This is a belated review of my stays in May and August of 2015. I enjoyed both stays very much, and am hoping to return again this year. When looking for rentals I always try to find secluded places where I can quietly relax, and Magic Rock is truly unique in being so very close to Cortez, and yet so very private and peaceful. I love the property, and I’ve walked most of the perimeter of the 35 acres, much enjoying the “pioneer artifacts” that are found here and there. I’m also very much interested in Anasazi culture, and staying at a place where I can walk the land where they lived and pick up and handle the remaining potsherds is “magic” for me!

The house itself is clean and comfortable, and the kitchen is more than adequate for all meal preparation. I love to be able to leave the curtains open, and the isolation of Magic Rock allows me to do this even after dark so I can “enjoy the night sky” from inside! The evening I arrived in fall I was just in time to watch the full moon rise over Mesa Verde. With a glass of wine in the gazebo, it was spectacular! From the top of the rise behind the house there’s also a perfect view of Sleeping Ute Mountain. One thing I would echo from an early reviewer would be to bring bottled water for drinking and cooking. The well water does have a “distinctive” taste that I don’t like. Other than that, everything was perfect!

My primary interest when I’m at Cortez is the Ute Mountain Tribal Park—the visitor center is only 18 miles south of Magic Rock. Tribal park is immediately south of Mesa Verde and is three or four times larger in area than M. V. For anyone who’s seriously interested in Anasazi culture, I highly recommend a tour. You must have a Ute Mountain Ute guide to enter the Park, which means you’re with someone who has intimate knowledge of both Ancestral Puebloan and Ute history of the land and the ruins. The full day tour includes 4 of the Park’s cliff dwellings which have been stabilized, but unlike Mesa Verde, have not been reconstructed, so you see them very much as the early explorers and archaeologists did. There are potsherds, corncobs, and other artifacts lying all around you! It’s like walking thru a museum--where you can actually touch and hold the artifacts! For anyone interested in “even more,” the private all-day tour allows even closer interaction with your guide and the ability to decide how long you want to stay in a particular area.

Thank you, Kim, for a wonderful home away from home!