Amazon (The Are you a Bed & Breakfast? We are not a Bed & Breakfast. As a boutique Inn, we offer comfortable guest accommodations but we leave meal preparations to the many capable Valley dining establishments. However, your room does come well-stocked with a selection of quality teas and coffees - as well as the facilities and supplies to do basic food preparation (microwave, refrigerator with separate freezer, hot water kettle, and all the dish ware, drink ware and utensils you will need).
When is check in & check out? Official check in time is 3pm. Check out time is by 11am. Early check in or late check out may be possible by making advance arrangements. If you provided a cell phone number upon booking, we will text you to let you know when your room is ready. Rooms are often (but not always) ready significantly prior to 3pm. If you have bags to drop off prior to check in, please let us know and we will accommodate.
How does check in & check out work? We are pretty unique in this regard. Because we are often - but not always - on site when guests arrive, we will leave a welcome note on your guest room door and will leave the room unlocked with the key inside. If we do not greet you in person upon arrival, you can often find us in our adjacent retail shop, The Lucky Horseshoe, or on the grounds. Our rooms are clearly marked and both Magpie and Raven are accessed from the front porch. Our Studio apartment (The Stone Studio) is accessed down steps leading into our lower yard (on the south side of the Inn). This casual check in policy allows you to come and go as you please right from the start! Check out is equally informal. When you depart, simply text us at (970) 589-2903 to let us know of your departure, leave the key in the room and close the door, unlocked, behind you.
How about payment? All guests provide a credit card when they book their stay. Unless the guest indicates upon arrival that they wish to pay by another means, we will charge the card provided. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. In no case will charges be applied to your card before your scheduled arrival date. Our nightly room rate, before 10.5% tax is: High Season Weekends: $150; High Season Weekdays: $140; Low Season - any day: $125.
What is your cancellation policy? If you must cancel, please give us as much notice as possible so we can re-book your room. If the booking is cancelled more than a week prior to check-in there will be no cancellation penalty; if the cancellation is inside seven days prior to check in, we will charge the first night of the reserved stay + tax. If we are able to re-book your room and have charged you a cancellation penalty, we will refund such cancellation penalty.
Where should we park? Guests may park street-side, directly in front of the Inn. Off-street parking is available upon request. Off-street parking is on-site, but not immediately adjacent to guest rooms. Please contact us if you have an especially large vehicle or are pulling a trailer.
Do you have televisions in the rooms? Our rooms all have a large flat screen TV and DVD/Blu-Ray player - with a nice selection of movies in the room. We also offer television streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime & Pluto) to round out your viewing options. Please note: TVs do not offer cable, sattelite or live television.
What about Wi-Fi? We offer FREE secured 150MB high speed Wi-Fi for our guests' use. The password is located on the room information card.
Any food preparation facilities? Our premier guest rooms do not have full kitchen facilities, but do have mini-fridges with separate freezers. Rooms also feature a microwave, electric hot water kettle, a Keurig coffee station and a good selection of plates, bowls, glasses (even wine and shot glasses...as well as frosty beer mugs waiting in the freezer!), flatware and basic kitchen utensils (wine and bottle openers and can opener). Our Studio apartment has a small full kitchen complete with all that listed above but including a larger refrigerator/freezer, stove and a good selection of cooking implements. In addition, the Studio also features an outdoor dining area.
What dining options are available in Crawford? The Lazy J Coffee Company is just a half block north of the Inn and is a popular meeting spot. Lazy J carries pastries and light breakfast fare. Lazy J is closed on Sundays. The North Fork Boardwalk- Crawford's only sit-down restaurant, is open six days a week (closed Monday) and offers high quality cafe fare and down-home style cooking... as well as an on-site saloon (Karaoke every Friday evening and Open Mic every Sunday evening).
