Just Park It: Tiny House Village in the Land of Enchantment

In episode 9 of Today’s Tiny House Parking spot, we travel with our tiny house on wheels into the Land of Enchantment. There we parked at the Animas Valley Village, a new tiny house/RV community.  It is located just over the Colorado state-line into New Mexico. The village is surrounded by beautiful spruce and golden cottonwood trees and is only a short walk from the Animas River.

There are eleven total parking spaces, with some available for short or long-term stays. Additionally, there are two unique short-term tiny house rentals available. During our short stay, we parked next to a friendly tiny house family of five, the Tiny Cottage Caravan. Their tiny home backs up to a grassy lot with a small playground. In their opinion, the one thing that would make the village better is another tiny house family, or two. Looking for tiny home parking? Full-time spots are now available at Animas Valley Village!

Inside Animas Valley Village:

The owner, Melissa Lopez’s original vision was to create a small community on her land in La Plata County, CO, just 15 minutes away. Due to restrictions and high costs, she decided to find a new property in a less restrictive New Mexican county. As Melissa admitted, she got lucky when she discovered the land where Animas Valley Village now sits. It was an old, run-down RV park with existing, mostly working infrastructure and zoning for year-round occupancy. Over several months, Melissa’s family fixed up the property. They added an outdoor communal space with a lovely pergola, outdoor seating and a grill. We were fortunate to enjoy a cookout with all the neighbors. This area backs up to the on-site laundry room that offers inexpensive washing machines and free drying. For us frequent laundromat users, this is a real perk. Melissa’s vision is to create a vibrant, affordable village experience. In the future, the plan is to add a community garden, dog park and outdoor activities like horseshoes.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

What really liked about the village is how it offers a peaceful, country living within close proximity to two great towns, Durango, CO and Aztec, NM. For about tiny house communities in Durango, see the last Just Park It post. During our stay at Animas Valley Village, we explored the charming small town of Aztec. We enjoyed its refreshing slow pace by strolling through the historic downtown and riverside park. The highlight of our trip to Aztec was definitely the fascinating Aztec Ruins National Monument. It is an ancient communal home to the Pueblo people. Over their centuries-long migration, they made settlements across the Chaco Canyon region. We took a half-mile pathway that weaves through the Aztec Ruins, from their ritual gathering places to their sprawling masonry rooms used for living, cooking, and storage. As we took in the sights, we felt like we were transported to the 11th century–an awe-inducing experience. The well-crafted communal facilities and the cooperation required to keep this civilization thriving is similar to a modern cohousing community.

The Willow House and The Pemberley

If you are looking for a legal, long-term parking spot, we highly recommend you look into Animas Valley Village. They are eager to welcome new tiny home dwellers. To try out the community, book a stay in one of their tiny house rentals. The Pemberley is an impressive 37′ gooseneck tiny home built by Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses. It is a truly unique home that was custom-made for a military family of five. They were recently stationed overseas for two years, and while they are away, their tiny house is available for short-term bookings. Boy, does this tiny house live large, with full-size appliances, walk-in closet, and high-end Orinoco granite countertops. There are three bedrooms in the tiny house, with bunk beds in the gooseneck. The two lofts feature vertical metal louvers that act as heavy-duty privacy curtain that opens like shutters to allow for airflow. The other rental, the Willow House offers a very different tiny living experience. It’s an adorable 20’ tiny house. My favorite feature is the stairwell with a beautifully twisted metal railing, like a work of art. For a closer look at both tiny houses, watch the episode of Today’s Tiny House Parking Spot shown above.

-Alexis Stephens, Tiny House Blog contributor

My partner, Christian and I are traveling tiny house dwellers. Together we’ve been on the road three years for our documentary and community education project, Tiny House Expedition. We live, breathe, dream the tiny home community every day. This is our life and our true passion project. We are very grateful to be able to experience this inspiring movement in such an intimate way and to be able to share our exploration with all of you.