Sunlight on moss-covered rocks and flowing water at Mystic Waters

A little wonder.
A deeper connection.

Follow the sound of spring-fed water into a place for presence, possibility, and connection. Here, forest quiet and shared experience invite you to discover what comes next.

Explore the retreat Discover our vision

Blanchard Creek · A moment at Mystic Waters

The place

Water sets the rhythm here.

Mystic Waters is an evolving nature retreat centered on a spring-fed creek and a spacious round yurt. Forest paths connect quiet places to pause, gather, and reconnect—with yourself, with others, and with the living landscape.

At the foot of Mount Spokane

Many people describe this mountain landscape as a vortex of energy—a place to feel grounded, renewed, and close to the natural world.

CreeksideOff-grid spiritSmall gatheringsForest quiet

Evening light and a rainbow over a forested landscape — An open view of the forest beneath changing skies.

A wooden boardwalk follows a gravel path through sunlit forest — A path through the trees.

A red-haired dog beside the outdoor cooking area — A little four-legged company.

Experiences

Choose your way in.

Mystic Waters is also an artist retreat: a place to slow down, find inspiration, and make space for creative work in every season. Gather, restore, or follow your curiosity into the forest and mountains.

Warm light beneath the radial rafters and central dome of the yurt — Look up. The yurt has its own kind of warmth.

A slower day

Restore by the creek

Let the sound of moving water soften the edges. Read on the deck, settle into the yurt, or follow a path until the forest feels like enough.

Morning creek walk
Quiet time in the yurt
Fireside evening

Make space for creativity

An artist retreat, in every season

Come to a beautiful, inspiring place to write, paint, sketch, make music, or simply let new ideas take shape. The creek, cedar and fir forest, and changing light offer a quieter rhythm for creative work—especially in the colder seasons, when a warm, sheltered space and the stillness of the woods can invite you to settle in and focus.

As the retreat grows, small, thoughtfully placed structures are planned along the path above the creek. Each will offer an intimate place to pause, reflect, and create within the landscape. These future spaces are part of the vision for Mystic Waters; ask us about current offerings as the property continues to take shape.

Come together

Gather in the Community Grove

Share a meal at the community tables beneath the trees, make room for music and conversation, and settle around a beautiful fire pit as evening gathers. The grove is envisioned as a welcoming place to reconnect with one another and the land.

Mount Spokane · Winter

Follow the snow

When routes, snow, and access allow, adventurous guests can head toward Mount Spokane by snowmobile. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing offer quieter ways to explore the mountain landscape. Check current trail conditions, land access, and permit requirements before setting out.

Move · Notice · Discover

Explore trails and the creek

Make a day of mountain biking or dirt-bike riding on routes open to your chosen activity. Closer to the creek, try the hands-on art of placer gold panning where access and stream rules allow. Please check current land access and seasonal restrictions before heading out.

Washington DNR gold-panning and rockhounding guidance

Fine gold flakes and dark sand settled in a green gold pan — Fine gold and dark sand settling in the pan.

A streak of gold-bearing concentrate along the riffles of a green pan — Gold-bearing material caught along the pan’s riffles.

A small piece of recovered placer gold in a green pan — A small placer gold find.

A forest ritual

Rinse beneath the canopy

Step into the outdoor shower, surrounded by cedar and fir, and let the forest canopy frame a quiet moment in the open air. Ask about availability as the retreat’s outdoor spaces continue to take shape.

Timber outdoor shower concept beneath open tree branches — A woodland shower concept beneath the branches.

A stay with our neighbors

The treehouse experience

Just beyond Mystic Waters, our close-knit community and neighbors built an off-the-charts treehouse. Crafted by hand by master craftsman Grant, it wraps around a majestic cedar and offers a singular way to experience the forest.

Full power and running water bring everyday comforts into this one-of-a-kind setting. The treehouse is on a neighboring property, not on Mystic Waters land, and is offered as a separate accommodation experience connected with a Mystic Waters retreat stay. Ask us about arrangements and availability.

See the neighbor treehouse on the map →

A timber treehouse raised among tall trees on a wooded hillside — The treehouse set among the trees on a neighboring property.

Warm timber interior with a central cedar trunk, loft stairs, and kitchen — A cedar trunk rises through the heart of the interior.

Tall treehouse windows look out to the surrounding forest — Forest views from the treehouse windows.

Looking up inside the treehouse toward the cedar trunk and upper loft — Looking up through the handcrafted interior.

