House of Dao

Return to Simplicity — Live Your True Nature

Dao House exists as a sanctuary where individuals and communities can reconnect with their true nature through immersion in the natural world, contemplative practice, and meaningful human connection.

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Dao House offers more than a place to stay or gather. It offers a container — a peaceful environment intentionally designed to support reflection, learning, healing, and transformation.

In a world that often feels increasingly complex and disconnected, Dao House invites people to return to something more fundamental:

Simplicity. Presence. Nature. Community.

At Dao House, simplicity is not about removing richness from life. It is about returning to the deeper rhythms that support human flourishing and removing the distractions of daily life:

• Connection with the natural world
• Harmony within the body and mind
• Meaningful relationships with othersAlignment with one’s deeper purpose

Through retreats, gatherings, workshops, and festivals, Dao House creates spaces where individuals and groups can step outside of everyday life and rediscover these essential qualities.

A Nature-Based Spiritual Sanctuary

Dao House is best understood as a nature-based spiritual sanctuary.

It is not limited to a single tradition or path and welcomes a wide range of practices that support awakening/awareness, well-being, and transformation.

These may include:

• Meditation and mindfulness
• Yoga and breathwork
• Tai Chi and Qigong
• Healing arts
• Spiritual inquiry
• Leadership development
• Conscious community gatherings

This openness allows Dao House to serve as a meeting place where many traditions and practices can come together in harmony.

The Role of the Land

The land itself is one of the most powerful aspects of the Dao House experience.

Surrounded by the mountains, forests, and open skies of Colorado, the environment naturally encourages a slower pace of life and a deeper sense of presence.

Nature becomes an active participant in the retreat experience.

Guests often find that simply spending time on the land helps them:

• Quiet the mind
• Reconnect with the body
• Rediscover clarity and inspiration
• Experience a deeper sense of belonging to the natural world

Because of this, Dao House is not simply a retreat venue. It is a living environment that supports transformation.

This is sacred ground that the natives called the “Valley of Peace”, the land provides a container within which meaningful experiences unfold. 

About Dao House Retreat & Wellness Lodge

Dao House Retreat & Wellness Lodge is located in the tranquil Tahosa Valley, just 7.5 miles south of Estes Park, Colorado.  Known historically by Native peoples as the “Valley of Peace,” this sacred landscape served as a place for counsel, reflection and vision quests for centuries.  That legacy of peace and healing continues today.

Situated on over 81 acres of private mountain land at an elevation of 9,200 feet, Dao House is a classic, rustic wellness lodge designed for rest, renewal and nature immersion.  The property features:

• 36 lodge rooms in the main building
• One family cabin, offering flexible and comfortable lodging options

Nestled against Twin Sisters Peak and facing the awe-inspiring Longs Peak (14,250 ft)—the northernmost Fourteener along the Continental Divide—Dao House offers panoramic mountain views and an unmatched sense of tranquility.

Our location provides a rare opportunity for deep rest, meditation study, forest bathing, tai chi and qi gong practice and contemplative time in nature.  Guests are invited to join us for personal wellness retreats, group retreats, corporate retreats, workshops, or intimate mountain weddings, all enhanced by the expansive beauty of our back property.

To explore upcoming wellness retreats, recurring programs, or special one-time events, please visit our Events Page.

History of Dao House

Dao House, formerly known as Aspen Lodge, has a rich history rooted in the early settlement of Colorado’s Tahosa Valley and a longstanding tradition of peace, reflection and connection to the land.

The story begins in the late 1800s with Elkanah Lamb, one of the first settlers in the Tahosa Valley and a minister by trade. In 1875, Lamb constructed the area’s first roadway—known as Lamb’s Hill—connecting Estes Park to the Tahosa Valley.  This road allowed him to transport his household goods by wagon to his 160-acre homestead near what is now Wind River Ranch.

Around 1902, the Lamb family sold the property to Bessie Henderson Gay of Chicago, who went on to develop Wind River Ranch.  In 1936, Ms. Gay deeded a portion of this land to her close friend, Harry Walden—a parcel that would eventually become the present-day site of Dao House.

Harry Walden married the cook from the Longs Peak Inn, and together they built their home in 1915, now known as the Executive Haus.  As the oldest standing structure on the property, it remains a meaningful link to Dao House’s early history.  During this era, the Waldens operated a fox farm and trapped beavers, with cages spread throughout the surrounding cabins and outbuildings.  In 1933, the Tea House Cabin was constructed and used as a pelt storage building for the furs collected on the land.

In 1945, the Waldens sold the property to David and Bernice Lennox, who later transferred ownership to John and Stella LaCoke in 1949.  During this period, the original Aspen Lodge was built on the site of today’s restaurant. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, many of the existing cabins and suites were added, and the lodge began operating as a guest ranch.

On January 31, 1964, the lodge was destroyed by fire.  Demonstrating resilience and commitment to the land, the lodge was rebuilt and reopened just five months later, in June of that same year.

In September 1984, construction began on the current lodge—a landmark project that would become the largest log structure in Colorado at the time.  The 37,000-square-foot conference center opened in June 1985, along with additional amenities including tennis courts and a sports center.  Over the years, the property passed through several ownerships and partnerships, including financial institutions, before entering its next defining chapter.

In 2012, Wu Dang Chen (Chen) purchased Aspen Lodge, honoring the traditions of the American West while introducing the ancient healing wisdoms of the East.  Following the devastating floods of September 2013—a once-in-a-thousand-year event—the lodge was forced to close for nine months.  Dao House officially reopened on July 13, 2014, marking a rebirth of the property and the emergence of a new vision.

This reopening became the foundation for Dao House, a wellness retreat and mountain sanctuary that bridges Eastern philosophy with Western mountain culture.  Today, Dao House offers a space where people of all races, religions, belief systems and perspectives can come together with a shared intention: to live healthy, harmonious and meaningful lives.

The land upon which Dao House rests has been considered sacred and healing for thousands of years.  By returning to simplicity, honoring nature and hosting wellness retreats, meditation study, tai chi and qi gong programs, festivals and gatherings from around the world, Dao House continues this ancient tradition—inviting each guest to reconnect with the land, the present moment and their true nature.