see why a nature retreat like this would be such a passion project for me. It feels like my whole life has been leading up to exactly this sort of endeavor.

(The photo above is me using a homemade pulley system to drag wood up a hill for a cabin build. It was surprisingly effective!)

Félicia

I have been a writer, a visual artist, and a tinkerer my whole life. I trained as a photographer and an artist at Parsons School for Design and won Best in Show for my thesis depicting urban rooftop farmers in the style of French Realism. I currently am a federal and state grant specialist for my full-time job, operating and providing business to business support for a 20+ million dollar grant from the California Nutrition Incentive Program. After a long career in cultural heritage post college at the Museum of Modern Art, the Avedon Foundation, and Urban Studio, a service term with the Americorp Backcountry Program shifted my focus to discovering the psychological benefits of connecting with nature and stewarding that experience as a development tool for others.

As a passionate steward of the outdoors and the ecosystem, building a nature retreat is the natural culmination of the blood, sweat, and tears I have given to previous land-based projects. I want to create a space where people from all over the world can come and experience an immersive habitat where humans live in a beneficial loop with the environment around them. I come from a background of building: my father was an electrician for 30 years, I built my first dry cabin in 2020, and renovated my house in Kingston, New York in 2022. I have worked as a trail builder and chef with the US Forest Service, Americorp, National Park Service, and Clif Bar. I have studied bio dynamic and permaculture food production since 2018 and co-founded the TumbleWeed Collective in 2019, situated on 28 acres in Bishop California, with a focus on ecosystem re-generation and sustainable housing. Tumbleweed Collective is the recipient of the Emerson Collective Grant and finalists with the California Natives Society Mary DeDecker grant. The collective also rents seasonal headquarter space to Flash Floxy Climbing Festival and Eastern Sierra Conservation Corp.

What We're Looking For

At this early stage we're looking to garner interest and connect with folks who are interested in investing and/or becoming a business partner (percentage of ownership TBD). Perhaps you have a beautiful piece of vacant land you want to steward or some acreage you'd be willing to parcel off and finance to us? Do you have experience creating a business like this and you’re interested in joining us as an advisor? Have you dreamed of joining a project that operates in benefit to local communities, tourists, and the native ecosystem?

The land we acquire will likely be held in a holdings company so ownership can be shared easily without the traditional mortgage process. We have an existing LLC that's currently used for short-term rentals that will be used for operations. Our goal is to eventually be certified as a B Corp.

If this sounds like something you'd like to be involved with, we'd love to hear from you. Send an introduction email to hello@lamountainlodgings.com and let's talk!