American River Camp
Lotus, CA
When this family — passionate about land and river conservation — bought land in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains along the American River, they asked Sam to turn it into a place where their future grandchildren would come.
She focused on designing not just a beautiful landscape, but one that would have a net positive impact on the site and would be the gathering place for generations. Rather than doing a massive overhaul of the 15 acre property, she created a series of small appealing spaces strategically placed throughout the site connected by paths. The design played up the dramatic site topography.
All the materials were sourced from a 5-mile radius of the site.
When it was clear that we would need enough boulders for an 80’ retaining wall, we convinced the owner of the local gravel quarry to give us all of his that were in the way of his operation. Other than the cost of transport and constructing the wall, these boulders — some car sized — were free.
All plants were specifically local and water-wise. The program areas were the landscapes around the house and guest house, parking court, foot paths, remote sunken hot tub spa, vegetable garden, sleeping decks, outdoor kitchen, and river access.
Collaborators: DSA Architects, Russ Reed Machinery, Verne Pershing Gardening
