What to Bring / Weather

Vallecitos is a remote, high elevation retreat center with mountainous terrain. Please be prepared! Temperatures in the high mountains can swing thirty degrees between early morning and afternoon; nights and mornings during the summer can be chilly (40s-50s°F) while spring and fall overnight temps can dip into the 30s°F. During peak summer months the days can be quite warm (70s-80s°F) while early and late in the season daytime highs are typically in the 60s°F. Be sure to check the local weather using the link below the week before your retreat start date. Pack accordingly, with the help of the list below.

Click here for current weather at Vallecitos.

Basic Packing List

Warm sleeping bag (rated down to +10)
Pillowcase and bottom sheet for double bed which will fit the twin and double beds we have. (One casita, one yurt and the Hermitage have a queen size bed. You are welcome to ask us ahead of time which room you are in or we are happy to provide you with a queen sheet if you end up in one of those rooms.)
Clothes that can be layered
If attending in May or October, extra layers plus a warm jacket, hat, and gloves
If you tend to get cold, then a set of warm baselayers and wool socks for sleeping
Sun Hat (warm hat too in colder months)
Rain gear (raincoat or poncho)
Hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes (rain resistant is preferable)
Easy slip on shoes are nice to have as shoes are not allowed in the meditation hall or practice tent
Daypack
Watch
Battery-operated travel alarm (if your watch does not have an alarm setting)
Battery-operated flashlight or headlamp
Extra batteries
Water bottle
Toiletries (Fragrance Free shower products are available on site. If bringing your own, please be sure its Fragrance Free.)
Towel and wash cloth
Sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher)
Bug Spray (We are newly experiencing mosquitos and biting flies at the center during some summer months and you may wish to have this on hand. There is often extra at the center. Scent awareness is appreciated for bug spray but fragrance free is not imperative since it is so hard to come by for this particular item.)
Medications
Meditation props and yoga mats if you wish to have your own. (We do have these available at the center.)
If your retreat is Dana-based, then please bring checks, credit card or cash to make an offering at the end of the retreat.

Packing Tips (and items available at the retreat center)

Because of the amount of time spent sitting or walking in meditation, we recommend wearing comfortable clothing that is looser or has a bit of stretch in the fabric.
Since most sits are held outside in our practice tent, please bring layers that you can add on and take off as temperatures fluctuate. Morning sits can be cold.
It is best to bring luggage that is easily transported uphill and over rocky terrain; wheeled luggage often must be carried a short distance to your lodging.
You may bring your own meditation supplies, if desired. The center has zafus, zabutons, benches and chairs available. You are NOT required to bring you own supplies, but are welcome to if you would like.
We have a small supply of yoga mats available. You may bring your own yoga mat if desired.
Please note that we do not have the electrical capacity to support charging and using personal devices such as ipads or computers. You are encouraged to leave these items at home, or in your car.
Candles are not allowed on site.
Vallecitos is a weapons, tobacco, and alcohol free facility. These items are strictly forbidden on site.

Rent a Comfort Pack (If you don’t want to/can’t bring bedding and towels)

To help you pack lightly, we offer the option to rent a Comfort Package during your stay – a warm sleeping bag, fitted sheet, flat sheet and pillowcase, towel and wash cloth.

The cost to rent the Comfort Package is $50. This fee is for your entire stay and includes a cleaning fee.

Reserving a Comfort Pack: Comfort Packs may be reserved and paid for via your registration form. If you need to cancel or add a Comfort Pack after registering, please email refuge@vallecitos.org.

Forget Something?

We have a few essential items available for purchase, including flashlights, batteries, sunscreen, toothbrushes, travel alarm clocks, etc. We do not stock watches on site. Souvenir items are also available for purchase, including caps, water bottles, T-shirts, hoodies, vests and other items. The sale of these items helps support Vallecitos.

A Word About Luggage

Please only bring luggage that you can carry a short distance (probably uphill) yourself. Even wheeled luggage often has to be carried given the rocky, uneven terrain.

