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Colorado Dude Ranch Vacation
Colorado Trails Ranch

Kids & Teens Love CTR!
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Jeanne Ross
Colorado Trails Ranch
12161 County Road 240
Durango, CO 81301
(800) 323-3833
(970) 247-5055
Fax (970) 385-7372


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 At a Glance
Highlights
Famous For
Capacity
Open
Altitude
Location
Reservations
Rates
Vacation Specials
Minimum Stay
Deposit
Payment
Closest Airports
Transportation
Travel Agents
Guest Reviews
Featured Amenities
Lodging
Recreation
For Children
Food/Liquor
Business/Meetings
Memberships
Region/Customs
Itinerary
Home

HIGHLIGHTS
Famous For: Colorado Trails Ranch has superb, personalized horseback riding and fly fishing programs, a comprehensive and exciting children’s program, plus a wide range of activities for everyone – no matter your age or interests.
Capacity: 55
Open: June 1 to September 28, arrive Sunday afternoon and depart the following Sunday after breakfast.
Altitude: 7,500 feet
Location: Only 12 miles northeast of the historic western town of Durango, Colorado
Reservations: (800) 323-3833 or (970) 247-5055
Rates: Adults: $2,185-$2,460
Children: $1,785-$2,010
Vacation Specials:

Specials - 10% Discount (approx)

Great vacation, lower rates! Call now to reserve your ranch vacation in late August!

September Is Special - 20% Discount (approx)

September 7 to September 28 are perfect times for adults to get away from it all. We reserve these weeks for fewer guests and are able to tailor a program to match your needs. In the fall the skies are bluer, the air is crisper, and the fall colors are spectacular. During this time the fishing is best, and we offer many special weeks and activities. You can enjoy a 20% discount during September.

Horseman's Week - 20% Discount (approx)

Horseman’s Week, from September 2-14, for a week of trail riding, personalized horseback riding instruction for all guests, cattle work, general instruction about horses and tack, and the opportunity to groom and saddle your own horse. Discounted rate applies.

Art Classes and Fall Colors Week - 20% Discount (approx)

Art Classes and Fall Color Week, offered from September 21-28, lets you combine a guest ranch vacation with the chance to learn or improve your artistic skills. The art classes feature drawing and painting, using the exquisite colors of nature for inspiration: a bouquet of wildflowers…the green pines, red oaks, and golden aspens…the vibrant blue Colorado skies. Colorado Trails Ranch has all the supplies you need – just grab your boots and creativity and come on! This is also a great week to enjoy the beautiful fall colors, plus discounted rates apply.

Minimum Stay: Our weeklong vacation begins Sunday afternoon and ends the following Sunday after breakfast, but we offer partial week stays based on availability. Partial week stays begin on a Sunday.
Deposit: $500 per person will hold your reservation.
Payment: Cash, personal checks and all major credit cards.
Closest Airports: Durango, CO
Transportation: Complimentary transfers to and from Durango airport.
Travel Agents: YES
Guest Reviews: Read reviews from travelers who have visited this ranch.

FEATURED AMENITIES
Adults Oriented
      Adult Weeks
Archery
Big/Heavy Riders
      200-250 lbs.
Birding
Camps for Kids
      Dude Ranch with Kids Camp
Cattle Drives
      1 or Part Day
Children's Programs
      Baby Sitting
      Extensive Counselor Program - All Day or Camplike Program
Children's Trail Riding
      5 yrs old
      6 yrs old
      7 yrs old and over
Computer/Email Services
Conference Services
      Computer/Email Services
Corporate Groups, Meetings
      Small (under 50)
Cuisine
      Gourmet
      Ranch/Western
      Vegetarian
Culinary Trained Chefs
Dude/Guest Ranches
Email Access
Fishing
      Fly Fishing
            Equipment Available
            Exclusive Fly Fishing Ranch
            Professional Guides & Instruction
            Stream Fishing on Property
            Type of Fish
                  Trout
      Spin Fishing
            Equipment Available
            Instruction Available
Golf
      Near (within 30 miles)
Hiking
      Guided
      On Your Own
Horseback Riding
Horsemanship
Horses
      Appaloosa
      Arabian
      Draft
      Fox-Trotters
      Paint
      Quarter
      Tennessee Walking
      Thoroughbred
Hot Springs
      Nearby (within 30 miles)
Languages Spoken
      English
Laundry Service
Liquor
      Bring Your Own
Massage
Professional Rodeo Arena
Rafting
      Nearby (within 30 miles)
Short Stays (1-4 days)
      Always
      Off Season Only
Sporting Clays
Swimming Pool
      Heated
Team Building
White-Water Rafting
      Nearby (within 30 miles)
            Class II
            Class III
Women
Workshops
      Art

