The Southpaw at Grand West Village

Summary:

The Southpaw is a 1-bedroom cabin with a sleeping loft at Grand West Village Resort, a small managed community of cabins in Lake County, Colorado. The cabin sleeps four — a queen bed in the main-floor bedroom plus two twin beds in the upstairs loft — making it ideal for a couple, two friends, or a small family with one or two kids.



The main floor holds the queen bedroom, a full bathroom, the gas-fireplace living room, and the fully stocked kitchen with dishwasher. Upstairs, the loft holds the two twin beds and a 3/4 bathroom. The southwestern-facing front porch frames a direct view of Mt. Elbert (Colorado's tallest 14er at 14,440 ft). The shared resort yard has picnic tables, a swing set, and a horseshoe pit.



Location is the buy: 25 minutes by car to Twin Lakes (fishing, paddleboarding, sailing in summer; cross-country skiing in winter), 25 minutes to the Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive trailheads, and 8 minutes to downtown Leadville's Harrison Avenue restaurants and breweries. Ski Cooper is approximately 30 minutes; Copper Mountain about 40. The cabin is named "The Southpaw" after the Lost Mine Loop story of 1880s prospector Eric Jones — the name is local lore, not a typo.



Managed end-to-end by Traverse Hospitality — Lake County licensed, Superhost-rated.



The Space:

The Southpaw is a 1-bedroom cabin with a sleeping loft, spread across two levels with 2 bathrooms and four real beds (a queen on the main floor and two twins in the loft). The main floor holds the bedroom with full bath, the living room with gas fireplace and cable TV, and the fully stocked kitchen with dishwasher, gas range, and full-size refrigerator. The loft adds the two twin beds and a 3/4 bathroom — comfortable for kids, two friends, or a second couple staging an early start.



The cabin sits inside Grand West Village Resort, a managed community of cabins in Lake County, Colorado. The shared yard includes picnic tables, a swing set, and a horseshoe pit, plus a gas grill. Designated parking handles your vehicle, with overflow spaces for a truck-and-trailer combo (boats and roof boxes welcome).



The southwestern-facing front porch frames Mt. Elbert (14,440 ft, Colorado's tallest peak) — a direct view of the mountain you may be planning to climb. There is no air conditioning (Twin Lakes sits at 9,200 ft and stays cool year-round) and no hot tub. The cabin is family-friendly but works best for couples or small groups of 2–4 — Grand West Village's other cabins are available if your party needs more bedrooms.



Guest Access:

Self check-in via keypad — code is sent the day before arrival along with our digital guidebook covering Twin Lakes paddle rentals, Mt. Elbert trailhead logistics, restaurants, and altitude tips. Guests have access to the entire cabin including both bedrooms (main and loft), both bathrooms, the kitchen, the living room, and the front porch. The shared resort yard, gas grill, picnic tables, swing set, and horseshoe pit are open to all Grand West Village guests. Designated parking is reserved for your unit; overflow handles oversized vehicles like trucks with trailers or roof boxes.



The Neighborhood:

The Southpaw is located in Grand West Village Resort, a small managed community of cabins on Lost Mine Loop in southern Lake County, Colorado — geographically between downtown Leadville (north) and Twin Lakes (south). Twin Lakes is approximately 25 minutes by car: in summer it's the launch for fishing, paddleboarding, and sailing; in winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing across the frozen lakes. The Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive trailheads are also approximately 25 minutes — these are Colorado's two tallest 14ers (14,440 ft and 14,428 ft).



Downtown Leadville (the highest incorporated city in North America at 10,152 ft) is approximately 8 minutes by car. Harrison Avenue's restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, the Tabor Opera House (1879), and the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum are all walkable from the downtown core. Ski Cooper is approximately 30 minutes north, Copper Mountain 40 minutes east, and Vail/Beaver Creek about 50 minutes. In summer, Independence Pass to Aspen opens (about 1 hour drive). The cabin's name "Southpaw" comes from a local 1880s Lost Mine Loop story about prospector Eric Jones — the trail behind the resort retraces some of that history.



Getting Around:

A car is essential. The Southpaw is 8 minutes from downtown Leadville and 25 minutes from Twin Lakes and the Mt. Elbert trailheads — but there is no public transit between Grand West Village and any of those destinations. Designated off-street parking is reserved for the unit, with overflow spaces sized for trucks, trailers, and roof-box-equipped vehicles. Allow extra time for snow/ice conditions Nov–April; Lost Mine Loop is plowed but the high country averages 100+ inches of annual snow. Independence Pass (the summer route to Aspen) closes November through May.



Other Things to Note:

ALTITUDE — Grand West Village sits at approximately 9,200 ft, with Twin Lakes a bit lower and Leadville a bit higher (10,152 ft). Some guests experience altitude symptoms (headache, fatigue, mild nausea) the first 24 hours. If you're staging a Mt. Elbert summit, plan to acclimatize for at least one full day before the climb. We cannot offer refunds for altitude-related issues.



NO A/C — Twin Lakes and Leadville stay cool year-round at 9,200–10,200 ft; A/C is not standard in any cabin here and is rarely needed. Summer nights drop to the 40s.



NO HOT TUB — This cabin does not have a hot tub.



NO PETS — This is not a pet-friendly cabin.



PARKING — Each unit has designated off-street parking with overflow space sized for oversized vehicles (trucks, boat trailers, roof boxes).



NEIGHBORING CABINS — Grand West Village Resort has multiple Traverse-managed cabins. If your group needs more bedrooms, ask us about booking an adjacent cabin.



WILDLIFE — You may encounter local wildlife (foxes, deer, the occasional moose at Twin Lakes) and small critters that come with mountain living. Doors stay closed; we maintain ongoing pest control.



LICENSE — Lake County Land Use STR license #2024-074.



GUIDEBOOK — A digital guidebook with check-in info, restaurant recs, trail maps, Twin Lakes outfitter contacts, and Mt. Elbert trailhead logistics is sent via email link the day before arrival. This is the only path to your check-in info.



Interaction with Guests:

We are local Leadville-based property managers. Self check-in via keypad means you can arrive late without coordinating; we send the code, the digital guidebook, and an introduction text the day before arrival. We're available by phone, text, or message 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for anything during your stay — Mt. Elbert trail conditions, restaurant recommendations, plumbing emergencies, whatever — and we run a 24/7 emergency line for urgent issues outside those hours. We don't drop in unannounced.