Where to Stay in Mancos Near Mesa Verde National Park

(note: this post was updated in 2019)

When traveling, it’s easy to do what’s simple and comfortable. For our trip to Mesa Verde National Park, I wanted to find a unique place for my tween and me to enjoy, and I willing to look beyond Marriott and Choice Hotels where I could use points.

Time to Disconnect

There are times when it’s about getting away–really away–and trying something different. On my vacation trip through the southwest, I wanted something a bit off the beaten path. I didn’t want to use Marriott points nor did I want to go cheaper into a Days Inn or other Choice motel. I decided my 12-year old tween and I needed to disconnect and try something new.

On this southwest road trip, which included a stop at Mesa Verde National Park, nearby Durango’s prices were high, hotel rooms were hard to come by, and the environment screamed for something unusual.

AirBnB Serves Up a Yurt

Feeling lucky, I turned to Airbnb. Just outside of Durango is Mancos, a small one-horse town. In that town is a 5-mile dirt road. At the end of that dirt road is a yurt.

Thus, we stayed in a yurt.

A yurt is a tent-like, tipi-type, canvas and frame dwelling. Yurts can be super fancy or very simple. Ours was somewhere in between. With a potbelly stove, queen-sized bed, two sleep couches, and a composting toilet, we enjoyed a wonderful, fun, and cozy night.

Powered by solar, my tween daughter and I kept life simple. Instead of tv and internet, we enjoyed books from a lovely Native American-authored library, artwork from nearby artists, and farm animals beckoning a scratch. In addition, after a 5-mile drive on a dirt road to the yurt, the only sounds were wild, natural, and enjoyable. In disconnecting, my daughter and I connected. We missed nothing.

If you want to stay in a yurt, do some googling, or search Airbnb. Here’s the one where we stayed. Tell Debora I sent you.