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Stone wall on the Highway of Legends
Photo by Jay Slater
Resorts and ranches near Trinidad are for living the western life amid dramatic vistas—whether you want contemplation on the lake’s shore, hiking to the mountaintop, relaxation in a hot tub, firelight, cowboy songs and horseback riding, or a ride in a stagecoach.
Colt Ranch
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-845-0353
coltranch.com
email: coltranch@msn.com
The ranch has onsite accommodations for up to 14 individuals and assisted arrangements for additional lodging in nearby Trinidad. The timber-frame ranch home has three large guest bedrooms, each with a distinctive western theme, fireplace, and private bath. A furnished two-bedroom and two-bath apartment sits above the carriage house. Adventurous guests may also spend the night in a large teepee or an authentic sheepherder wagon, both of which have been fitted out for extra comforts. A gourmet breakfast and snacks are served daily. Additional meals are available.
This adventure ranch offers horse-drawn carriage and stagecoach rides, chuckwagon cookouts, wine tastings, corporate retreats, and tours of a mining ghost town that sits on the property. Jim and Darlene Colt will also help you plan a custom ranch wedding or family reunion. The ranch also offers unique learning experiences:
Team Building Classes and Seminars. Colt Ranch is an excellent venue for retreats and team building. You can plan your own program or work with one of the ranch’s professionals to create a unique experience.
Tipi Raising Classes. As a team-building experience or just to understand a different way of life, tipi raising is a great challenge for groups. Comfortable furnishings are provided for spending the night in your project!
Horse Harnessing & Driving Classes. When arranged in advance, these classes can be part of a team building event. Also available as a stand-alone activity, these classes include information on general horse care, grooming, and even a short section on shoeing the draft horse. Plan a full day for this program and you will have the opportunity to drive a team of draft horses on a variety of vehicles.
Dutch Oven and Gourmet Cooking Classes. Your host the good Doctor Colt is equally at home in his elegant modern kitchen, a ranch line shack, or whipping up cowboy fare in Dutch ovens over the campfire. A graduate of the Chicago School for the Culinary Arts, Doc loves to teach others the joy of cooking.
The ranch is located 16 miles west of Trinidad off Highway 12. Call for directions.
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COMING SPRING 2009
Cougar Canyon Golf Resort & Spa
304 Shanahan Drive
877-547-7455
www.cougarcanyonliving.com
This nouveau-west resort at the Cougar Canyon golf community will feature a boutique hotel with 117 suites. The event center of 3,000 square feet will accommodate 450, be convertible to 6 individual meeting rooms, and have an outdoor deck overlooking the golf course. The executive boardroom is planned for 900 square feet with a private reception area.
The open-air balcony at the free-standing spa will allow guests to take in the views while waiting for a signature massage. Treatments will utilize products infused with indigenous herbs and natural remedies inspired by native traditions of the region.
The restaurant and lounge with alfresco seating and private party space will offer upscale southwestern cuisine. Other amenities include an indoor/outdoor cafe with coffee, pastries, fresh produce & dairy, and convenience foods; pool, hot tub, and fitness center; a gift shop, a business center, and concierge service.
Visitors will have access to golf and all golf-community amenities including an 8-mile walking trail with exercise stations, scenic overlooks, and educational kiosks. Hiking trails are easily accessible throughout the adjacent 3,000-acre nature preserve.
Echo Canyon Guest Ranch
PO Box 328
La Veta, CO 81055
800-341-6603
guestecho.com
email: echo@homebfc.com
Dude ranch with horseback riding, cattle drives and roping, rodeo events, canoeing, fly fishing, archery, hiking, rifle range, nightly cowboy entertainment. Lodge and cabins, conference center, gift shop, media room, cantina. Transportation available from Colorado Springs and Pueblo airports. Echo Canyon Ranch is west of Trinidad on Highway 12 before reaching La Veta.
Monument Lake Resort & Campground
4789 Highway 12, Weston, CO
719-868-2226
www.monumentlakeresort.com
Though only minutes from the Highway of Legends, this resort is a true getaway. The WPA era, adobe-style lodge has 20 rooms with fireplaces. The resort also offers 13 cabins, RV and tent sites, bath house, laundry, and recreation room. The Store by the Shore carries flies, sundries, and gifts.
The Grub Steak restaurant serves breakfast with continental-style items as well as traditional stick-to-your-ribs meals. Specialty sandwiches, chili, and soups are the base for the lunch menu. Beef, bison, and native fish anchor dinner selections with additional choices such as sausage stuffed quail. Signature pies and seasonal delights are the mainstays for dessert. BBQ-style catering is offered for group picnics and other activities.
The lake is stocked with rainbows, cutthroats, browns, splake, and kokanee salmon. Rental boats are available.
The resort welcomes day visitors for a modest fee. Call ahead for lodging reservations, as groups book early. Take Highway 12 (Highway of Legends) 37 miles west of Trinidad. Open May-September.
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Purgatoire Adventures Unlimited
38700 C.R. 165.4
Kim, CO 81049
719-384-5813
email: wootensj@hotmail.com
Look no further for the authentic working-ranch vacation. Located in the red sandstone region east of Trinidad with its “mini–grand canyons,” the ranch raises grass-fed beef with no antibiotics or hormones. Each member of your group may customize his or her activities—fully experiencing ranch life with chores such as branding stock and harvesting crops or taking leisurely horseback rides, being present at the birth of the newest member of the herd, even participating in an arts seminar. The ranch offers hunting, fee fishing, tours, pack trips. The “Unlimited” in the name is not an exaggeration for those seeking connection to the land and its rhythms. This not-often-seen region of Colorado is only 115 miles from the center of Trinidad. Call or email for reservations, options for your daytrip or longer stay, and directions.
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Wall of Legends Guest Ranch and RV Park
6878 Hwy 12
Weston, CO 81091
719-868-2285 or 3049
This ranch has 10 cabins and restaurant, pond and stream fishing for rainbow and brown trout. The ranch has a bath house for tent campsites.
Yellow Pine Ranch
15880 State Highway 12
Cuchara, CO 81055
719-742-3528
yellowpine.us
A dude ranch where brooks babble, birds sing, and fish bite. This historic ranch at 8500 feet has barns of hand-hewn timbers, rail corrals and fences, and is bordered on the west and east by the wilderness of the San Isabel Forest. The ranch has horseback riding both for guests and for the public, fishing, barbeques, hiking, a large meeting barn (accommodates 60) for reunions and weddings. Cozy cabins are completely furnished and include fully equipped kitchens. The ranch is within walking distance of the village of Cuchara, which has excellent dining, a general store, and gift shops. A short drive away are Trinidad and La Veta and every attraction from golf to skateboarding and museums to boutiques. From Trinidad, travel 54 miles on Highway 12 to Cuchara. A bit further on, you will see the ranch sign on your right.
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