Category: Colorado

Would you like to escape your mundane, urban life and experience the Great Outdoors? The best way to experience America’s beautiful countryside is on a dude ranch vacation.  Staying on a working ranch is a wonderful experience for anyone who feels stuck in the rat race at home. At a dude ranch, you and your whole family can enjoy horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, white-water rafting, kayaking, swimming, camping, hiking, and any other popular outdoor activity you can imagine.  Whatever you enjoy doing in the wilderness, you’ll find a dude ranch that caters to your needs. #1. Horseback riding If you like horses, you’ll love the feeling of freedom you experience horseback riding along a trail. Horseback riding is the core activity at the DRA dude ranches. Whether you’ve never sat upon a horse before or you’ve competed in the Kentucky Derby, you’ll find a guest ranch that’s perfect for you and your interests. Check... Read More

The Newest Millennial Travel Trend The hospitality world literally idolizes millennial travelers and their trends. They have changed the standards of accommodations and amenities. This generation expects different activity, cuisine, and service. However, dude ranches have always offered many of the confusing or even cryptic components of millennial travel. Let's dig deeper into the good-time of an Instagramable dude ranch... Experience  Millennials crave authentic, experiential travel over packaged or conventional travel. Nothing is more authentic than Western Dude Ranches and the nearly 100 different options of ranches in the DRA portfolio that offer everything from working ranches to luxury-based stays across the country and Canada. Brand names are still important; however, access to unique, obscure, or even, first-ever sports and adventures are more on par with millennial travel trends than a more traditional three-night hotel stay. A bonus, many ranches such as White Stallion in Tucson, Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Eaton’s in... Read More

Nowadays, more and more people are saddling up and taking off to find themselves on soul-searching solo trips. From gap-year students to the recently single, everyone seems to have a thirst for adventure. Planning solo travel can be very intimidating and overwhelming; where should you go and what should you do? While venturing off to the rural mountains of India might not be intimidating to some people, it wouldn’t be our top recommendation for your first solo trip. If you’re looking for a solo vacation that is comfortable, yet pushes you out of your comfort zone, we recommend the #1 Western Adventure Destination: a dude ranch. There are many advantages to dude and guest ranch destinations for solo travelers, keep reading to learn about why a ranch vacation surpasses the rest! Fun and Safe Environment You won’t have to worry about getting lonely on the ranch! You will instantly feel like part... Read More

Winter is quickly approaching in the Western U.S. and we are trying to stay positive about the snow and cold that we know is coming very quickly! We have been thinking about some of our favorite parts of wintertime, like snuggling up and watching Christmas movies! We have all seen the Hallmark Christmas movies where the people take the magical horse-drawn sleigh ride through the beautiful white snow with cozy blankets, hot chocolate, and breath-taking scenery all around. Every romantic has dreamt of this scenario happening to them at one time or another, who wouldn’t want to go dashing through the snow with the one they love!? This scenario may be just a dream for many hopeless romantics because of one big obstacle, where do you go to take a sleigh ride like you see in the movies? We have the answer! A sleigh ride at a Dude Ranchers’ Association... Read More

Come late autumn, most the Rocky Mountain Dude Ranches (Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming) close for the season come September’s end and the last of the fall foliage. However, there are a select few ranches in each state that allow for shorter stays during some of the most magical and quieter times of the year. If you’ve ever been on the fence about a dude ranch stay, make the off-season the in-season for a dude ranch experience, and get on that horse! Colorado has the most abundant offerings for curious folk to explore Western lure in the late season.    C Lazy U Ranch, easily accessible in Granby, can even be combined with a train trip from Denver’s Union Station via the airport; guests don’t even need a car! The 8,500-acre luxury ranch celebrated their centennial this past summer and the party continues late into the year. The year-round ranch offers horseback riding, snow... Read More

  Colorado is one of the most beautiful states in the nation with the Rocky Mountains and vast plains. Your inner photographer will be brought out with so many phenomenal vistas. From the Northern border shared with Wyoming to the Southern border shared with New Mexico, picturesque ranches abound in the "Centennial State" and we look at ten of the most beautiful Colorado dude ranch vacations.    10 of the Most Beautiful Colorado Dude Ranch Vacations   Lost Valley Ranch Set against 26,000 acres of the Pike National Forest, you'll experience the majestic Rocky Mountains like never before at the Lost Valley Ranch. Here you can breathe the fresh mountain air, hike through flowering meadows or simply relax with a fishing pole on Goose Creek. It's all here to enjoy at your own pace.  Lost Valley Ranch, Colorado Find a dude ranch vacation with duderanch.org. Search Now Lost Valley Ranch    Tumbling River Ranch Tumbling River Ranch feels as far away from... Read More