Central to what we do is maintaining our ranching heritage while enhancing the natural landscape. Our philosophy maintains that a balance must be struck between the management of a healthy and vigorous ecosystem and a sustainable land-based business that supports the people living on the land. We feel that our ranching and conservation work in partnership with The Nature Conservancy is an important model for preserving large scale ranch lands in the western United States. The property is a 103,000-acre ranch located on the eastern wall of the San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado. It borders the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, the newest National Park in the United States. The high desert grasslands, alpine forests, wetlands, sand dunes, creeks, and lush meadows offer one of the most scenic and ecologically diverse landscapes in the United States.
We specialize in top-notch ranch riding and educational experiences by integrating our guest programs with learning opportunities tailored to the landscapes we ride through. Our goal is for guests to feel at home here and leave more knowledgeable about and engaged with the natural world.
Days can be spent riding across the 50,000-acre wild bison pastures on the northern half of the property, learning about the history of bison in the American West and our modern-day management practices; working on your horsemanship in the open pastures and two-tracks of the southern half of the ranch; exploring the unique beauty of the Great Sand Dunes National Park on horseback; and joining guided hikes or afternoon leatherworking and roping lessons.
Check out the special
Theme Weeks throughout the season.
Horseback Experiences
Come ride with us, work and drive cattle, ride through the bison herd, and explore the Sand Dunes National Park while we help you to focus on improving your horsemanship and riding skills. We invite you to come and ride one of our ranch horses, or to bring your own horse. We welcome guests of all experience levels as we have a solid herd of horses and will take time to provide education opportunities based on a rider’s skill set. Formal instruction and horsemanship demonstrations from our expert wranglers are available at any point during your stay.
Guests who desire a true working ranch experience are welcome to work alongside our wranglers and ranch staff on various ranch projects. Along the way, guests learn about how we operate our ranches, our land and cattle management philosophy, and the natural surroundings that make our valley so spectacular.
While we try to use horses as much as possible in our ranch work (“use grass, not gas”), not all of a modern-day cowboy’s work occurs on horseback. For those interested in experiencing the full range of a rancher’s daily work, guests are invited to join our cowboys as they monitor herd health, check and fix fence, irrigate farmland, assess pasture conditions, and perform any number of other activities required on a working ranch. Guests will also learn about important land conservation management practices, grass-fed cattle and bison production, and our prescriptive grazing program. Our programs are designed to put guests safely in the middle of this work, allowing our visitors to contribute and learn by gaining hands-on experience.
Sample Itinerary - subject to changes
We pride ourselves in being able to customize our itineraries based on our guests' preferences. Please note that the itinerary below is only a sample and will be adjusted to fit your needs.
No activities are held on the day of arrival or Sundays, however we are happy to arrange a fishing or rafting trip.
Day 1 (Sunday): Arrival
Welcome! Take some time to walk around the grounds, explore the lodge and surrounding walking trails, and get settled. The Program's Manager will be in the office until 5:00pm to talk in more detail about your stay and to confirm what you would like to do for the week.
6:00pm: Appetizers and wine will be ready at the bar of the main lodge.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 2 (Monday): Introductory Ride
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:30am: A Wrangler will pick you up at the lodge and walk with you down to the corrals to meet your horse for the week and go over a quick riding and safety orientation. From the corrals, you will load up in truck and trailer to go for a ride on the Medano side of the ranch. Ride out from the Original Homestead and enjoy a ride among the wild bison herd, the spectacular scenery of the wetlands, and up Sand Creek bed towards the National Park boundary.
Enjoy your lunch out in the field and have a great ride.
3:00pm: If you are feeling up for it after your ride, head to the Great Sand Dunes National Park to hike, explore around Medano Creek, and possibly even go sledding down the steep dune cliffs.
6:00pm: Appetizers and wine will be ready at the bar of the main lodge.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 3 (Tuesday): Great Sand Dunes National Park Ride & Zapata Falls Hike
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:30am: A wrangler will pick you up at the lodge with truck and trailer to go for a spectacular ride through Great Sand Dunes National Park—up the creek bed, along the dunes, all through the ponderosa pine forest, and up into the mountains behind the dunes.
Enjoy your lunch out in the field and have a great ride.
3:00pm: Hike up to Zapata Falls, a .3-mile scenic hike up to a stunning waterfall with spectacular views of the San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes.
6:00pm: Appetizers and wine will be ready at the bar of the main lodge.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 4 (Wednesday): Ranch Work
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:30am: Walk down to the corrals to meet your wrangler and horses. From the corrals, you will ride out from the Zapata side of the ranch to explore the ranch’s meadows, canyons, and cottonwoods. You might even discover on your ride that there are cows & calves that will need to be moved to new pasture.
