Shawnee, CO – A Colorado dude and guest ranch vacation is much more than just riding horses and 'roughing it.' Riding horses may be synonymous with ranches, but Colorado's dude and guest ranches serve up a complete vacation experience that offers something for everyone.

Ten Things to Expect From Your Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Vacation:

• Something for Everyone: From river rafting, fishing, hiking, swimming, tennis and mountain biking to crafts, photo workshops, riding, hay rides, skiing, sledding, and much more, be as adventurous as you like! All ranches offer children's programs to keep the kid's entertained. Traveling with a group? Corporate retreats, conventions, team building, incentive programs, and weddings up to 115 people can be accommodated.
• Home-cooked, Gourmet and Farm to Table Dining: Today's ranch menus offer up down-home cooking and classically trained chefs, serving gourmet dishes and healthy alternatives, alongside all the old camp classics. Guests can help harvest meals at ranches such as Smith Fork Ranch and Wilderness Trails Ranch.
• Rustic to Luxury Accommodations: From cozy cabins to luxury mountain retreats with all the modern features of home, you'll find just the experience you're looking for.
• Evening Entertainment: No matter the ranch, you'll enjoy live music, cowboy poets, barn dances, as well as rich stage performances. Try your hand at square dancing at Elk Mountain Ranch or an overnight pack trip at Tumbling River Ranch.
• Spa Services:    You'll find a place to soak at all of the ranches - some have a ranch hot tub and others offer private hot tubs in each cabin. Many offer services such as massages, several have saunas, and some even have their own hot springs.
• One-of-a-kindStaff: The friendly ranch staff make guests their priority - nowhere else will you feel so at home so quickly!  By the end of the week, you'll have made new friends with the owners, staff and other guests. You may even find yourself returning again and again!
• Special and Themed Weeks: Throughout the season, you can find a host of specially themed weeks such as Women's Yoga Weeks, Horsemanship Weeks, Murder Mystery Weekends and Culinary Weekends. In addition, at the start and end of the season you can often find specials.
• Winter Vacations: Winter in the Rockies! A handful of Colorado's dude and guest ranches remain open and offer a variety of outdoor activities, many of which include a guide and equipment. Choose from scenic backcountry ski tours, snowshoe adventures, mild naturalist tours, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides, ice skating, tubing, sledding, horseback riding, swimming, fly-fishing, and more. During the holiday season enjoy tree trimming and decorating parties, caroling, visits from Santa and Christmas dinners. Some ranches even function as B&B's.   
• History and Natural Splendor: No matter the ranch, you can immerse yourself in the surrounding natural beauty. Hiking and trail rides take you through the woods and fields. Campfire stories will take you back in time. Some natural resources are integrated in to the ranch like at Waunita Hot Springs, where heat on the ranch is run off of geothermal heat/hot water. At Deer Valley Ranch natural hot spring wells feed the two swimming pools and hot tubs.
• Easy Access: Colorado is the ideal place to visit a guest ranch for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons people choose Colorado is ease of access. Two major airports (Denver International & Colorado Springs) offer direct flights to numerous cities throughout the state. In addition, several regional airports fly you into the heart of the Rockies, landing you minutes away from our guest ranches. Some ranches even offer pickup service from their closest airport!
• The Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Association (CDGRA) is comprised of 27 certified ranches located throughout the mountains and mesas of Colorado. For more information and/or request your free Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch vacation guide and DVD, visit www.coloradoranch.com.

#  #  #