Mountain Retreat of your dreams, near Telluride

Nestled in the tiny mountain hamlet of Ophir, CO at 9700 ft above sea level, our house has incredible views of 13,000 ft+ peaks in all four directions. With 4 bedrooms and a loft, 2.5 baths, and parking for at least 5 cars, we can accommodate large gatherings of friends or family.

The downstairs was built as a mining cabin in the 1940s and exudes a rustic charm, but with modern amenities. The kitchen, remodeled in 2012, has beautiful granite counters, a propane gas range, stainless steel appliances, a wine rack, and an island. The open floor plan connects the kitchen seamlessly to a dining room that can seat 10 and a spacious living room with huge windows on one end, 50-inch plasma TV in the middle, and a cast-iron wood stove on the other. The downstairs wood floors were refinished in 2014. The downstairs bath was remodeled in 2013. Two medium bedrooms with queen beds and a small bedroom with a twin bed complete the downstairs. All bedrooms have double-cell honeycomb blinds.

A spacious upstairs with dormer ceilings was added in 2001, with an office/den, a loft reached by custom steel ladder, and a master BR/bath suite. The den has a desk with amazing views through 13 (count 'em) windows, a propane fake-wood stove, double sleeper sofa, half bath, and mini-kitchen with small sink, microwave, and mini fridge. The office has an L-shaped desk, brand new wireless printer/scanner/fax and a 32' LCD TV. The master BR suite is bright and airy, with a huge window looking down valley towards the Wilson Group of 14ers, and a spacious bath with 2 sinks, partly enclosed shower (with a window of course), and hot tub.

But the decks are what the house is all about. The front deck overlooks the dirt street, with views to Ophir Pass to the east, Waterfall Canyon and Pilot Knob to the south, and Sunshine Peak to the west. Sunsets are gorgeous, and you'll sometimes see ground-level clouds working their way up the valley. A hummingbird feeder attracts some local color. The private back deck is accessed via French doors from the 2nd floor MBR, and looks directly over a meadow and up the steep, aspen-covered slopes of Silver Mtn.

The house is our second home for skiing and escaping the Arizona heat, so it comes with plenty of entertainment - a corn hole set, a ping pong table in the garage, and lots of board games and puzzles.

A few other things are worth mentioning. The house has a mud room side entrance into a laundry room with 2013 front loader washer and dryer. We have DirectTV with HBO and a DVR. The satellite wireless internet is OK for skype or emailing files, but not fast enough to stream a netflix movie. Cell phone coverage does not quite make it to the town of Ophir, but we have a cell phone signal booster that enables you to text, and most of the time you can make and receive calls from the desk on the 2nd floor. In any case, we have a land line with unlimited domestic long distance. The closest grocery store is in Mountain Village (the upper entrance to the ski area) about 18 minutes away. The town of Telluride is a 25 minute drive. But hey, we do have a tiny post office near the start of the dirt road into town.

Speaking of roads, you'll want 4-wheel drive if there's any chance of snow, which means September to May in Ophir. But 2WD is fine in the summer.

There's a playground in town with a basketball court. Most of the neighbors are full-time residents, with plenty of kids and dogs running around. There are lots of hiking trails directly from town, and you're not far from Trout Lake, Alta Lakes ghost town, Lizard Head Pass, and hiking or mountain biking off the free gondola from Mountain Village to Telluride. Marmots are a common sight driving into town, and beavers, porcupine, and elk are not uncommon in and around town.

We're here most of the summer, but check the calendar and see if it's available when you're interested. Come explore Ophir and the high peaks of the San Juan Mountains, or use our retreat as your home base for one of Telluride's many festivals.