Enjoy your lunch out in the field and have a great ride.
4:00pm: Head down to the Mercantile for appetizers, refreshments and a leatherworking session with the Wranglers. Learn some basic repairs and perhaps purchase a belt, bracelet or keychain to personalize with stamping and tooling to take home with you.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 5 (Thursday): Lake Ride
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:30am: A wrangler will pick you up at the lodge with truck and trailer to return to the Medano side of the ranch, this time to explore the ranch’s hidden lakes and then up Sand Creek, a sandy creek bed surrounded by cottonwoods, and up into small, surrounding sand dunes.
Enjoy your lunch out in the field and have a great ride.
3:00pm: If you are in the mood for a more intensive hike, head up Mosca Pass, a longer, but fantastic hike with wonderful views of the Valley. Otherwise, you let us know what you might prefer to do with your afternoon.
6:00pm: Appetizers and wine will be ready at the bar of the main lodge.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 6 (Friday): Cattle Work
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:30am: Walk down to the corrals to meet your wrangler and horses. From the corrals you will ride out to further explore the Zapata side of the ranch. If there any riding techniques you’d like to learn more about or perhaps head out to the cattle herd to practice sorting, just ask your wrangler!
Enjoy your lunch out in the field and have a great ride.
4:00pm: Head to the Mercantile lawn for appetizers, refreshments, and a roping demonstration led by the Wranglers. Learn to coil and throw a rope using a roping dummy.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 7 (Saturday): Medano Creek Ride
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:30am: A wrangler will pick you up at the lodge with truck and trailer to return to the Great Sand Dunes. Spend some more time exploring Medano Creek or perhaps ride up into the Preserve amongst the Pines and Aspens for a beautiful ride.
Enjoy your lunch out in the field and have a great ride.
3:00pm: Free afternoon! Take some time to explore the ranch or relax in the hot tub, if there is anything you’d like to see or re-visit on your last afternoon, just let us know!
6:00pm: Appetizers and wine will be ready at the bar of the main lodge.
6:30pm: Dinner will be served in the dining room of the main lodge.
Day 8 (Sunday): Departure
7:00am: Cold breakfast and coffee will be ready in the lodge dining room.
8:00am: Hot breakfast will be ready in the lodge dining room.
10:00am: Checkout, but please feel free to stay and relax or explore once you’ve checked out of your room.
Non-Riding Activities
In addition to our full-slate of ranching and horseback activities, we offer gold medal fly fishing, nature hikes, birding, wildlife watching, rock climbing, photography tours, and more. For those seeking maximum relaxation, massages and yoga sessions are available throughout the week at an extra cost.
On Site Activities - available at additional cost
Wildlife & Landscape Photography Tours with Professional Photographer Steve Weaver
Spend a day honing your skills and exploring the ranch and San Luis Valley. For beginners to pros, you'll learn everything from basic techniques to high-level skills and discovering more about your camera. What you'll learn is up to you and can be completely customized as you're out in the field with Steve.
Massage & Wellness Services
We offer a variety of massage and wellness services.
Off Site Activities - available at additional cost
Fly Fishing
Nearly half of the rivers that comprise Colorado’s gold medal trout waters are located within an hour’s drive of the ranch. With the Arkansas River to the north, the Rio Grande River to the west, and the Conejos River to the south, the Ranch's central location makes it a prime headquarters for trophy trout fishing. There are also several seasonal lakes closer to the ranch for those seeking a nearby outing. Guests are free to explore any of these waters on their own, or can schedule guided trips through local fly shops. Fishing trips are not included in our normal fee, but we are happy to help you book your trip with a high quality guiding service. We recommend scheduling prior to your visit in order to ensure availability.
Ask for a custom quote (usually between $350-475)
Whitewater Rafting
Available May to August - For those with a thirst for adventure, whitewater rafting is available an hour north in Salida, Colorado. These trips offer a unique—and adrenaline-filled—way of viewing the scenic Arkansas River and the canyon that meanders with the river’s rushing waters. Whitewater rafting fees are not included in the price of a normal stay, but the Ranch staff is happy to assist you with your reservation. In order to ensure availability, we recommend you make arrangements before arriving for your stay.
Starting at $90 pp/half day.
Rock Climbing
Renowned climbing and bouldering for beginners to experts. Available in two locations that climbers from around the world specifically seek out - Penitente Canyon outside of Monte Vista, Colorado, and Tres Piedras, New Mexico.
Starting at $300 pp.