Surrounded by over 500,000 acres of protected land, we are a 38 acre desert oasis near Mesa Verde, Sand Canyon and Hovenweep. Stunning views, exceptional bird watching, vast stars, spectacular hiking and on site Ancestral Puebloan sites with a self guided tour. Mature shade trees, fruit orchards, perennial flowers, and vegetable gardens abound. Fast, reliable WIFI and sparkling clean lodging. Guest library, office, salon, and community kitchen. *Read our reviews-this is truly a magical place! The space Casita #7 is one private side of a charming authentic adobe duplex nestled into cliffside. Great views of the enchanting rock formations surround you. While you may find yourself sharing the duplex porch with your neighbor, you have your own private entrance and patio. The bedrooms are on opposite far ends ends of the building for privacy. We have found that many of our guests enjoy visiting with their neighbors on the adjacent patio with a bottle of wine from Sutcliff winery just down the road while watching the changing hues on the red rock directly in front at sunset. Much kismet between folks in the duplex has unfolded! Nonetheless, if you want privacy you will find that. The entire casita has been newly renovated with earthy Saltillo tile floors, fresh coat of eco paint, carefully selected furnishings, and new fixtures in your bathroom. Your bedroom has a new queen mattress (folks love our beds for comfort!), 100% cotton sheets, a down comforter, and portable super soft alpaca blankets. An aromatherapy unit with pure essential oils cleans the air and bring some moisture, A comfy sitting area with two mid century chairs in front of a large picture window with views of the grounds and gardens. other window inferno of the bed open to red rock cliffs. The room has plenty of natural daylight. The spacious bathroom is down a short hall off the bedroom and has a shower with a sitting bench. There is a coffee/tea set up, microwave, small fridge, and basic dishware for two. You may also use our fully stocked community kitchen, open from 8am-9pm, just a 2 minute walk alongside the apple orchard on the left side of the established modular home on the property. We have gas and charcoal BBQ available, both in the outdoor grill area next to the casitas and on the porch of the community kitchen. The unit has a newly installed mini split air conditioner/heater for warm days and cool nights. You have your own sitting area on the front porch with table and chairs for lounging outside directly beneath a magnificent red cliff and across the arroyo from a huge old apricot tree, pinyon pines, and a currently retired sweat lodge. If you are one of the lucky ones, you might catch a sighting of our resident grey fox roaming around the base of the cliff in the early mornings and around dusk. Two Adirondack chairs with a small table, and a chair hammock are close by, both under mature trees on the grass lawn in front of your casita. A few of the community vegetable gardens are next to the casita to the South which guests are welcome to harvest from as needed, The trailhead leading into the canyons are just a minute walk to the North of the casita along an intriguing rock overhang. Our guests are consistently blown away by the beauty and solitude they discover when hiking into the sculpted red-rock canyons and mesas located just behind your casita. Guests have full access to the grounds with a variety of lovely sit spots throughout, consisting of hammocks, chairs, and tables with sun umbrellas where you can work on your computer (if you must), nap, read a good book, or daydream, as well as three unique canyons that merge here, with pour overs that become rushing waterfalls when we are blessed with a good rain. Both an archeological and horticultural preserve, the property includes pear, apricot, cherry, mulberry, plum, and peach trees, as well as a 50 plus year old apple orchard planted by George Kelly, a renowned horticulturist from Denver who came here in the 1960's with his wife Sue to create an oasis in the desert. You will also find hundreds of mature native and introduced trees, annual and perennial flowers, native grasses, and cacti throughout the property. We also have a labyrinth that begins directly below Sleeping Ute Mountain range which guests may ambulate. We border Canyons of the Ancients immediately to the North, a 174,000 acre National Monument with the largest concentration of Ancestral Puebloan ("cliff-dweller") and archeological sites in the United States. A favorite public access point to The Canyons of the Ancients is the Sand Canyon trailhead, a five minute drive from the property up the main road. It is visited by hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders alike. McElmo creek flows along the Southern Border of the property and the highest peak of The Ute Mountain Range towers over us to the South. This 300,000 plus acres of wild land was valued as a sacred place by the Weeminuche Ute band. It still plays an important role in the ceremonies of their descendants, the Ute Mountain Tribe, and is not open to the public. Hovenweep is a 30 minute drive past the Sand canyon trail head and the entrance to Mesa Verde is a 40 minute drive back through Cortez. Ute Mountain Tribal park is an easy 30 minute drive towards four corners. A bit further away you will find Valley of the Gods, considered a mini Monument Valley and Durango, a wonderful mountain town filled with live music, art, and tempting restaurants. Guest access Guests have access to The Lodge, the original hacienda on the property built by George Kelly in the mid 1960's. You are welcome to relax at one of the tables in the shaded lodge patio, surrounded by perennial gardens and mature trees, as well as hang out and visit in the newly remodeled lodge living/dining room on a cozy couch in front of an aspen log gas fireplace. The space has plenty of board games to entertain, and fabulous art from all over the world. The lodge also has a wonderfully eclectic and fascinating library, curated by 4 different sets of stewards over 50 years, which you are welcome to explore and borrow from during your stay. There is a desk with a guest computer and printer for your use in the library, as well as maps of the area, brochures, and a public bathroom nearby. Guests also have access to numerous significant, documented prehistoric Anasazi/Ancient Puebloan sites throughout the property, including the remains of a 13 room pueblo and 2 intact kivas, one of which has been restored by Road Scholar Groups, staying here over the past forty years, alongside archeologists from The Canyons of the Ancients. These sites date from the mid-Pueblo II to mid Pueblo III periods (ca. AD nine eighty- twelve twenty five) and guests are welcome to climb down inside of the kivas and experience an intimate and awe inspiring encounter with the way our ancestors lived over a thousand years ago. Guests may follow our self-guided tour, originally known as “George Kelly’s 39-cent tour,” to visit each of the 12 main archeological sites on the property and learn about their history. It is very unusual to have this sort of intimacy with the ancients. Other things to note You may be greeted by our sweet rescued pup Koko. She may bark at your arrival but will quickly come around. Please message us if you would like to bring a pet with you. We are open to considering this on a case by case basis with an additional pet fee of $25/night. Please be aware that we are an area with an abundance of cliffs and rocks. If you are bringing children we ask that you closely supervise. We are located in a wild desert area. We have occasional wildlife on and around the property, including insects, spiders, lizards, wild turkeys, deer, foxes, and raccoons. We hear there are bobcats and mountain lions in the canyon but have yet to encounter any. We intentionally do not have television to support our guests in experiencing the rare healing refuge this land has to offer. As one guest so beautifully described, "This is a place to let your soul dangle for a while."