Heading out of town for breakfast...what do you suggest? (click on restaurant name to link to their website)
Zack's BBQ in Hotchkiss is located on a residential street behind the City Market grocery store (look for the yellow sign). Zack's is a gathering spot for locals and has been serving up traditional breakfasts (and lunch and dinner) for over 45 years - Zack's is a local institution and is famous for its Texas BBQ. Zack's opens at 6:30am Tuesday - Saturday. Zack's is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Farm Runners Station on the east end of Hotchkiss (near City Market) does not have a lot of sit down space, but they cannot be beat for the quality of their pastries, baked goods and deli items. Farm Runners Station offers only locally grown and produced foods - mostly organic - and serves as a small grocery as well as a nice place to pick up ready-to-eat foods. Farm Runners opens at 8:30am Wednesday- Sat. and 10am Sunday. They are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays.
Chloe's Kitchenon the west end of Hotchkiss specializes in local, organic gluten-free, pastries, pies and breads. Coffee is on tap too! Open every day 7-3 except Sundays.
Paonia Breadworksjust north of downtown Paonia (on the main street) has some fantastic pastry options, sandwiches, as well as great bagels! Open everyday at 7am.
Mountain Oven, a gourmet bakery featuring pastries and more from local ingredients, and located in a residential neighborhood in Paonia, is so popular on Fridays (their only day open to the public) that there is usually a line awaiting their opening. Details should be gleaned from their website.
Sweetgrass, on the main street in downtown Paonia, offers a nice "local" breakfast menu and great deck seating under the trees. Open Wednesday - Sunday at 8:30am. Closed Mondays & Tuesdays.
What suggestions do you have for lunch & dinner?
TheNorth Fork Boardwalk, just across the street, is very popular with guests of the Inn. Not only is the location right, but guests routinely rave about their meals. One guest proclaimed that the Bacon Blue Cheese Burger was the best they had ever had!
476 Eatery Restaurantin downtown Hotchkiss is popular with folks who enjoy traditional Thai food and sushi. Calling ahead is recommended because it is a small eatery with limited seating.
Three20 Bar & Grill in downtown Hotchkiss is a new "special occasion" eatery. Three20 retains a well-respected local chef on staff and reviews have been exemplary.
Zack's BBQ in Hotchkiss (off the main street) has been popular with locals for nearly 50 years! Traditional Texas BBQ is their specialty. The menu is otherwise mostly traditional cafe fare.
Louie's Pizza in downtown Paonia has really tasty pizza and plenty of specialty pies to choose from. Live music some weekend nights.
The Old River Road Trading Post. This place is really hard to find (15495 Black Bridge Road, Paonia - use your GPS) because it is in the middle of the countryside between Paonia and Black Bridge Winery, but if you are of a hippie persuasion, or simply appreciate the counter culture, you really should check this out. They are open every day except Saturday and there is a dining room and a great natural foods store. The meals are serve-yourself buffet style and some days simply by donation. The food ranges from really great to lackluster, but it is guaranteed to be healthy and local. There is no menu and some days meals have an ethnic or macrobiotic theme. This is an experience more than a restaurant...Not for everyone, but for those who "get it", it's a treasure!
Delicious Orchards/Big B's Café- two miles west of Paonia on Highway 133 - is located at a great local foods establishment/orchard that you should visit anyway...Pick up fruits and veggies direct from the grower and don't miss the apple cider. Big B's Ciders (traditional and hard) is based here. If you are visiting in the fall you MUST get the cold pressed fresh cider - the best to be found short of pressing your own! There is a fabulous outdoor seating area with adjacent tree swings (for the kids - or young at heart). They hold a Hard Cider Festival here late each October. The café has a simple but delightful menu, heavy on local and fresh foods.
T Bracket Pizza - in downtown Hotchkiss is a newer addition to local dining but has a nice selection of specialty pies.
Where can I purchase some wine or beer? Honestly, if you are in search of local wine, spirits or beer you have a lot of options. If you want something convenient to your room, head a half mile south, out of town, to TheDesperado (convenience store, liquor store & gas station). The Desperado will have a decent, but smallish, selection including some local options. Tri-R Liquorsin Hotchkiss, next to the City Market grocery, has just about anything you might desire - including a good section of local wines and spirits. Of course, the North Fork Valley is well known for wine. We have 14 wineries, many with tasting rooms - take my advice and spend an afternoon sampling! Some nice options include Qutori, Black Bridge Winery, and Stone Cottage Cellars, all of which are in proximity to Paonia. If in Hotchkiss, don't miss Mesa Winds Farm & Winery. Marvelous small plate meals are available there too! There is also Paonia United Brewing (P.U.B.) in Paonia - a watering hole for the hip crowd. P.U.B. is located in a converted church building on the main drag in Paonia, just north of downtown, and is a center of activity many evenings, with occasional live music. On the other end of downtown, just off the main drag, is the well-regarded Chrysalis Brewery - another worthy stop for the craft beer lover.
