We had a great time! The school house was cozy and the night skies were amazing! There were some spiderwebs inside but what would you expect for an almost 100 year old school house.

We had a wonderful and relaxing four days at this unique location. Ella is a fabulous host and a great artist. Ella, thanks for sharing the history of the area with us and sharing your art.

Ella was great to work with. Nice stay in a beautiful area.

This has been one of the best vacations we have had. The experiences we created as a family were priceless. We are so blessed to learn the history and take in all the beauty of your property. Such a much needed peaceful vacation. Thank you for your kindness. We highly recommend this spot for any type of vacations, reunions etc.

As described. Perfect to get away. I will be back.

Ella has generously shared a magical experience. Her family property is absolutely charming. We loved the quiet, the playground and the proximity to hiking in Ouray and Telluride. We took a break from technology and enjoyed reconnecting with each other and the out of doors! Thank you, Ella!

One of the most remote locations I’ve ever stayed in the lower 48 states. The dark sky was phenomenal. Ella is a wonderful woman and the most gracious host. I loved speaking with her and viewing her art. The property couldn’t be more charming. Highly recommend!!

Stayed at the Sanborn school and cabin for one week and words can’t describe what it’s like to get up in the mountains and see beauty, breathe clean air and hear only nature sounds that you normally wouldn’t hear anyway else! Also, the host Ella is one of a kind!!! Meeting her was the best part of the trip and someone you would want to stay in touch with and like I said words can’t describe this place...both are a very rare find!!! Can’t wait to go back for longer than a week stay! Thanks again, Ray.

This was such a wonderful place to stay. My teenagers and I had a blast. It was such a great experience staying in an old historic school house. Thank you Ella!

This place was like a picture from a storybook, the wildflowers were everywhere, the nature was abundant. The sky was clear and the stars are plenty. Everywhere you turn there was something amazing to look at. It's next to a little dirt road but there was rarely anyone driving by, I couldn't think of a better place to get away to. I'd love to go back there again as soon as possible.

A great spot. Very private. If you want peace and quiet thus is your place.

We had a great stay on this property. There were 5 of us who hunted this year and this stay was perfect for the location of our hunt. Thanks again Ella for a good stay, we’ll be back!

We loved the peace and quiet. Ella was wonderful and so much fun.

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle - this is a perfect place to do it. The school house and cabin sit on a large mesa a 45 minute drive from Montrose, while the small town of Norwood lies about 35 mins away on the other side of the valley. So the only people you’re likely to encounter nearby are local farmers/ranchers and Ella herself! We were amazed when we arrived at how quiet it was. The sound of the wind in the trees, birds and occasionally coyotes barking at night are as noisy as it gets.The cabin contains a bathroom with shower that provides plenty of hot water and a dining space/kitchenette with two mini fridges, a two-ring stove top and a microwave, toaster, coffee machine. There is a charcoal grill outside with briquettes provided, so this is a couple steps above camping. Kids have plenty of space to run around and explore, there are a couple of nearby ponds (although no fish in them on our visit) that are a short walk or bike ride away. We hooked our hammock between two ponderosas and happily spent hours chilling and reading. We stayed for five nights and worked in one trip to Norwood (good supermarket, couple of dining options, tourist info - get maps here, gas station, slightly scary drive) and a couple trips to Montrose (Museum of the Mountain West- amazing, plenty of antique and gift stores, dining) and that kept us busy enough between all the relaxing.! The 1922 schoolhouse itself has a wonderful history, and the interior is larger than it looks in the photos. It’s a fun place to wake up in! Ella is a kind and gracious host, she’ll make plenty of suggestions for places to go and things to do. Try to obtain a map if you’re the kind of person who likes to be oriented as your phone/GPS coverage will be patchy! There are a number of trails off of Dave Wood road in the forest. Try the one called Dave Wood Interpretive trail for a simple family-oriented outing as a starter. Great time, great place. Thanks Ella!David, Karen and Max

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle - this is a perfect place to do it. The school house and cabin sit on a large mesa a 45 minute drive from Montrose, while the small town of Norwood lies about 35 mins away on the other side of the valley. So the only people you’re likely to encounter nearby are local farmers/ranchers and Ella herself! We were amazed when we arrived at how quiet it was. The sound of the wind in the trees, birds and occasionally coyotes barking at night are as noisy as it gets. The cabin contains a bathroom with shower that provides plenty of hot water and a dining space/kitchenette with two mini fridges, a two-ring stove top and a microwave, toaster, coffee machine. There is a charcoal grill outside with briquettes provided, so this is a couple steps above camping. Kids have plenty of space to run around and explore, there are a couple of nearby ponds (although no fish in them on our visit) that are a short walk or bike ride away. We hooked our hammock between two ponderosas and happily spent hours chilling and reading. We stayed for five nights and worked in one trip to Norwood (good supermarket, couple of dining options, tourist info - get maps here, gas station, slightly scary drive) and a couple trips to Montrose (Museum of the Mountain West- amazing, plenty of antique and gift stores, dining) and that kept us busy enough between all the relaxing.! The 1922 schoolhouse itself has a wonderful history, and the interior is larger than it looks in the photos. It’s a fun place to wake up in! Ella is a kind and gracious host, she’ll make plenty of suggestions for places to go and things to do. Try to obtain a map if you’re the kind of person who likes to be oriented as your phone/GPS coverage will be patchy! There are a number of trails off of Dave Wood road in the forest. Try the one called Dave Wood Interpretive trail for a simple family-oriented outing as a starter. Great time, great place. Thanks Ella! David, Karen and Max

Dates were available online, but we were notified the place was not available after the fact.

