Jackass Hostel

Guests, family and friends,

We have opened up a backpackers hostel here in the Exact Center of California! Join us, as we continue to further develop the economy in this beautiful and charming town, here in the heart of the Sierras. This brief intro will seek to share our history, our relevance and our vision.

HISTORY
The Jackass Eco-Hostel is twenty three miles from Yosemite National Park and just seven miles from Bass Lake. As an eco-hostel it’ll be the first of it’s kind in the Sierra Nevada. Our area offers a panoply of outdoor activities if you like to camp, fish, hike, kayak, climb, bike, snowmobile, and ski, among other fun backcountry adventures.

North Fork, home to the Mono Indians, loggers and ranchers, is a beautiful town that has weathered the years of many changes. It was once a boom town to another era, but now fighting to reemerge as a healthy, sustainable and independent American small town. For nearly one hundred and fifty years, the local economy was based on the logging industry. In 1996, the last of its mills were closed down and the entire town went down with it. Add on the great recession we just endured and the picture was dismal. Bleak at best.

Then in 2011, one of the Jackass founders, Scott and his dog, Slim, took a chance and opened Slim’s Koffee Shak, a mountain coffee bar and eatery in downtown. The company set out to serve the community with purpose. The business is based in local organic foods, art, music, community gathering space and sustainable business practices such as composting and recycling. This was the first step in the redevelopment in downtown and soon more was to follow. Scott, joined local organizations such as the North Fork Chamber of Commerce, amongst many others, and began to assess the resources and capabilities of the town. With some time and efforts along with lots of work and planning from the years before, a comprehensive social and economic framework was laid out and the work to rebuild began.

In the few years and by the efforts of many, North Fork now has a new main road into town, a cell phone tower, a new fire station, a visitors center, an online newspaper, several new businesses, more public art, many revitalization projects and aspiring entrepreneurs.

RELEVANCE
What is an eco-hostel? An eco hostel is an accommodation that considers its impact on natural resources and environment, while using sustainable practices and renewable energy. We are working towards implementing many of our projects on site such as solar panels to heat our showers and generate electricity, greywater recycling infrastructure, and rainwater harvesting technology. We used recycled/reclaimed materials in our construction and furnishing, we compost, and also recycle 70-85% of discarded goods. Of course no eco-hostel is complete without an on-site food garden from which our guests can harvest and prepare food in our kitchen! We’re also building our community by sourcing materials and labor from local businesses, and by putting on concerts and events, and creating a space for people to congregate.

The hostel will play an important role in the development of the town’s economy. As other downtown businesses open up and the town markets its wide range of recreational and tourism opportunities, travelers will now have a unique place to stay. As it stands now, campsites are the only readily available accommodations in the area.

VISION
We will offer a fun and authentic mountain hospitality experience for international and local travelers. Our facility will include up to twelve bunk beds, two private suites, a communal kitchen, indoor/outdoor showers, a common area, chill spots, adjacent trails, hammocks, an outdoor spa, recreation equipment rentals, adventure tours and other amenities.

We are located in downtown, just a short walk from the historic Buckhorn Saloon, Gnarly Carrot Organic Market, post office, library, Visitors Center and Slim’s Koffee Shak. We will provide information on our natural surroundings such as the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, National Forest and many lakes. We will do our best to make this a valued and unique experience for all our guests.

IN CLOSING
We invite you all to visit and enjoy an adventurous time here in North Fork and enjoy a fun and rustic stay at Jackass Hostel.

We’ve really just begun, but we’d love to invite our supporters out to North Fork for a good time now that we are up and running! Don’t forget to share this page with your friends, family and fellow travelers via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or blog. Many thanks folks!

Cheers,

Scott, Rich, Josh and the Jackass Hostel team!