Treehouse interior with a cedar trunk rising through the round table beneath the loft — A cedar grows through the center of the treehouse dining space.

Forest & mushrooms

A world beneath
the trees.

The forest floor at Mystic Waters invites a closer look. Shaggy mane and king bolete are the main mushroom varieties found here, each appearing in its own season and conditions.

Our forest is always changing with habitat, rainfall, and season; wild finds can vary from year to year.

A basket of assorted mushrooms photographed outdoors — Forest finds, photographed at Mystic Waters. Species are not identified from this photo.

01 · Shaggy mane

A delicate woodland find.

Shaggy mane mushrooms are one of the main varieties found at Mystic Waters, with a distinctive, changing form that makes each discovery memorable.

02 · King bolete

A remarkable forest mushroom.

King boletes are another of the main varieties found here, emerging from the forest floor as part of the seasonal rhythm of the woods.

03 · Chanterelles

A treasured forest ingredient.

Chanterelles are prized edible mushrooms harvested in Pacific Northwest forests—a delicious example of the region’s connection between woodland ecology and the table.

04 · Black morels

A seasonal discovery.

Black morels are celebrated edible mushrooms of the Inland Northwest, found in a range of forest habitats. Finding them is never guaranteed, which makes learning about their seasonal appearance part of the fascination.

Look with curiosity. Forage with expertise.

This page is not an identification guide. Toxic lookalikes occur: never eat a wild mushroom unless a qualified local expert has positively identified it and advised on safe preparation. Ask before collecting on the property.

Learn more: Idaho Fish and Game: foraging safety

A hand holding a brown-capped mushroom in the forest — A closer look at a woodland find.

A hand holding a golden mushroom against a wooded backdrop — Small discoveries beneath the trees.

A brown-capped mushroom held up for a close view — The textures and colors of the forest floor.

Photographs from our forest discoveries; the mushrooms shown are not species identifications.

Retreat map

Follow the water.

The site grows outward from its natural center: the creek. Explore spaces around the yurt and along Blanchard Creek. The treehouse is a separate neighbor-hosted stay, shown off-property. Select a numbered place to learn more; confirm availability when planning your visit.

01 · The creek

The steady heart of Mystic Waters—a place to listen, cool down, and slow your pace.

Creek water beneath mossy rocks — Blanchard Creek, up close.

Conceptual locations · Not to scale

Retreat spaces

From the yurt
to the water’s edge.

✦ Treehouse stay Neighbor-hosted

Our vision connects shared spaces near the yurt with quieter places along the creek. Each offers a different way to settle into the land. As Mystic Waters takes shape, ask us about availability when planning your stay or group event.

Outdoor kitchen & gathering grove

The central yurt anchors the retreat, with an outdoor kitchen space nearby for preparing food and gathering over a shared meal. The gathering grove extends the experience into the trees, creating room for conversation and small circles beneath the open sky.

Outdoor kitchen concept with timber counters under a fabric canopy among trees — Outdoor kitchen concept · Envisioned beside the central yurt, at map point 03.

Sketch of the outdoor kitchen with canopy and log-round paving — The kitchen idea, from sketch to woodland gathering space.

Concept of long shared tables and a covered cooking area under forest string lights — Gathering grove concept · Shared tables near the yurt and kitchen, at map point 04.

Find the kitchen on the property map →

Cold plunge, sauna & quiet

Settle into the cold plunge and look out past white flowers along Blanchard Creek. The photograph below shows the view from where you sit. A dry sauna and sweat lodge are also part of the evolving retreat vision. Ask us about readiness and access when planning your visit.

A brass tap filling the dark outdoor cold plunge basin — The cold plunge · A closer look at the basin and its brass tap.

White flowers beside Blanchard Creek, seen while seated in the cold plunge — Your view from the cold plunge · White flowers in the foreground, looking down Blanchard Creek.

Curved timber sauna with round windows — Dry sauna inspiration · Part of our evolving vision.

Meditation decks along the creek

Small decks along Blanchard Creek offer places for seated meditation, gentle movement, journaling, or simply listening to the water. The intention is space to be still, with the forest close around you.

A small wooden platform among trees on the forest floor — A simple wooden deck set into the woodland.

Unexpected places to rest

Distinctive hammock nooks tucked among the trees and thoughtfully placed sitting areas invite you to linger. Picture a carved cedar bench beside the creek, a quiet perch for two, or a shaded hammock where the afternoon can unfold at its own pace.