LODGING
Our cozy, beautifully decorated cabins can easily accommodate families, couples, and singles. All cabins have comfortable porches and private baths for each bedroom, along with daily housekeeping. We have several different cabin styles to suit your needs.

Alpine Cabins consist of two rooms. You can choose to stay in one room or two, depending on your needs. Each room has its own bathroom, entrance, and porch. Alpine Cabins have double beds, single beds, and/or bunk beds.

Country Cabins are duplex units with one shared porch, individual entrances, and a total of four bedrooms and bathrooms. Each side of a Country Cabin has a room with a king bed and bathroom adjoining a room with two sets of bunk beds (or a twin bed and bunk beds) and a bathroom.

Mountain Cabins are duplex units with a total of four bedrooms. Each side of a Mountain Cabin has its own porch and two adjoining bedrooms (one with a king bed, the other with twin beds). Each room has a private bathroom and entrance.

Longview Cabin is the only cabin on the ranch with a living room (which has a pull-out couch). Longview also has a bedroom with a king sized bed, bathroom, and porch.



RECREATION
At Colorado Trails Ranch, there’s a wide range of daytime activities and instruction – horseback riding, fly fishing, swimming, rafting, hiking, shooting sports, and more – giving you the chance to try new adventures. Taking it easy is always an option too; it’s up to you…

You’ll feel right at home on our horses, whether you’re a beginner or experienced rider, enjoying the scenery as you ride through some of the most beautiful country in Colorado. Our rides are grouped by ability, age, and desire – they range from scenic walks to loping through the trees and meadows.

Colorado Trails Ranch also offers a full-service fly fishing program with half-day and full-day guided trips on free-flowing streams and stocked fishing on nearby ranch ponds. Our professional guides happily work with novices and experts (and anywhere in between) to you help catch rainbow, cutthroat, brown, and brook trout.

There’s something to do every evening at the ranch! Activities that are included in your summer vacation are western dancing, an ice cream social, a hayride and cowboy campfire sing-along, and a Victorian Melodrama in Durango (additional charge). Or if you’d like to relax and enjoy a beautiful evening in the mountains, the choice is yours.

We provide the entertainment you decide what you want to do!

FOR CHILDREN
At Colorado Trails Ranch, your children can ride, swim, and fish. They can also go rafting & power tubing or to the petting zoo, learn archery & target shooting or arts & crafts – the program is tailored to each group, every week.

Our children’s and teen’s program (beginning at age five up through 17 years old) is divided into three groups, each with their own counselor, so they can participate in activities with their peers at their own level of energy. They’ll form friendships and feel comfortable surrounded by kids their own age.

While we don’t offer a structured program for children under 5, we can provide babysitting at an additional charge.

Your kids will have the time of their lives as counselors lead them through a variety of activities throughout the week. And when your children are enjoying their vacation, it allows you to enjoy yours.

