Activities

To enhance your Orient Land Trust stay, we offer massage, bodywork, reflexology, watsu, and small yoga classes with talented therapists. Our comfortable yurt offers a sanctuary that invites you to relax further during your visit.

Guests are encouraged to book onsite therapy appointments by contacting therapists directly before their stay. Due to Valley View’s rural location, therapists are required to travel to fulfill on-site appointments.

Text our massage therapist coordinator to schedule a reservation before your visit, or email her at [email protected].

Join us for an educational tour of our hydroelectric plant.

The streams on the property flow to the collection box where it is directed down down 9,000 feet of pipe, with an elevation drop of 540 feet and about 0.45 psi per foot. This drop creates a low-flow, high-pressure environment until it reaches the Pelton wheel. The Pelton Wheel turns at 1200 rpm, creating all the electricity used across Valley View.

Schedule a tour with us to learn more about our sustainable energy production.

The Orient Mine, which was active from 1880 through 1932, was the largest producer of iron ore in Colorado, having produced about two million tons of limonite. The mine showcases the geologic history of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the San Luis Valley, providing a glimpse into a past that began over 1 billion years ago.

Each summer since first documented in 1967 the Orient Mine has been home to the state’s largest colony of migrating Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats. Between mid-June and mid-September every year, visitors can watch the bats emerge from the mine at dusk in the thousands. Join us for a two-mile hike up to the mine to experience this marvelous event.

The Orient Mine is a designated Colorado Natural Area and a Colorado Division of Wildlife Watchable Wildlife site.

The Orient Land Trust is perhaps best known for protecting its spectacular views. With 2,200 acres over a variety of terrain and surrounded by __ miles of public lands, visitors share a powerful and unique perspective of the world. The viewshed highlights the natural, historic, and agricultural heritage of the northern San Luis Valley, its rural communities, and their gentle pace of life. The skies are wide and open, with dramatic and beautiful weather. Come nightfall, the high altitude and lack of light pollution make provide some of the best stargazing to be found.

Astronomy Program

OLT’s location and geography are extremely favorable for great celestial viewing. Several great telescopes were donated for visitors to view the skies in great detail. Our Astronomy Hosts share the science and wonder of the night sky with visitors. With our 8″ telescope, guests can spot distant galaxies, fascinating stars, as well the rings and moons surrounding nearby planets.