Tin Can Camp may be Instagram-worthy, but the collection of five new rental micro-cabins in the San Luis Valley is far from an amenity-laden glamping experience. That’s by design. “We wanted to make sure that we would be able to restore the landscape to its original integrity [when we eventually remove the structures],” says Maddy Ahlborn, development and communications coordinator for the nonprofit San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO), which opened the camp ($80 per night) to visitors in May.

The purpose of the project is twofold. It will help relieve pressure on the dispersed camping areas near Penitente Canyon—a climbing, hiking, and biking destination about 30 minutes southwest of Saguache that has seen a massive increase in use since the pandemic began—and provide SLV GO with another revenue stream to fund its trail-building team and stewardship programs. In keeping with the latter mission, the 128-square-foot cabins don’t have septic systems or potable water. (There are toilets, but they burn waste rather than flush it.) “Essentially, the cabins can be picked up with a forklift and loaded onto the back of a truck,” Ahlborn says, leaving as little evidence as possible that the tiny, picturesque abodes ever existed.

5280 September 2024
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Read More: Living Off the Grid in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

This article was originally published in 5280 September 2024.
Nicholas Hunt
Nicholas Hunt
Nicholas writes and edits the Compass, Adventure, and Culture sections of 5280 and writes for 5280.com.