Everyone Wants to Own a Cabin in This Colorado Town

As leaves turn across the country, everyone starts thinking about hunkering down in a cozy cabin, somewhere they can escape the daily rat race and kick back. And it looks like a lot of the rats would like to head here: A new survey polled thousands of Americans regarding where they’d most like to own a cabin, and Colorado came out on top…with both the first- and second-place locations.

The top spot where people most desire a getaway cabin is perhaps no surprise, although it’s going to take big bucks to realize this dream: Estes Park.

Located right outside Rocky Mountain National Park, “Estes Park is one of the state’s most photographed fall destinations, where aspen groves light up the hillsides each September,” according to the recent real estate survey. “Cabins dominate much of the local rental and residential market, from simple A-frames to classic log lodges. With median home prices in the mid-$500Ks, it’s a more accessible option than many of Colorado’s ski-focused resort towns.”

The town may not be ski-focused, but there are plenty of things to do in Estes Park, and as the gateway to one of the country’s most popular national parks, things can get pretty pricey there. Most of the hideaways around Estes Park cost more than $1 million, and the town reports the same affordability crisis and housing shortage that you find across much of Colorado.

However, cabin cravers could have much better luck at the surprise number-two choice: Pagosa Springs.

“Nestled in the San Juans, Pagosa Springs offers golden aspen backdrops alongside hot springs that draw visitors year-round,” says the survey. “Cabins are plentiful in the surrounding forests and valleys, often marketed as both vacation escapes and full-time homes. Median sale prices hover around the $550K mark, making it one of the more affordable mountain communities compared to nearby Telluride or Durango.”

But then, Telluride and Durango are not underwater.

Finding a cheap cabin should be easy in Pagosa Springs right now, since much of the town is underwater after the San Juan River flooded this week, with mandatory evacuations and Governor Jared Polis declaring a disaster emergency in Archuleta and La Plata counties. On October 14, floodwaters in Pagosa Springs reached a 55-year high at nearly thirteen feet. And this all came during major construction on U.S. Highway 160, which runs right through downtown.

This is just the latest tragedy dropping property values in the area; Polis also proclaimed a disaster emergency for Archuleta County during August’s Oak fire.

But since this new survey came out of Texas Real Estate Source, maybe anything in Colorado looks good to Texans.

After this state’s one-two showing, the next Colorado location to place came in at number 26: Grand Lake, on the other side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Earlier this year, Grand Lake was named one of the best lake vacation spots in the country.