by Doug Freed
Nickel Features
Some Western vacations are more authentic than others. It doesn’t get much more authentic than sleeping in a tipi.

These aren’t your average tipis, however. They’re inviting, clean, roomy, well appointed and warm. Karin Freudenberg, owner of Red Cone Retreat near Norwood, Colo., wouldn’t have it any other way.

Red Cone Retreat offers a twist for those looking to get away from it all. Rather than hotel rooms or standard camping facilities, Red Cone offers six large tipis. Each tipi sports a floor, two twin beds, two chairs, a table and a woodstove.

It’s camping, but five-star camping. The tipis are clustered in an alpine meadow at 8,500 feet. Comfortable bathroom and shower facilities are nearby as is a high-wall tent for group meals and a kitchen.

Guests are welcome to bring their own food, or the staff at Red Cone is happy to supply and cook the meals. Freudenberg aspires to cook the food in a wholesome old-world fashion using Dutch ovens, an open-pit grill and a stone oven. Provisions can be made for special dietary concerns and catering for special events is available if arranged in advance.

The kitchen is fully outfitted with pots, pans and cooking utensils to prepare your own meals. Guests also are welcome to bring their own tents and camping gear to supplement the tipi space.

“You can create your own experience,” Freudenberg said of the laid back Red Cone atmosphere. Nearby activities include fishing at either Miramonte Reservoir or in Gurley Reservoir (special permit required). The resort borders national forest land and is very near the hiking trails and backcountry activities offered by 12,613-foot Lone Cone mountain. Outdoor enthusiasts will find almost any activity to sate their adventurous appetite including kayaking, rock and ice climbing, skiing, snowshoeing and mountain biking. Family activities might include a rodeo, horse racing, trail rides, hay rides or sleigh rides. Or, there is always something to be said for the restorative nature of simply relaxing in the wilderness.

Hunters have discovered Red Cone Retreat and use it as a base camp for elk, deer, bear and turkey hunting. Hunters can utilize the adjacent national forest lands or certain private lands leased by Red Cone Retreat.

Activities on the property include hatchet throwing, horseshoes, ping pong, badminton and a trampoline. Freudenberg built a sweat lodge near the creek that runs through the property for those who want to enjoy an authentic spa treatment.

Groups are always welcome. Freudenberg will host a women’s wellness retreat in July. The beautiful setting would serve well such gatherings as spiritual, scientific or artistic retreats.
Freudenberg starting building Red Cone Retreat only two years ago on 45 secluded acres about 10 miles west of Norwood. Once leaving paved roads, the retreat is 4 miles down an unimproved dirt road, which lends a calming sense of isolation to the land.

Freudenberg, who has worked for the past 26 years as a hospice nurse, bought the land from a Denver-based hunter. At first, she didn’t know what to do with it. “God told me to build this,” she explained. “He wants me to share it with people.”

She was inspired to build tipis rather than traditional lodging by a mountain man friend named Clayton Penland who has lived in tipis on and off for many years.

Freudenberg herself gave tipi living a try for nine months while her cabin on the land was being built. “I learned to rough it,” she said. “I’m glad I went through it.”

This summer will represent only the second summer of guests at Red Cone Retreat, where improvements are ongoing.

“I’m still in a state of total expansion,” Freudenberg explained. On the drawing board are two more tipis in the near future. Long range plans call for a traditional lodge and perhaps for a hospice lodge. “I think that’s really what my calling is,” she said.

A single night stay is $47 without meals, $85 with three hot meals. Snack lunches are provided for hunters and day trippers in lieu of a hot lunch.

Group rates are $5 off per person for groups of five or more. Children under 12 are half price with a paid adult.

For more information, visit the website at www.redconeretreat.com, or call 970-729-2161 or 970-729-2227.