More About The Weather (During Each Season)

Prepare for anything.
At 8,800 feet above sea level, mountain weather can be dramatic and surprising in any season. Our guests enjoy rustic, comfortable, heated casitas, yurts and tent cabins with the opportunity for tent camping during warmer months. Dress in layers, and don’t forget to pack a pair of hiking boots!

May
Daytime high temperatures range in the 40s to 70s F°. Nighttime and early morning temperatures can dip down to freezing, and rain and late-season snow are possible. As Canada geese return to the ponds, the meadows green up with new grass, and the aspen put out their first buds and leaves. At this quiet time of year, you’ll likely see elk grazing across the river.

June, July, August
Daytime temperatures are generally in the 50s to 80s F°. Nighttime and early morning temperatures typically drop down into the upper 40s and 50s F°. Afternoon showers are not uncommon during this time of year, often called the “monsoon season.” Geese and ducks swim in the ponds with their fledglings, a multitude of wildflowers color the meadows, and the warm butterscotch aroma of Ponderosa pine fills the air.

September and October
Days and nights grow gradually cooler, with temperatures from the 40s to 70s F° during the day and freezing at night. The aspen leaves and meadow grasses turn deep gold. The elk once more trek through and around the retreat during their rutting season, their haunting, bugling calls filling the air in the evenings and mornings.

Mushim Ikeda

...I was teaching at Vallecitos one year in August, during the meteor showers. Our sensitivity heightened by hours of silent meditation, we would stand outside at night and watch trails of light cross the vast dark sky, signs from what I call the Greater Reality. Unforgettable.

Cristina Mormorunni

...I am so much more aware of the path I want to be on and the power of the sacred in my life.

Krys Kornmeier

...The view of the Aspen trees outside my casita, the cool silent mornings of meditation, the warmth of the lodge, and the exquisite majesty of the land created a gentle but powerful impression... in one short visit I have come to treasure Vallecitos.

...17 years ago, I received an invitation to sit for 10 days of silence at Vallecitos. I accepted the invitation with no idea of the lasting impact the retreat would have on me. Over the years, the annual pilgrimage has provided me with tools to sustain and deepen my ongoing mediation practice. Sweeping fields of wildflowers, star-dotted nights, and bubbling streams provide a unique opportunity to directly experience interconnectedness. This gentle, wild setting is a profound environment to recharge mind, spirit, and body.

Mark Coleman

...Vallecitos has always been one of my spiritual homes. It is a place where I have learned so much about the refuge of wilderness. It is where I have discovered so much about my own nature, from the wildness of nature there. Not only is it exquisitely beautiful and pristine, it is also profoundly serene and a place of deep renewal. I feel so blessed to have been able to visit every year for the past twenty years. I am eternally grateful for that land.

...I came to Vallecitos for a retreat years ago and fell in love with it. Now as a volunteer and yogi I try to come back every summer to soak up the stunning landscapes as well as the rich dharma. This place truly calls me home.

Katie Gall

...Vallecitos has truly become a home to me. Working with such great teachers and mentors is an honor and being able to absorb all the knowledge and blessings that flow through the gorgeous land has shaped my soul and nourished my mind. It really is a magical place that I am forever grateful for.

Jane Cronlund

...Since the retreat, my pace of personal breakthroughs has quickened and old dynamics seem to be changing in positive ways. I am better able to deal with previously tense situations and successfully resolve them. I have increased feelings of peace. Thank you!

Debra Susan Abbot

...I had a tremendous experience at Vallecitos, which is one of the most rewarding and positive things I’ve done within my lifetime. I have incorporated many of the things I learned into my daily life, and it has been very healthy for me. I had to experience loving kindness, sympathetic joy and generosity to understand the full power and grace of these profound feelings and actions.

Khalil Hassan

...I cannot express in words alone how important the retreat was for me. One of the most valuable lessons I learned is the importance of listening to my inner self. Vallecitos provided the necessary environment that makes it impossible not to go inward. When I returned home, I hit the ground running, but with a more focused direction. I attribute that to my stay at Vallecitos.

Swati Prakash

...The time and the space to reflect and cultivate inner calm were so valuable. This was a very healing experience for me. It also started me on the practice of meditating. I meditate every day now, just for 10 minutes, but it makes a huge difference in my everyday life and with work.

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