Experience the Wild West by Staying at a Dude Ranch
C Lazy U Ranch – Granby, CO
One of Colorado’s most well-known dude ranches, C Lazy U Ranch, is a historic, all-inclusive dude ranch that is open year-round. Here you’ll find both luxury resort amenities and traditional ranch experiences. The accommodations take the form of luxury cabins and the meals are of gourmet quality, but your days will be filled with outdoor activities and daily trail rides.
The ranch is perfect for families traveling with kids as their dedicated Kids and Teens Program offers a full schedule for kids of all ages to enjoy while adults take part in cattle pushing clinics, shooting practice, fly fishing, mountain biking or just relaxing in the spa. While many ranches operate seasonally, C Lazy U Ranch offers an opportunity to enjoy a delightful Colorado winter vacation at a dude ranch. This option is perfect for those who want to capture the unparalleled views of the snowy Colorado Mountains from the beautiful Granby area.
Rocking Z Guest Ranch – Wolf Creek, MT
If you love horses and want to improve your horsemanship skills, we’ve got the perfect dude ranch vacation for you. The main activity offered at Rocking Z Guest Ranch is horse riding, with some guests spending up to eight hours a day on horseback. Guided by the principles of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to improve your horse riding skills. It’s perfect for city slickers who’ve never been in the saddle, and seasoned horseback riders alike.
You can learn to work cattle on horseback, take long trail rides or play around in the round pen. There are also private and semi-private riding lessons available at no extra cost, which makes it a more affordable dude ranch vacation.
Even though horse riding is the main event here, there are other activities available at the ranch including fishing, archery, shooting, hiking and viewing wildlife. The ranch saloon has even more fun facilities such as pool and card tables, volleyball courts, and a hot tub. Some evenings camp guests gather around the campfire to sing songs under the stars; what a memorable treat!
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CM Ranch – Dubois, WY
The CM Ranch is near both Yellowstone National Park and the charming town of Jackson Hole, WY. You’ll find plenty to do here for the whole family. Whether you prefer to explore the great outdoors on horseback, fish the streams or take to the hiking trail, or more low-key activities like getting a massage, taking a swim or relaxing on the grounds, there’s sure to be something for you.
There are group activities many evenings such as square dances, cookouts and rodeos, and other fun activities for kids and adults such as volleyball, horseshoes and card games. A highlight of most weeks is a night where they show a slideshow of photos taken by the ranch’s professional photographer, accompanied by music and cowboy poetry.
For kids 5 and over they offer supervised riding with the ranch’s “Kiddy Wrangler” who will teach them Western riding skills and other tricks of the trade. These are just the beginning of the numerous activities available for visitors of all ages.
