Wildwood Tavern and Lodge, which is on Seiad's main stretch, served as a local watering hole and gathering spot for decades after being built in 1929.

A long closed Seiad Valley landmark has recently been given new life thanks to the efforts of Seiad Valley residents Rachel Weir and Sam Justice. Wildwood Tavern and Lodge, which is on Seiad’s main stretch, served as a local watering hole and gathering spot for decades after being built in 1929. The business closed years ago and hadn’t housed a properly-permitted business since 2000, Weir said.

Since she reopened the location in June with the help of her friend and business partner Sam Justice, the two have served hundreds of Pacific Crest Trail hikers and returned to locals a spot that they knew and loved for so many years.

Weir previously resided in Humboldt County and said she was looking to move away and “have more of a country life” when she saw that Wildwood was available. She had some previous restaurant experience, having opened a place in Paradise eight years ago.

She later sold the Paradise restaurant after becoming pregnant with her second child. She remarked that no one ever knew where Paradise was until last year’s Camp Fire.

The restaurant business is in Weir’s blood. Her great grandmother ran a restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1940s. Weir still uses her grandmother’s wooden-handled potato masher in the Wildwood kitchen and she uses many of her recipes as well. “We cooked a lot in our family,” she said of her childhood, noting that her grandma taught her to barbecue.

Wildwood uses locally sourced beef from Rainey Ranch, located within 20 miles of the restaurant in Horse Creek. Weir said that she uses a lot of organic food in her menu items and sources as much from local farms as possible.

Wildwood features a rotating seasonal menu which currently includes shepherd’s pie, loaded chili nachos, warm spinach artichoke dip, a whole host of gourmet macaroni and cheese options, burgers and many other choices. Vegetarian options are also available.

Locals’ appreciation for Wildwood’s reopening is clear. Weir shared, “I get thanked so much from people in the community.” More than once she’s seen people run into each other at Wildwood who haven’t had contact in years. One conversation, she said, went something like, “I thought you were dead! I haven’t seen you in 20 years!” “Well the bar hasn’t been open in 20 years! I’m still living on Scott Bar Road.”

For many of those locals, Weir said, Wildwood is “a place for people to come see each other and not be lonely and holed up in the woods.”

In addition to the impressive menu and a beer and wine selection, the business also offers multiple televisions for patrons to watch sports and has live music often. Bands are typically scheduled to play every other Friday night, Weir said. Some are local but many are from out of the area, including places like Bend, Oregon and British Columbia.

Wildwood offers Pacific Crest Trail hikers a place to camp, laundry, hot showers and breakfast. At least 300 hikers have camped at the lodge this season, she said, and she’s fed many more than that.

While the lodge portion of the business is not currently operating, Weir said she wanted to keep the entire name, as that’s how Wildwood has always been known. She envisions eventually having some small cabins off to the side of the main building.

She said she’s happy to have Wildwood open again. “It’s been great, and there’s been such positive feedback from community,” she expressed. Customers have come all the way from Ashland, Oregon after hearing rave reviews about the food from hikers and people often make the trip from Yreka as well.

Asked what has been most difficult about running Wildwood so far, Weir said, “I always say the most difficult thing is trying to mess with the Saran Wrap. It sticks to everything it’s not supposed to.”

Wildwood is open from noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and on weekends and typically stays open later on weekends. It is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

For more information, visit the Wildwood Tavern and Lodge Facebook page.