The World's Top Guest, Working, Resort, Luxury and Ultra Ranch Vacations
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Lowdown

  • Established

    1924. Guest ranch since 1928
  • Owner

    Randy & Lisa George
  • Tel

    970-724-9008
  • Open

    Jan-Mar, Jun-Sep, Dec
  • Nightly Rates (per adult)*

    Summer: $507 - $597
    Winter: $225
  • Nightly Rates (per child)*

    Summer: $380 - $448
    Winter: $135 - $150
  • Minimum Stay

    Summer: 6 days
    Winter: 2 days
  • Maximum Guests

    32
  • Works with travel agents?

    Yes
  • Great For

    Action & adventure, Peace & quiet, Solitude, Diverse scenery
  • Memberships

    Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association, Dude Ranchers Association, Colorado CrossCountry Ski Association, Cross Country Ski Areas of America
* Rates will vary based on Season and Accommodation selection. Please contact the ranch directly for Date Request, Availability and exact Rate quote/proposal

We invite you to visit us, the Georges, at Latigo Ranch! Having owned the ranch for 33 years and raising our family here, we possess a true passion for this lifestyle. We are very hands-on owners, participating in the activities, doing the cooking, teaching horsemanship or flyfishing and getting to know our guests personally. We love what we do and where we are; sharing this with you is our passion.

The moment you arrive you begin to realize why Latigo was selected by Colorado’s Best as “Colorado’s Best Dude Ranch”. Weekly, without exception, Latigo guests ask us where we get such respectful and incredible staff.

Each guest raves about the quality of our horses and the thoroughness of our horse program. Whether in the arena or on the trail we place emphasis on improving your riding skills.

There are so many interesting things to learn and we enjoy sharing information with you about all of it - vegetaion, wildlife, geology and history, your horse, riding, archaeology and more. You'll find that the real reason, however, people come back each year is the opportunity to be together as a family.We enjoy serving people and want to make sure you have the vacation of a lifetime. Our goal is to develop friendships, not just customers.

Good time to go

Early June, late August and September are quiet, lovely times of year with great temperatures. Wild flowers are out in June and in September the trees are changing. July and August have more folks, more flowers and beautiful temps.

Children at the Ranch

Great for children aged 3 and over

Children beginning at age six are in a full riding program and go riding twice a day as do the adults.

We also offer shooting skills, roping, bullwhip cracking, tomahawk throwing, archery, golf, swimming, overnight trips, breakfast rides, sunset wagon ride and steak fry, square dancing (that kids always really enjoy once they get over the "dance" idea), fishing (we teach fly fishing), river rafting, cattle roundups and team penning. Your child has a counselor they may ride with or you may wish to do a family ride!

Our counselors take turns enjoying being the children's counselor and teaching them skills. Almost weekly, several children cry because they have to leave the ranch and "their" horse.

Believe us, children never say, "I'm bored!"

Minimum age children can ride

6 and over

Arts & Crafts

play-doh, coloring, sketching, collecting plants, rocks, making paper crafts

Activities

hiking, outdoor play area, cookouts, campouts, whitewater rafting, floating, supervised swimming, fishing, kids sheriff's office, Ute Scouts-kids camp out

Games

scavenger/treasure hunts, board games, horseshoes, volleyball, ping pong, pool table

Baby Sitting

From age 0 to 2. Hourly cost $15.00.

Baby Sitting Provided By

Latigo staff

Environmental & Social Practices

Environment

We subscribe to wholistic land management parctices, We work with the Natural Resource Conservation Servicee and the USFS to develop the best approaches for living on our private land and sharing the National Forest with our guests.

Community

We belong to the Chamber of Commerce of a small town of about 1,400. Latigo supports town needs (eg. a young mother in a coma with a brain tumor, a young boy with a serious motorcycle accident, etc.) by attending their fund raisers as well as donating auction dinners at Latigo Ranch. The owners have served on various community boards and services, e.g. community food bank and school board.

Conservation

We take out an overnight pack trip each week and educate our guests regarding using the forest (eg. it is our practice once we take people to an overnight location not to use it again for a year or two and to leave the camping spot so that no one could tell 20 people had been there).

Ranch History

F. J. Kasdorf was the original homesteader of Latigo Ranch as a dude ranch. Kasdorf, his wife Eva, and infant daughter moved to the Kremmling area from Denver by covered wagon in 1923. From this homestead, he and his family moved to a new location a few miles away, where he built up and ran the Snowshoe Dude Ranch for 30 years. Single handedly he built the main log lodge at Snowshoe (now Latigo Ranch).

By 1955 the Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association lists the Snowshoe Ranch as having accommodations for 25 guests. Kasdorf boasted that he had a modern log ranch house and lodge with a beautiful two hundred mile view at a rate of $75/week. In 1959 Kasdorf sold the Dude Ranch portion of his holdings west of Kremmling.

The ranch went through the hands of different owners. In 1977 David Wasserstrom from Pennsylvania purchased the ranch. Wasserstrom, an attorney from Philadelphia, made many improvements to the ranch beginning with changing the name to Latigo - "El latigo", a leather strap on a saddle near the cinch.

The Randy and Lisa George bought the ranch in 1987 in partnership with Jim and Kathie Yost. The Yosts retired at the end of 2016. The Georges live at the ranch year round and operate Latigo as a nordic center in the winter and dude ranch in the summer. Please contact us for an even more in-depth look into Latigo's history.

