Heartwood Cohousing

We are a close-knit community of people who care about each other, support each other, and have fun together. We are blessed to live in a peaceful and beautiful place. Our close connection with nature means we enjoy plenty of outdoor recreation and organic food grown on our own land. Strong community relationships, low stress, playing outside, and eating local organic food add up to an exceptionally healthy lifestyle.

Although we are an established 24 home community (completed in 2000), we are currently developing a second phase of 14 homes so that also makes us a forming community. We broke ground in July 2025 with new homes ready for move-in in 2026. Check out our website for lots more information.

We own 360 acres in southwest Colorado (Durango/Bayfield area), of which 67 acres is irrigated pastureland, where many members keep horses, llamas, and cattle. We enjoy a rural lifestyle – peace and quiet, close to nature, unlimited nearby recreational opportunities in the mountains and red rock canyons (including 7 miles of trails on our land), star-filled night skies, free from crime and traffic, clean mountain air, and organic food grown right here on our own land. Our rural location also means that Heartwood is a very close-knit community and an amazing place to raise kids.

Because we have high speed internet available (100+ Mbps available) and a great little regional airport just 25 minutes away, many Heartwood members work remotely from home.

The neighborhood and homes are designed so we can easily enjoy privacy or community socializing when we choose. Kids are safe, loved, and well-supported.

We help each other in times of hardship or need. We celebrate with each other in times of joy.

We share the value of environmental stewardship. All of our homes are very well built, passive solar, and energy efficient – many of them feature strawbale or straw-clay construction. They are clustered on just a few acres, leaving over 95% of our land in open space. We share resources to minimize our environmental footprint. All of our farming and gardening is organic. We have many photovoltaic solar systems, with more being added almost every year.

We live in a nearly perfect four-season climate with 300+ days of sunshine per year. Although our summers are warm and sunny, our dry mountain air means that our homes don’t need air conditioners. We keep our windows open throughout the spring, summer, and fall. The fresh air is another way we’re able to stay more closely connected with nature and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

We share many wonderful amenities: approximately 350 acres of open space, 7 miles of trails, 67 acres of irrigated pastureland, gorgeous common house, village green, kids play structure, woodworking shop, gardening tools, greenhouse, raised bed gardens, henhouse, laundry facilities, exercise room, library, free box, guest rooms, ping pong and foosball tables, tennis and pickleball court, basketball court, barns and stables, tractors, yurt, hot tub, sledding hill, bonfire circle, and more.

We are located at an elevation of 7100’ in the Four Corners region, about 20 minutes east of Durango and 3 minutes west of Bayfield. We are surrounded by gorgeous uncrowded public lands. The San Juan Mountains are just north of us boasting Colorado’s biggest concentration of 14,000’ peaks and its largest wilderness area. West of us is the Colorado Plateau, which contains the red rock canyons of Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Zion, and Grand Canyon National Parks. There are more wilderness adventures within 5 hours of Heartwood than you could fit into a lifetime.

We’ve packed a lot of information and photos into our website. Please take a look around and virtually explore Heartwood Cohousing. If you like what you see, click on the “GET IN TOUCH” link to stay connected via our “Heartwood Happenings” and “Phase 2 Update” newsletters. You’ll also find information about our virtual tours, which we host on Zoom on the 15th of every month at 3:00 Mountain time.

Whether your goals are the deep connection of community, a healthier and more peaceful rural lifestyle, an active outdoor lifestyle that includes world-class hiking, road and mountain biking, skiing, kayaking and rafting, weekend family camping trips to the desert or the high mountain wilderness, or an evening of excellent food and entertainment in nearby Durango or Bayfield, Heartwood is a great place to live, love, put down roots, raise your family, grow together, prosper, and change the world – one neighborhood at a time.