A playful metal frog sculpture beside the creek — A little personality beside the water.

Wooden steps climbing through trees toward the yurt — The approach to the yurt, tucked into the trees.

Exposed yurt rafters open to the sky during construction — The yurt taking shape, one beam at a time.

Host a retreat

Bring your circle
to Mystic Waters.

A setting for the work that matters to you. Groups, facilitators, and organizations can explore leasing the property for their own retreats, workshops, and personal-growth events.

Bring your own program and let the creek, the forest, and the round gathering space become part of the experience.

Food cooking in a wok over an outdoor burner — Meals made in the open air.

Group use by arrangement · Property continuing to evolve

Retreats & personal-growth groups

Make room for reflection, meaningful conversation, and time together. Mystic Waters welcomes inquiries from facilitators planning personal-growth retreats, connection circles, and relationship-focused gatherings.

Shape the experience around your group’s intentions, with space in the schedule to pause beside the creek.

Workshops & creative gatherings

Imagine a writing circle, a mindfulness workshop, a creative practice day, or a gathering built around learning and self-discovery. The retreat’s nature-centered setting invites a different pace from the everyday classroom or meeting room.

Teams & organizations

Bring colleagues together for connection, shared reflection, leadership development, or a thoughtfully facilitated growth event. Explore a property lease for your own program, with time to step away from the usual work environment.

Leasing the property

Group leases are discussed individually. Dates, group size, length of stay, use of the yurt and outdoor spaces, and any overnight arrangements need to be agreed before booking.

Pricing, capacity, amenities, and exclusive-use options are confirmed for each event as the retreat develops.

Planning your gathering

Start with your preferred dates, approximate number of participants, event purpose, and whether you envision a day gathering or overnight retreat. Consider your needs for meals, accommodation, accessibility, equipment, and facilitation.

These details help us explore whether Mystic Waters is the right setting for your group and what arrangements would be needed.

Meet the co-creators

Two paths.
One shared vision.

Mystic Waters brings together decades of experience in human growth, mental health, organizational psychology, and the restorative power of nature.

Two people embracing in a sunlit, snowy forest — A moment of warmth and connection.

Harry G. Neff sitting in a sunlit forest

Co-Creator

Harry G. NeffM.Ed., LMHC

Harry has been a clinical mental health therapist since 2007. He is passionate about helping people develop the inner security that allows them to thrive. His work has grown to include a non-clinical side offering therapeutic groups, retreats, workshops, consultation, and life coaching for individuals and couples.

Drawing from extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, EMDR, Attachment Theory, and other approaches to healing, Harry helps people understand the protective patterns that form when our early needs for connection, delight, empowerment, protection, and nurturing are not fully met. His work is grounded in the hopeful idea of earned security: it is never too late to reconnect with the security we are wired for and learn to hold both joy and pain with greater wholeness.

“The cure for pain is in the pain.” — Rumi

Sean D. Leit outdoors wearing a blue cap

Co-Creator

Sean D. LeitMS, PhD

Sean studied neuroscience and psychology in the honors program at the University of Colorado before earning a master’s degree in organizational development and a PhD in organizational psychology. His professional experience spans mental health and addiction work, including group facilitation, along with organizational psychology projects for large corporations.

His graduate work examined how rapidly evolving technology affects workplace environments, particularly mental health, and how organizations can introduce technology with people’s needs in mind. In 1993, his undergraduate thesis explored how emerging technologies could support neurodivergent children in school.

Growing up, Sean spent time skiing in the mountains and surfing the California coast. What stayed with him was the feeling of being immersed in nature—moving with the snow, water, and landscape, and sensing himself as part of it. Mystic Waters grows from that lasting connection: a place to slow down, be outdoors, and share in the restorative presence of the natural world.

Our vision

Built gently.
Grown with purpose.

Now

The central yurt

A warm, round command post for meals, conversation, workshops, and shelter beneath the trees.

Taking shape

Paths & creek spaces

Meditation decks, distinctive hammock nooks, and carved cedar seating connect quiet moments along the creek.

Future

Low-impact stays

A small collection of intimate forest shelters designed for privacy and connection to the land.

“A place where the water keeps moving—and you don’t have to.”

A hand-painted wooden sign reading “Funny, always SLOW” — An invitation to take your time.

What’s next

Space for what comes next.

A personal pause. A shared discovery. A circle gathered with intention. Explore how your next retreat or growth event could take shape at Mystic Waters.

Explore group retreats

A little wonder.A deeper connection.