Take a Tiny Home Vacation | Part One

Check out these Colorado tiny mountain house options for your next vacation

May 9, 2019

Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer,

At the beginning of the tiny house movement, Ryan and I were intrigued. Over the years, I’ve stayed in four very different tiny homes including a 170-square-foot house with a 70-foot sleeping loft and a huge, one-bedroom “tiny” house with a big loft that could be used as a second bedroom.

While these homes were all different one fact remained: they were tiny. As a permanent residence, I don’t think I could make it work, but as vacation rentals they are perfect. Whether you’ve always wanted to try staying in a tiny house or if it just sounds like a great way to spend your holiday, these Colorado mountain options are ideal.

Photo couresy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

Get Tiny at Elevation:
Leadville’s Tiny House Mountain Resort

Photo courtesy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

On the south end of downtown Leadville, there is a cluster of tiny homes just off of 2nd Street and you can book a stay there. This winter, we stayed in Molly, a tiny house with an unusually huge kitchen.

Photo courtesy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

The location of the Tiny House Mountain Resort is ideal. It’s within walking distance of all the best places in Leadville, a town we have grown to love. The area offers an array of recreational activities year-round including skiing, biking, golfing, hiking, fishing and more. Plus, it’s just under two hours from Denver.

The paved Mineral Belt Trail is a Colorado gem. It’s an 11.6-mile loop that encircles Leadville and is accessible in all seasons. The views from the trail are breathtaking and include vistas of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges.

Courtesy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

Molly had everything we needed for the perfect Leadville vacation including an electric fireplace that kept the place toasty in the winter and provides that mountain ambiance.

Courtesy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

This unit features two sleeping areas; one accessible via a stairway that also acts as storage shelves and the other accessible by ladder. Personally, I hate ladders, so having stairway access to the bedroom made me happy.

Photo courtesy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

The key to making life comfortable while staying in a tiny home, even if it’s only for a weekend, is storage space. Molly has plenty, plus a shoe mat next to the front door. It may seem like a little thing, but having an out-of-the-way place to store shoes in a tiny house is nice.

Photo courtesy of Tiny House Mountain Resort Leadville

As mentioned above, Molly’s kitchen is huge and in fact, most likely the same size as my small kitchen at home. It would be ideal for whipping up a feast with friends. While the dining area inside is scant, a summer trip means dining al fresco at Molly’s picnic table.

A tiny home bathroom sometimes feels airplane-size but Molly’s is notably spacious. You can’t have a dance party inside it but the custom-built shower is larger than the one in my master bathroom.