Accommodation in Denver: Hampton Inn Denver (or similar)
Elk Mountain Ranch Colorado
10 days from £2795 per person
The Elk Mountain Ranch is an intimate dude ranch nestled in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, providing guests with an action-packed week. The expert wranglers will pair you with a horse for the week, based on your level of experience and confidence. Embark on daily trail rides, soaking up the beautiful sights as you ride through dense forests and across wide open plains. Trail ride cookouts and overnight camp outs are often highlights at the ranch as they tend to evoke feelings of true cowboy culture as you dine on hearty food in the wilderness and sleep under the stars. A family friendly ranch that caters for children as young as 3, with a comprehensive programme that causes kids to forget about the electronic world in an instant. Children can enjoy learning to rope, pan for gold, arena riding and engaging arts and crafts. Adults and teens who still have energy to burn at the end of the day, or want a break from riding can take their pick from a wide range of activities including white water rafting, shooting, fishing and square-dancing lessons.
Route: Denver - Elk Mountain Ranch - Denver
Itinerary Highlights
Soak up the views from your idyllic location in the heart of the Rockies, surrounded by mountain vistas, lush green meadows and dense forests, the perfect setting for a Colorado ranch holiday.
Additional to a comprehensive riding programme take your pick from wide variety of activities available, carefully selected to suit all interests.
A family friendly ranch that offers programmes for children as young as 3; keeping them entertained so you can enjoy developing your own riding abilities.
Itinerary: Elk Mountain Ranch Colorado
During your seven night stay at the ranch, enjoy daily small group rides, following rural trails through varying sceneries of dense green forests and wide open plains. Enjoy white water rafting, overnight camping trips into the Rocky Mountains and authentic cookouts. As well, the ranch has an abundance of facilities for you to enjoy including a basketball court, badminton and horseshoes, as well a Jacuzzi to help relax your tired muscles after a full day of riding. (B,L,D at the Ranch)
**KEY: N = No meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
What's included
- International flights from the UK
- Overnight accommodation on arrival in Denver
- 7 nights accommodation at the Elk Mountain Ranch
- Horse riding and ranch activities
- All meals during your ranch stay
- Ranch gratuities
What's not included
- Cost of visas
- Travel Insurance
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Meals unless specified
- Any ranch activities that incur an additional cost
- Airport transfers
Guide to Price
The above price is based on two people travelling together and sharing accommodation in low season. The price is only a guide and can vary according to selected airlines, hotels and date of travel. If you wish to travel with your family, friends or on your own we will be very happy to assist you with your arrangements.
Accommodation
The Pioneer Lodge features three en-suite lodge rooms, two of which can adjoin if necessary to accommodate families that wish to spread out. The Elk Suite, situated on the second floor of the main lodge building, overlooks the pond and offers a master bedroom with King bed, a second bedroom with a double bed and bunk bed, plus a lounge area and bathroom with bathtub and shower. Five or six people can sleep comfortably in here. There are then six comfortably-appointed cabins - Deer, Bighorn, Beaver, Spruce, Vista and Aspen - with private bathrooms, which can accommodate between four and six people in each. The room configurations do vary - please enquire for further information. The dining room in the main Lodge House serves up delicious, varied full course meals, sure to satisfy both hearty and discerning appetites. Freshly baked cookies and fresh fruit are always available to snack on between meal times, and special diets will be cheerfully accommodated with advanced notice - please advise us of your needs at the time of booking. Trail ride cookouts and steak fry's are also offered as alternative dining options, but the culinary highlight is sure to be the country candlelight dinner at the end of the week.
Horse Riding
During a stay at the Elk Mountain Ranch, Colorado's highest guest ranch at 9,600 feet, you can enjoy wonderful daily trail rides through aspen forests and open parks, with awe-inspiring views around every corner. Thanks to the ranch's excellent string of horses, riders of all abilities will be paired with a horse to match their level of experience and confidence, which you will develop a strong bond with as your horse will be yours for the week. Riding groups are kept small, and all guided by a friendly, expert wrangler. In addition to the usual trail rides, other options include lunch rides, champagne brunch rides and for the more intrepid riders - an overnight pack trip.
Children
The Elk Mountain Ranch is a very family-orientated ranch, and welcomes children of all ages to come and enjoy a fun-filled week. For ages 3 to 7, a full children’s programme is offered, supervised by two children’s counsellors. Activities range from arena riding, panning for gold and learning to rope, to obstacle courses, relay races, arts and crafts, and bingo. Kids aged 8 and above are able to participate in the regular ranch activities, though may join in with the younger ones if they wish to do so. Child rates are available for guests aged 12 and under.
Activities and Facilities
Although horse riding is the main emphasis of any ranch stay here at the Elk Mountain, there is a host of other available activities for everyone to enjoy. The cost of your ranch stay will include an exhilarating white water rafting trip, an overnight camping trip high up in the Rockies, archery, trapshooting, fishing, hiking, square-dancing, and a scenic van trip to Aspen, travelling over Independence Pass. If you have energy left to burn after time in the saddle, there are plenty of other sporting facilities at the ranch including a basketball court, volleyball, badminton, tetherball, and horseshoes. To help you unwind, there are western movies to watch, a piano and board games to play, plus a Jacuzzi to ease your tired muscles. There is a small laundry room that guests are welcome to use at their convenience. Electricity is generated from the ranch, and from 11pm it is 'lights out' in order to enjoy stargazing and the solitude.
Getting to Elk Mountain Ranch
The Elk Mountain is a pleasant two and a half hour drive from Denver and Colorado Springs Airports. Transfers are available from either airport at a cost of $485 round trip for up to 5 people. The ranch will pick you up at 12:30pm on your arrival Sunday and return you to the airport by 11:30am the following Sunday. Alternatively, we can arrange car hire for you to self-drive to the ranch and take in time in Colorado's Rockies. If you are planning to make your own way, arrival at the ranch is after 3pm on the Sunday, and check out is before 10am the following Sunday.