Where is the nearest gas station? The Desperado is a Sinclair affiliated gas station, convenience store and mini liquor store all in one, and they are located a half mile south of town on Highway 92, just before you reach Crawford State Park. There is a Shell station at the Hotchkiss Stop 'n Save - and there is a Conoco station at the Stop 'n Save on the west edge of Paonia on Highway 133. The Stop 'n Save locations typically offer the best gas prices in the Valley. Rogers Mesa Store, just west of Hotchkiss, also has a gas station. All of these gas stations offer well-stocked convenience stores.
I need some basic supplies. What is nearby? Again, The Desperado is just a half mile south of town on Highway 92...they will have all the convenience store basics and a little bit more.
I'm looking for an ATM. Where can I find one? There is an ATM located in downtown Crawford outside of United Business Bank - across from the Town Hall (the big stone former school house). There is also an ATM inside the Desperado convenience store and gas station, a half mile south of town. There are multiple ATMs in both Hotchkiss and Paonia. For those with a Credit Union card participating in the surcharge-free Co-Op network, check out the ATM at the Delta County Federal Credit Union - adjacent to the City Market grocery.
How far to the North Rim of the Black Canyon? The North Rim of the Black Canyon is 13 miles from the Inn. Take Highway 92 south about two miles and make your first right after Crawford State Park reservoir. Follow the signs because the road twists and turns. The last six miles are unpaved but well-maintained. The drive offers lovely views even before you get to the chasm! The North Rim of the Canyon typically opens to visitors sometime between late April and early May, and closes in November. Check with the National Park for exact open and close dates - as they tend to vary year to year, based on the weather and on access road conditions.
How far to the South Rim of the Black Canyon? The South Rim of the Black Canyon is only 13 miles as the crow flies, but because you have to drive around the canyon, it takes a bit longer. You could drive south on Highway 92 to connect with Highway 50 and then head west towards Montrose, or you could drive northwest on Highway 92 through Hotchkiss, to Delta, south to Montrose on Highway 50 and then east on Highway 50 to the park entrance. Give yourself about an hour and 20 minutes via Delta or a little over 1.5 hours heading south and then west. The route south towards Gunnison will reward you with amazing views, but it is a longer drive. Please note that through 2022 there will be alternating lanes of traffic on the Highway 50 portion of the southern route, due to a large scale contstruction project on Highway 50.
Is there any night life in Crawford or the North Fork Valley? Well, it depends on what your idea of "night life" is. One favorite activity is to watch the stars on a clear night (check to see if a meteor shower is expected during your visit by clicking here!) A good place to watch the night sky is at the Needle Rock trailhead parking area, about 4 miles east of Crawford (turn east at the post office and take Dogwood Ave out a couple miles to Needle Rock Road on the south side of Needle Rock). Not a single point of artificial light to be seen...plus you are at the base of the awesome Needle Rock! Also, The Black Canyon National Park has recently received a "Dark Skies" certification and is a popular spot to star gaze.
Other nighttime entertainment could include...(click links below to visit websites)
Pickin' in the Park. Thursday evenings in August at the Paonia Town Park. This a fantastic free event with quality touring musical acts and a real festival atmosphere. Food and drink vendors are on site, and because it is Paonia, there are people watching opportunities galore!
Live music can often be found at: The Paradise Theatrein Paonia,The Blue Sage Center for the Artsin Paonia, and Louie's Pizza in Paonia. A comprehensive events calendar for the Valley does not exist, but check out the websites of the venues mentioned for their individual events calendars.
I'm looking for some good information on the North Fork Valley and Delta County. Where can I find it? There is a handy mobile app that you can load on your smart phone that provides helpful information on dining, activities and attractions in the area. To load this free app, go to your App Store and search "Visit Delta County, CO!" Also, we have a fine visitor's guide online. Click here