Field and Grounds
The field and grounds are the lure of this place. Little Bear Farm is a family farm that originated in the 30's and was later run by Jay and Dot Bliss. The boundaries of the farm are much the same as they were in the 1930s. We recently had to remove the barn on the property due to structural instability. Happily we replaced it with a small but beautiful pond. We mow a walking bath around the field for our guests and their furry companions to enjoy. To the right and back of the property, the forest is owned by the Episcopal Mission and continues all the way down the mountain to the Apple Barn and Conference Center.
The open field is a part of the farm that has housed horses or cattle from time to time but is currently mown for hay and is the home to a wide variety of wild life including a small herd of deer and a flock of wild turkeys.
To the left and across the road the property is bordered by the farm which was owned for many years by Bill and Hester Smith, Dot's parents. The creek running through this property, Crab Orchard Creek, flows down the mountain and empties into the Watauga River. This creek is a small fresh water and relatively clean creek which is home to fresh water trout. (be sure to ask permission from Bill in the green house before visiting the creek).
Jason and Dusty live up the hill in the log cabin. This cabin is more than 100 years old. It is a combination of two old cabins which were reclaimed and reconstructed by Jay Bliss in the 70's.