Granby, Colo. – Mention a trip to a dude ranch, and you typically conjure up visions of horses trotting through green meadows, weekend rodeos, hayrides, jeep trips and more. But come winter, a dude ranch vacation can offer a pleasant surprise when it comes to relaxation, natural beauty and affordability.
Most dude and guest ranches in northern climates close for the winter, but two in Colorado remain open for the best of the state’s renown snow and winter scenery.
Latigo Ranch (www.latigotrails.com) – Located near Kremmling, Colo., about 100 miles west of Denver, Latigo is one of the state’s most personal ranches. Family owned and operated, it transforms into a cross-country resort and winter playground for a capacity of just 25 guests to take advantage of the area’s 216 inches of annual snowfall.
Latigo machine grooms more than 50 km of cross-country ski trail, covering varied terrain from flat beginning track to challenging advanced. All track is groomed for both classic and skate skiing. Backcountry and telemark skiers head to more than 200 square miles of deep powder in adjoining national forest land.
Guests also can snowshoe, sled and tube, with magnificent views of valleys, mountains and frozen waterfalls. They’re likely to spot at least some of the wildlife in the area: elk, deer, coyote, snowshoe rabbits, owl, ermine, blue grouse, fox. After a full day of activity, there’s a hot tub, pool table, foosball and library for relaxing – along with “nouveau ranch” cuisine: healthy, hearty, fresh and plenty of it. The ranch will even pack lunches for skiers taking off on day-long tours.
Latigo’s all-inclusive rates may be the best surprise of all. For adults, the daily rate is: $175/day; for children age 5-13, $105/day. Children five and under are free when staying with a parent. Rates include accommodations with sitting room and wood-burning stove; three meals/day; use off all Latigo facilities; use of groomed cross-country ski trails; and ski lessons. Latigo Ranch is open for winter stays through March 21.
C Lazy U Ranch (www.clazyu.com) – An upscale, family style dude ranch, C Lazy U offers luxury accommodations, gourmet cuisine, five spur service and is the only guest ranch in North America to have attained both the Five-Diamond and Five-Star ratings during the course of its 91-year history.
C Lazy U is very much a skiing destination, whether it’s of the Nordic or Alpine variety. On site are more than 400 acres of skiable terrain. For downhillers, the ranch offers ski packages and shuttle service to nearby Winter Park and Sol Vista Ski Resorts. C Lazy U’s private snowcat skiing provides access to trails of all levels, including boundless backcountry skiing for advanced levels.
Winter guests also will find sleigh rides, a tubing hill, sledding, ice skating, ice hockey, horseback riding, trap shooting, archery and a fully equipped game room. For those looking for relaxation and rejuvenation, there are spa services, yoga classes and personal training services.
C Lazy U is open for winter stays through March 28. Children 12 and under stay free. The ranch can also accommodate business retreats and weddings.
Dude ranch vacations continue to grow in popularity year-round, says Gaylene Ore, president of Ore Communications, largely because of their all-inclusive nature. “When you have so many activities included, it’s easy to try out as many or as few as you wish without worries of additional cost,” she explains. “For families with kids who have short attention spans, this can be a real budget-saver.”
All food and beverages are included in one cost for dude ranch vacations, which eliminates hidden costs. In addition, Ore points out that time savings can be significant. “There’s no intricate planning involved with an all-inclusive dude ranch vacation. You make one phone call and your trip is done.”
Ore Communications, Inc. (www.orecommunications.com)
Ore Communications, based in Granby, Colo., specializes in public relations, branding and strategic marketing for the lifestyle, leisure and travel industry. Clients include destination areas, visitor and convention bureaus, tourism boards, resorts and dude ranches.
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Tags: colorado, dude and guest ranch, family, vacation, winter