Pit House!

This is dry rangeland with few cattle amidst a forest of piñon and juniper trees. We are restoring the grass and the beetle damaged forest to what it must have looked like in 1870. Homesteaders had a hard time, but, for a while, the land had been suitable to the ancestral Indians. You can explore and help find the many abandoned sites that are out there.

Driving Directions

We are off of County Road 34 but the route is complicated. You must open and close two gates and cross our neighbor's land. The isolation is part of the intrigue. We have to arrange your visit in advance. E-mail for details.

Eco-Friendly Notes

We have lived in our passive solar house for 30 years. The pithouse is a small version where the sun provides winter warmth and the earth envelope keeps you cool in the summer.

Pet Friendly Notes

The 20 x 20 pithouse is small. Outside, a pet must be on a leash to protect against wandering and attack.

Ranch Activities Available

Study the range and forest restoration. Help record ancestral Indian sites. Walk the mile to Stinking Springs Cañon. See if you can discover the remains of the watch tower near the expanse of slick rock. Imagine you are the homesteader and decide how you will get water.

Season Open

Year round if you can get in and out on our farm road

Rate Range

$.60.00 a night

Breakfast Style Served

Breakfast Not Included

The pithouse is one that the ancient people might have built if they had glass doors, running water for toilet and shower and electricity for a microwave. Quiet nights are broken by the call of hoot owls and the wail of coyotes. You will feel isolated but the ranch is just 3/4 of a mile off the county road and 14 miles from town. You will look up to the Mesa Verde escarpment and be near the park entrance. There is one double bed and a rollaway for kids. To keep prices low, this is a self-catering unit where the guest makes up the bed with our linens and sweeps out on leaving. There is a simple kitchen and we can help with some food for breakfast.