As the days get longer and spring is on the horizon, we are feeling optimistic! Starting March 1, we will start taking reservations for two months in advance. For those of you who have been generous donors, your generosity once again has a benefit. If you have been wanting to reserve further in advance, we are adding another month. Members at the Friendship level will have a one month reservation benefit and members at the Supporter or higher levels will have a two month benefit.

As the weather warms and more outdoor activities are available, we look forward to opening up an additional room in the Sunset House and Oak House. They have been restricted during the winter months due to the shared communal space of kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms. We'll maintain our capacity at 30% for the time being, but by summer we hope to expand that as well. Warmer temperatures means more time spent on outdoor activities, hiking, swimming and soaking in the cooler pools and more enjoyment for campers. Though many of our restrictions will remain in place until the pandemic subsides, we look forward to the change in seasons. Springtime in the Rockies can be anything from winter to summer, so if you're visiting in the next few months, check weather conditions so you are prepared. Hope to see you soon!

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Office Hours:

Our office is open daily from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm for reservations.

Guest check-in time is: 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm, accommodations are guaranteed by 4:00 pm

Guests check out from accommodation and hot springs at 12:00 noon.

Gates are locked at 8:00 pm and there is no admittance until 1:00 pm the following day.

Valley View Hot Springs reopened on August 3, 2020 after being closed for four months due to the pandemic.  We are happy to report that our “Great Experiment” has gone very well with restricted capacity, covid guidelines and member cooperation.  We have been cautious, followed guidelines and recommendations from the state and county health officials, and it’s working!  We plan to continue at a reduced capacity, closures of communal spaces like the sauna, welcome center and dormitory through the spring and will update when we can safely make adjustments.

Membership is required to make an advanced reservation.  Non-members can reserve 24 hours in advance. Starting March 1, 2021 we will be taking reservations for two months out.  Members at the Friendship level will have a one month reservation benefit and members at the Supporter or higher levels will have a two month benefit.  Make reservations for your family only please, no groups or gatherings of friends from separate households at this time.

Please read our Covid Guidelines before calling and making a reservation.  Many things have changed since the pandemic, so be proactive and prepared before you visit!  Not all of our guidelines are consistent with our community values which have evolved over the years.  We all look forward to returning to a more normal life. In the meantime, your cooperation is crucial to our being open and we appreciate your support.  See the new COVID Guidelines below.

olt.org/registration

Additional COVID-19 Guidelines (updated)

I do not usually set my alarm at Valley View Hot Springs but one time I did to accomplish a soaking cycle before leaving. I left my clothes in my tent and my towel at the Meadow Pool walkway. I walked to the swimming pool for an invigorating morning swim. Then I stopped at each pool, Lower and Upper Apple Tree pools, Main Pond, Waterfall Pool, and the Meadow pool. After soaking for a while, I air dried on the deck. Knowing this was the last moment for this visit, I flipped over on my stomach, crossed my arms, and rested my chin. I looked down through the crystal clear water and watched the tiny bubbles rising to the surface. This particular visit had been especially spiritually nourishing and I felt blanketed by the warm sun and inner contentment. Then it happened. I heard a rustle, looked up and a deer was staring in my face just across the pond. We spent a moment in mutual recognition then went our separate ways. Another mystical moment.

Friday, December 18, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Your reminder to join the fun! This is an opportunity to gather around the virtual campfire and celebrate the season safely. Join others from the OLT community; hear from familiar faces or make new friends. You are invited to share stories, songs, art, poetry, photos, and any other personal expression you choose. Stay for the entire event or just drop in to say hello. No designated driver needed! Toast the season and be part of this first of its kind virtual event.

See you next Friday!

As we approach the holiday season and year end at Valley View, we wish all of you a happy, healthy and safe Holiday Season!  This time of year is also the season of giving.  This has been a difficult year for the land trust, as well as for many of you.  We had to close the hot springs for a few months and have had to limit capacity since reopening, with additional restrictions. While closed we kept on staff as much as possible, maintained the beautiful environment and facilities, as well as completed some needed improvements. The Everson Ranch is still closed to visitors. 

We miss all of you! So...this year we're having our first Virtual Holiday Open House/Party! Please plan to join your OLT friends, acquaintances, and community in a celebration of the spirit of Valley View during this season of peace and giving. Please share stories, photos, songs, dance, art, poetry, etc. Stay for the whole party or drop by to say hello. Bring your own holiday drink and toast the season online!

Hope to see you then!

This summer saw spikes in the populations of a variety of wildlife. Numbers of individuals for a variety of species are characterized by years of low population and other years when the populations soar. Mice, rabbits, and squirrels are prey for coyotes, hawks, and owls. When the population of the species that are lower on the food chain spike, a little while later there is a spike in populations of predators. We are already seeing and hearing more coyotes. This past weekend some people saw a snowy owl catch a squirrel near the heated pools.

