Entry No. 34 — the Boulder file — filed under: tiny-house
WeeCasa Tiny House Resort
When the 2013 St. Vrain flood destroyed the Riverbend Mobile Home Park at the edge of Lyons, the site sat empty until 2015, when a group of neighbors — led by local resident Kenyon Waugh — reopened it as a tiny house hotel. WeeCasa now operates 22 rental units ranging from 176 to 450 square feet, sourced from 14 different builders, each with its own theme: the Gnome Home has circular doors and fishbowl windows; the Ski Haus comes with a ski-run shower curtain; the Rocky Mountain High leans hard into Colorado kitsch. The resort secured its permanent zoning only after two separate rezoning attempts, and it sits on the same riverside strip that flood maps now treat with extra caution. It functions like a hotel — full-service check-in, wi-fi, French-press coffee — but looks like an architectural sample fair beside a fast mountain creek.
The story
When the 1,000-year St. Vrain River flood ripped through Lyons in September 2013, it wiped the Riverbend Mobile Home Park clean off the map. Townsfolk were left with a scoured gravel bar right in a high-risk flood zone where rebuilding traditional permanent homes was out of the question. Local resident Kenyon Waugh—who had previously spent months living out of a 16-pound backpack on the Appalachian Trail—pitched a pragmatic workaround: if you can't put foundations in a flood hazard strip, put wheels under your lodging. By May 2015, Waugh and his partners opened WeeCasa, populating the riverbank with tiny homes built on mobile trailer chassis that could theoretically be hitched and towed away if the St. Vrain ever swells again.
Getting the town of Lyons to accept a resort made of towable RVs wasn't simple. It took emergency temporary zoning, utility battles over water and sewer metering, and two separate rezoning attempts before the town granted permanent status. Today, 22 rental units ranging from 176 to 450 square feet sit parked in a cluster beside the creek. Because the homes come from 14 different custom builders rather than a single resort developer, walking the grounds feels like an unhinged architectural sample fair. You'll pass the Gnome Home with its circular Hobbit-style doors and fishbowl windows, the Ski Haus featuring a ski-run shower curtain, and various Colorado-themed cabins packed tight along the river path.
Despite looking like an off-grid design expo, WeeCasa operates like a full-service boutique hotel—complete with keyless check-in, Wi-Fi, and French-press coffee provided in the mini-kitchens. You didn't hear it from us, but the real secret of the place is its understated social experiment: guests routinely spend dark nights around the communal fire pits debating ladder rungs, loft ceiling clearances, and whether anyone could actually survive living in 200 square feet without losing their mind.
What it's like
Arriving at WeeCasa feels less like checking into a mountain lodge and more like stepping onto a miniature neighborhood lot where someone squeezed two dozen distinct architectural experiments onto a grassy strip beside the St. Vrain River. Check-in is handled digitally, leaving you to roll your bag down gravel paths past tiny gables, miniature porches, and exterior ladders. The vibe is quiet and casual; by dusk, guests gather around the communal fire pit with local beers, comparing loft headroom and stair angles. Expect tight door frames, steep ladders leading to low-ceiling sleeping lofts, and compact wet baths. Pro tip: if you dislike scrambling down a ladder in the dark to reach the bathroom at 2 a.m., make sure to book a unit with a ground-floor bed, and grab the local discount cards from the front office before walking five minutes into downtown Lyons for dinner.
The move: Book two different themed units for the same night and go door-to-door comparing them. Share the communal fire pit after dark, walk the river path at dusk, and end up debating which 200 square feet you could actually live in.
📍 Before you go Open year-round; advance booking strongly recommended, especially summer weekends — full payment is required at reservation. No pets (service animals excepted with advance notice). No smoking. Lyons is about 20 miles northwest of Boulder via US-36 and US-66; the resort is walkable to downtown Lyons restaurants and shops. Free parking on-site. Units sleep 2–6 depending on the home selected.
- 📍 Lyons
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 501 W Main St, Lyons, CO 80540
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Clarifier Project — A three-minute walk down Main Street brings you to an abandoned 1950s wastewater treatment tank covered in 60,000 hand-painted volunteer tiles.
- Lyons Classic Pinball — Stroll into town after settling into your tiny house to flip through more than 70 vintage pinball machines maintained by local devotees.
- Lyons Classic Video — Tucked beneath the original Oskar Blues, this basement black-light video arcade makes a perfect low-key late-night stop before heading back to your 200-square-foot cabin.
Good to know
Why are tiny houses allowed to operate in a flood hazard zone?
Because every unit sits on an RV trailer chassis with wheels, they are legally classified as temporary, towable recreational vehicles rather than permanent structures, allowing them to occupy the riverbank floodplain.
How big are the rental units at WeeCasa?
The 22 individual tiny homes range from 176 to 450 square feet and sleep between two and six guests depending on the specific house layout.
Are pets or smoking permitted in the tiny homes?
No. WeeCasa maintains a strict no-smoking and no-pet policy across the entire resort, with exceptions only for certified service animals with advance notice.
Is WeeCasa walkable to downtown Lyons?
Yes. Located at 501 W Main St, the resort sits on the edge of town, making Lyons shops, restaurants, and music venues a short 5 to 10-minute walk away.
What amenities come inside each tiny home?
Units operate like hotel rooms and include Wi-Fi, high-end linens, French-press coffee, and kitchenettes stocked with mini-fridges, cooktops, and basic cookware.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · voyagedenver.com · colorado.com · uncovercolorado.com · businessinsider.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-11