Eldora

A former 1890s gold-mining town — at its peak home to 1,300 people — now a quiet hamlet of historic cabins and modern mountain homes in the Middle Boulder Creek Valley, sometimes called Happy Valley. The Eldora Historic District has been on the National Register since 1989, and a historic-design requirement means even newer builds echo the original cabin aesthetic with wood siding, wrap-around porches, and barn-style features. Many homes are seasonal. Small single-story cabins of 500 to 800 square feet start around $300K; larger cabin-style homes of 1,400 to 2,000 square feet reach $500K to $1.1M. Five minutes from Eldora Mountain Resort and steps from the Hessie Trailhead into the Indian Peaks Wilderness.