There have been a lot of squirrels. They are cute and they are everywhere. We are extra aware of keeping doors closed and trying to keep the outdoor animals outdoors. With the arrival of cooler temperatures, the mice have been moving into the cabins and indoor spaces. We are setting traps and patching holes. Mice can get in a very small opening and they are a fact of life in the country. We are not putting out poison. Because mice are low on the food chain, poisoning mice poisons the entire hierarchy.

What can you do? Keep your food closed up in mice resistant containers, keep doors closed, and let us know if you see a "full" trap. The little creatures are more numerous this year than they have been for quite some time. We expect to see them try to enter the indoor spaces as they seek warmth and food. Be prepared, be patient. We are making efforts to minimize the impact of the high population of "varmints."

In response to an alarming increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) today amended its Safer at Home public health order to limit personal gatherings in all counties at all Safer at Home levels. The revised order reduces the size of personal gatherings to no more than 10 people from no more than two separate households.

Recent case investigation data show that since July attending social gatherings and community exposures have become more common among new cases. This suggests people have relaxed their precautions and are interacting more closely with a greater number of households.

Normally, OLT is closed from December 1 through December 28 every year. This year, we are closing December 20 through December 28. We will be open for the first part of December. We will reopen on December 29, as usual. During the closed period, the office will be closed and we will not be making reservations, answering the phone, or responding to messages. Think ahead if you want a reservation for January. Enjoy the holidays and be healthy!

For more than 40 years, our second home has been Valley View Hot Springs and OLT. Over the years, when we thought about buying or building a place in the mountains, we always came back to "Why would we want to do that? We have Valley View."

Recently, in an Orient Land Trust (OLT) External Affairs Committee meeting, we were discussing a topic that has been on the minds of many of us who treasure this special place; How will we be able to sustain OLT in the midst of the challenges of this time of uncertainty? As we pondered these questions, only half joking, I (John) said we would mortgage our house in Denver if necessary to help save Valley View. I realized after the meeting, that I wasn't entirely joking; that is how much OLT and Valley View mean to me (and us).

That being said, like many people right now, our financial resources are more limited, given that we are living in a time of economic instability. Yet as we are struggling to rebuild our own financial stability, we also are wanting to help sustain and fortify those causes that matter most to us. This, we realize, is a dance of balance that we all must do --- a balance between self-care and care of and for the greater good. For us, OLT is among those causes that are at the top of our list of what matters most.

As we reflect on why OLT matters so much to us, we find ourselves thinking more broadly about why it's come to matter so much to so many. In ways, it's hard to express in words why this place has grown to be so important to us. If there was a place on earth that comes close to being "home" (which for us is more than a physical place), it's Valley View. The very nature and nurture of this place reflects what home feels like to us.
At Valley View, we can experience the safety and freedom of being oneself in the context of caring and mutual respect for one another and for the land. In that context, we care about the safety of everybody who comes to the hot springs, whether they are visiting for the first time, or have been a part of the OLT community for many years.

A recent example of this experience of feeling safe, respected, and cared for was when we were there this past August, shortly after the hot springs reopened after many months of closure due to the pandemic. While we really missed being there soaking in the soothing waters, walking the wild trails and taking in the beautiful vistas, we were grateful for the thoughtful planning that went into the timing and the precautions taken around decisions about the when and how of reopening. While there, we so deeply appreciated all the measures that were taken to keep everyone safe.

While there are limits to freedom right now, the freedom and renewal of one's spirit at Valley View did not for a moment feel diminished in our recent experience there, and is in fact, always enhanced when we visit this extraordinary place. As we walk the trails, our spirits soar with the hawks, the eagles, and the wonderful bats, and in the healing waters of the hot springs, our bodies, minds and spirits are renewed. Thoreau had his Walden Pond, and we have our Valley View ponds. We wouldn't trade him for a moment!

In extending this care and respect out beyond the people, we deeply value the rare, raw, extraordinary beauty and nurturance of the natural environment. The growing call in our lives to protect and nurture this place is both a shared responsibility and a shared opportunity to be a part of something that is exceptionally uncommon, and in fact incomparably unique and truly precious.

The hot springs have been reopened at a drastically reduced capacity, which comes at a great cost to the Orient Land Trust. That being said, this decision was made in alignment with the values of OLT, to protect all who visit. As members of the OLT community, we invite you to join us in shared stewardship. In giving what we can, together we will help to ensure that this special place and all the gifts that it offers, will continue to be here for us and for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

John and Suzanne Mariner