First - Ella, the property owner - is wonderful. It would have been fine with us if she just joined us on vacation! The property is about an hour's drive from Montrose, and you need to check in with Ella to get precise directions - or you'll get lost like we did! If you come in from the Ridgway area, it is also about an hour's drive, but that drive in particular is beautiful. From Montrose - you'll have about a 45 minute drive on a gravel road, and from Ridgway it's about a 20 minute drive on gravel - some of this drive is on a mountain side with switchbacks and one lane road - so drive slowly and enjoy the views! The location is very remote - so lots of peace and quiet, and what seems like a million stars at night, along with a just a short walk to a nice mountain view. The school house is like a trip back in time, and you should definitely have Ella tell you all of the history that goes with it. The 2nd cabin is like the tiny homes that are all the rage now. It has a nice living area and dinner table, with a cozy kitchen, couch with a pull out bed, along with bathroom and shower. There is also a bunkhouse with bunkbeds. All in all - you could most likely sleep 6-7 people comfortably, and if you wanted more - there's plenty of room for a tent or two. We loved sitting under the stars each night, eating dinner, having a campfire and just enjoying the cool weather and views. Ouray is about a 1.5 hour drive away, Ridgway about an hour, and Telluride is about an hour and ten minutes - so you're relatively close to shopping, eating and exploration. Our stay was fun, and we loved meeting Ella!

I, my wife, and all four kids thoroughly enjoyed our stay here at Ella's place. Ella was very responsive and provided all of the information we needed to prepare for our stay and then to arrive at the property. She was always available and advised us on best routes to/from the property. We enjoyed beautiful scenery and peaceful mornings and evenings.

So relaxed and memorable.

We had an amazing stay! Perfect location for our fishing adventures! Beautiful surroundings. Right balance of rustic charm and basic comforts. Our host was so welcoming and helpful! So much charm. Loads of history and wilderness beauty to explore. We are looking forward to many more memories made at the little school house property!

If you looking for quiet place, rent this one. So relaxing ! Just sit back, listen to the wind plays with the trees or go and explore the nature around you. Come back, start the campfire, watch the incredible night sky while you can hear coyotes howling. The historic Sandborn shool and the cabin next to it has everything that we needed. Mrs. Ella is a great host, don't forget to ask her about her tractor collection ! We hope to come back again.

Mrs. Marolf was a kind and gracious hostess. The facilities were exactly as described. It was clean and well maintained. The view was absolutely beautiful. I would recommend a stay in this lovely get away.

For a hunter traveling light this is a great place to stay. Great views. Great hiking. Excellent place for weekend get away. The hostess is awesome and makes sure your stay is pleasant.

Me, my wife ,son, and 4 dogs were coming from corpus christi during huricane harvey so we decided to find a nice quiet vacation spot to ride out all of the chaos and well it was more peaceful then expected when we got there the owner of the property is very friendly and very tentive to her guest. It is a great place to get out and about in nature with beautiful views of the mountains all around. The drive up the mountain is a bit scary the raods are a bit narrow with no guardrails(wonderful for you thrill seekers) but it is definitely worth driving up to get to the top! The best 3 days of our lives were here. I will definitely be going again with my family as soon as i can!

This was an awesome vacation! Love getting to stay in the old school house! You won't find many of these around anymore. Looking forward to spending time here during Elk hunting season! I would highly recommend giving this one a try! You won't be disappointed!

We absolutely loved staying at this property. You feel a little bit like you have stepped back in time! The white structure pictured was a one room school house dating back to the early 1900's, and it didn't close until late in the 1970's. The history behind this property is fascinating. You are in a pristine wilderness, but you are also close to lots a great places to go for day trips. Some days we just enjoyed being there, and others we went into Telluride and Montrose which are only about 45 minutes away. Our five kids (ages 10 - 19) loved sleeping on the comfortable cots in the school house. They danced on the wood floor at night, and enjoyed breakfast over an open fire. (The kitchen has everything you need to prepare meals, excluding an oven, if you aren't up for cooking over a fire!) The kids took the boat out on the pond, and enjoyed exploring to the area. It was worth the trip just to see the stars and a lightning show that the lit up the entire canyon. The host, who has lived up on this plateau for about 60 years, is incredibly gracious and hospitable. We highly recommend this property. It is a great place for a family to enjoy being together. It would also be a great place to come as a bigger group to do a modified campout; the feel of camping out but with a nice shower and kitchen and an indoor sleeping option for those who prefer that. An awesome week for us at an awesome place!!