FOOD/LIQUOR
At Colorado Trails Ranch, we realize that you don’t get to indulge yourself in everyday life, where food is often eaten quickly or grabbed on the run. So we pride ourselves on creating meals that are truly special… food that’s high-quality and upscale enough for adults, but also appealing to kids. We hear it time and time again from our guests: They say they couldn’t have imagined that meals here would be so marvelous; and they rave about how talented our chef is. With advance notice, we can accommodate special dietary needs. We ask for as much information as possible before you arrive; on your first evening here, you can meet with our chef to discuss the best options for the week ahead.

During the summer, we have a very family-oriented atmosphere, so we don’t sell any alcoholic beverages – but you may bring your own. Or, if you’d like, we can pick up alcoholic beverages for you on Monday morning and add the cost to your bill.

BUSINESS/MEETINGS
We welcome groups of 30 or less during May, September, and October for meetings, retreats, team-building trips, and incentive vacations. We take all the work out of event. No one in your group has to be the planner, the motivator, the organizer – that’s because we do the planning, motivating, and organizing for you. Please call for more details and we’ll help you create a retreat that every member of your group will love!


MEMBERSHIPS
The Dude Ranchers' Association & Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association

REGION/CUSTOMS
Colorado Trails Ranch is located only 12 miles northeast of the historic western town of Durango, Colorado, and we have been welcoming guests for over 47 years. Our 450 acres are nestled in a scenic mountain valley that adjoins the San Juan National Forest.

With a maximum of 55 guests and a 2-to-1 guest-to-staff ratio, we make everything easy for you: easy to have fun, to relax, to try new adventures and make new friends, to eat delicious food, and to feel comfortable, cared for, and a part of our family.

ITINERARY
Your time at Colorado Trails Ranch can be jam-packed with activities or a time to relax… or some of both. It’s always your choice.

Sunday – Get settled in, swim, hike, and relax! After dinner you can enjoy an Ice Cream Social for dessert followed by introductions and orientation.

Monday – Meet your horse for the week during horseback riding orientation followed by a trail ride. Enjoy a hamburger lunch before learning to fly fish on our nearby stocked ponds (your kids got to fish after their riding orientation this morning). Tonight you can go on a hayride to our dinner cookout, after the cookout you can listen to a cowboy singer around the campfire while your kids play games.

Tuesday – Wander out to the cookout area for a Pancake Breakfast before you head off on a guided hike, horseback ride, or fly fishing adventure. Kids will be horseback riding and learning gun safety & target shooting or enjoying another activity with their counselors. After lunch your kids will horseback ride and do arts & crafts, and you can choose between horseback riding, fly fishing or trap shooting. Save your energy because after dinner there will be Western Dancing (square, line, and two step) in the Opera House.

Wednesday – In the morning, families can go rafting down the Animas River together or you can ride while counselors take your kids rafting. In the afternoon, you can choose to ride, fly fish, or relax while counselors take the kids riding and to the archery range (or another activity). Dinner on Wednesday night is early so that everyone can go to the Victorian Melodrama in Durango (additional charge).

Thursday – This morning you can choose to participate in a half-day cattle drive (additional charge), trail riding or fly fishing. You can also go on our all-day guided trip to Mesa Verde National Park (additional charge). While you are participating in these activities the older kids will be power tubing on Lake Vallecito and the younger ones will take a horseback ride and have a pool party. In addition to riding and fishing, you can also go trap shooting in the afternoon or participate in the kids’ activities and riding. Thursday night the kids go on a campout (the younger ones usually come back to their cabins around 9 p.m.) and the adults enjoy a candlelit dinner.

Friday – While the kids go on a picnic lunch horseback ride and have a pool party, you can go on an all-day ride, half-day Chuckwagon picnic lunch ride, or go fly fishing.

Saturday – Family rides are offered Saturday morning after a breakfast cookout ride, and in the afternoon you all get to show off your riding skills playing arena games at our Corral Capers. The week closes with our special farewell cookout dinner.

You are welcome to participate in activities with your kids and we can usually arrange family rides.

So, join us for a little slice of heaven… and an experience that you just may not be able to describe.
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