The Hidden Valley Golf Course is open and operational, including its campground, following a wildfire that swept through the area earlier this week.
"The house and shop were saved but we lost all the other outbuildings," said Ivy Dirks, owner of Hidden Valley Golf Course.
Dirks explained that when firefighters connected their hoses to the golf course pump house, the hoses caught fire. The pump house also caught fire and burned down.
Dirks said she is grateful—and still in shock—that the house and shop were spared. She said she had no words to describe how she felt. Despite the loss of other buildings, the golf course is welcoming back guests. “Golfers are welcome to come golfing—everything is operational,” she said.
The Hidden Valley Golf Course and the French Creek RV Campground sit side by side and were both affected by the wildfire.
French Creek RV owner Leona Smith gave this reporter a tour of the devastation left behind by the fire. Remarkably, all of their camping lots were untouched by flames.
The Smiths’ hay field was also saved, thanks to aerial firefighting efforts. Water bombers dropped fire retardant, which Leona said made quite a difference in extinguishing the flames. The bombers and helicopters were active throughout the evening, drawing water from ponds on the properties. The pond at the golf course was emptied first, and afterward, helicopters began using the ponds at French Creek RV.
Smith said she first noticed the smoke around 4 p.m. on May 6. Helicopters continued their work through the evening, using the French Creek RV ponds for water drops.
On May 7, there were still smouldering areas in the region. During the tour, a large evergreen tree fell and caught fire. A helicopter surveyed the area and landed in the Smiths’ hay field, but no other firefighting action was seen at that time. Gary Smith, co-owner of French Creek RV, took it upon himself to extinguish the burning tree to prevent it from spreading to nearby trees.
The landscape shows clear signs of fire damage. The earth is charred—white in some places and deeply blackened in others, especially under spruce trees. A walking bridge at French Creek RV was partially burned. Strikingly, two picnic tables and an outhouse building were untouched, as if the fire had parted ways to leave them standing.
The Smiths remain alert to hot spots and continue to monitor for flare-ups, hopeful the worst is over. At the time of the interviews, no fire personnel were present at either property.
