strange and wonderful
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10/23/2018
The small town of Crestone, Co is a strange amalgam of Buddhism, ranching culture, Hinduism and a hippie vibe. Somehow, all of these different influences have shaped Crestone into a delightful destination full of experiences unique to the town. If you’re looking for somewhere completely out of the box to go for a weekend getaway, or are interested in expanding your horizons by exploring different religions, attending a death cafe, or just staying somewhere a little strange, I would wholeheartedly recommend Crestone. For a short getaway, the town’s few faults are made up for by the unique accommodation choices and un-matched religious landmarks.
To me, one of the biggest draws of Crestone was the choice of unusual accommodations. Crestone offers rentals such as yurts, hobbit houses, earth ships, straw bale houses, and, if you’re looking for something more traditional, a small motel. I stayed in a yurt, and I’ve never made a better decision. Located in a small “eco-village” the yurt was surrounded by apple trees (in season!) chickens, a greenhouse, four unusually friendly deer, even more friendly neighbors, and gorgeous views of the Sangre De Christo mountain range by day and a sky full of stars by night. No matter where you stay, it will be in walking distance of literally the whole town, as its only about three square blocks, which is a huge plus for me. On average, the accommodations are also very affordable.
One of the very few cons of staying in Crestone is the dining. Most of the restaurants were closed on weekdays. The two that I tried, Bob’s place and Desert Sage, were disappointing. Bland food, high prices. However, both had vegan/vegetarian options if that is something you need. The only other option for food is the two grocery stores in Crestone. One, the Crestone Mercantile, is a small mom and pop grocers without a lot of choices and prices twice what you would pay at a chain grocery store. The other, Elephant Cloud Market was also expensive, and had few choices for things you could make in a typical motel kitchen. However, the elephant cloud did have a huge selection of unusual bulk spices (like marshmallow root) and lots of varieties of amazing local honey, which I loved. All in all, the food wasn’t a deal breaker for me as I was only there for three days and could bring most of my food from home, but if you’ll be here for long or are staying somewhere without a kitchen, it would be difficult to find a variety of good food in Crestone.
The unique array of things to do in Crestone was the reason I decided to go in the first place. Crestone boasts Buddhist stupas and shrines, a Hindu ashram, a ziggurat, a monastery, and many other religious sites, as well as the ample hiking trails and the only open-air funeral pyre in the western world. Most of the religious sites are very welcoming towards visitors of all faiths and are incredibly interesting. My personal favorite was the Hindu ashram and the ziggurat. If you’re only there for a short time and don’t have time to do everything, don’t worry. There’s really no bad option and wherever you go you’ll get a spectacular view. Possibly the most out-there part of Crestone is the Crestone End-Of-Life Project a committee dedicated to helping people explore alternative end of life plans. As someone interested in mortuary science, this was the main reason I came. If you’re interested, the committee holds “death cafes” and “end-or-life workshops”, meetings for people to openly and honestly discuss fears surrounding their death and make end of life plans. Crestone also offers a pyre, an almost extinct thing in most of the world. It may be the only American town where you can go to face your own mortality, which, if you’re into that kind of thing, is actually really fun!
If you’re looking for a friendly, and admittedly somewhat weird, place to spend a few days, Crestone is it. With a distinct small-town vibe, a strange proclivity for death, incredible outdoor opportunities, and the different cultures and religions represented, there really isn’t any other place like it.
ruby | Castle Rock, CO