Lowdown

  • Enjoy

    Gourmet, Ranch-style, Health oriented
  • Meals served

    family style, buffet style, everyone eats together, children dine separately, scheduled meals
  • Alcohol

    available for purchase
  • Enjoy dining in

    nature settings, patio, dining room (casual attire)
  • You'll definitely love

    locally grown produce, fresh daily bread, fresh daily desserts
  • Dietary restrictions catered for

    lactose intolerant, vegans, vegetarians, Gluten free, other

We want to provide a healthy variety of top quality food. Our kitchen has earned a suberb reputation for ourstanding meals and in-house preparations. For example, we make our own salads and dressings, breads, baked goods, and desserts. To ensure your satisfaction, we offer a choice of red meat, poulty or fish, and vegentarian options each day. With advanced notice, we can accommodate special dietary needs.

For breakfast, you can select offerings like fruits, berries, baked goods and cereals, or hearty offerings from the grill like pancakes, Belgian waffles, omelets, house-smoked bacon, French toast or the Latigo Vaquero Burrito.

Lunches offer fixin’s for sandwiches, a generous salad bar, and hot entrée. Fruit and cookies are always available.

Dinners are the highlight. Bison, pork, poultry and fish grace the evening menu. Each is accompanied by appealing vegetables, salads and desserts. We offer exciting vegetarian options daily.

Kids have their favorite options available to them. And, even the cookouts will stagger you with plenty of options!

Guest Favourites

  • Fresh baked artisan bread and a salad of mixed greens topped with pistachio nuts and chocolate vinaigrette. Sous vide and seared succulent rib eye stake with a topping of fired sweet potato threads, scallops, or a filo packet of freshly sauteed vegetables. smashed potatoes, fire grilled fresh asparagus . Followed by individual dark chocolate souffles in cast iron cauldrons and passion fruit sorbet.
  • Thanksgiving dinner complete with dressing and sweet potatoes, followed by a fabulous ice cream sundae bar.
  • The steak fry - or grilled swordfish, with watermelon, potato salad, asparagus salad, sweet potato muffins, and home-made chocolate peanut butter pie or rhubarb pie.

Your Chef, Spencer George

Spencer grew up at Latigo. His parents, Randy and Lisa George, ran the foodservice operations for 30+ years. Over that time, Latigo developed a reputation for great guest service and outstanding meals.

Spencer assumed the head chef position in 2016 and has taken the dining experiences to new heights. Fascinated with food and flavors, he produces a marvelous variety of delectable dishes that combine to give you wonderful and satisfying meals to enjoy while sharing stories with family and friends around the table.

Lowdown

  • Address

    P.O. Box 237
    Kremmling
    Colorado
    80459
    USA
  • Remote Location

    Yes
  • Elevation

    9000 ft
  • Private Land

    250-1000 acres
  • Public Land

    20,000-40,000 acres

Nearest Town - Kremmling

Kremmling has a population of 1400 (approx), and is situated 16 miles / 30 mins from the Ranch.

Facilities in Kremmling include: grocery store, pharmacy, church, school, post office, medical clinic, hospital, bank, atm, gas station, museum.

For shopping Kremmling offers: small hometown necessity shops, western wear.

Ranch shuttle

Free from Kremmling.

Nearest Airports

Denver International, Denver, CO

Distance

145 miles / 2 hours 45 mins

Airlines

Delta, United, Skywest, Northwest, Alaska, United Express

Ranch shuttle

Shuttle service to Kremmling ($ 88/adult each way) where we pick you up


Steamboat Springs/Hayden, Hayden

Distance

65 miles / 1 hour 45 mins

Rental car

Required


Private Air Travel

Nearest location(s)

Kremmling, Colorado

Travel by

Airplane

Distance

17 miles

Lowdown

  • Type of Riding

    Western Riding
  • Riding opportunities for

    Beginner, Intermediate, Experienced
  • Most riders are

    Intermediate
  • Rides are grouped by

    Age, Ability, Pace of Ride, Rides tailored to guest requests, Rides dictated by ranch work, Families ride together, Children ride together
  • Max riders per ride

    6
  • Wranglers per ride

    1
  • Pace of ride

    Walk, Trot, Lope
  • Guest Horses

    70
  • Horse Types

    Quarterhorse, Morgan, Appaloosas, Draft, Draft Cross, Paints, Arabians, Geldings, Mares
  • Hours in the saddle

    Morning - 2 hours
    Afternoon - 2 hours

The Setting

Private Land (250-1000 acres)

We have 500 acres of private beauty and are located at 9,000 feet surrounded by vast spruce and pine forests, sprawling aspen groves, sagebrush, lush high meadows and crystalline streams and beaver ponds. With plenty of diversity in our landscape, we provide a perfect location for photography tours, riding, and just in soaking in the natural beauty. We are surrounded by National Forest on three sides bordered by a cliff and waterfall on the fourth.

Public Land (20,000-40,000 acres)

We have access to over 200 miles of accessible trails within 40,000 acres of the Arapaho-Routt National Forest, located in the Rocky Mountains, straddling the continental divide in the Front Range west of Denver. It was established on July 1, 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt and named for the Arapaho tribe of Native Americans which previously inhabited the Colorado Eastern Plains. The forest includes part of the high Rockies and river valleys in the upper watershed of the Colorado River.


Our Riding

Scheduled rides

Morning Rides - 9am; Afternoon Rides - 2pm. Each morning, we ask each guest which type of ride they'd like to go on. We encourage guests to have as much say as possible within the rides we offer.

Guided rides

We offer fully guided rides with full opportunity for all types of riding. In some of the mountainous areas, we have trails that need to be followed, however, with our terrain, you also enjoy full opportunity to ride openly.

Unguided rides

All rides are guided.

Program rides

On specified days and times, we offer an evening sunset ride, all-day rides, overnight pack trips, and sunrise ride.

Good to know

The first morning is a walk only ride whereby we assess skills. Once we have assessed rider's abilities, we offer individually for guests to work on their trotting/loping skills while on the trail. We do a lot of game playing on the trail, which is a great way to work on your skills while having fun.

Weight limit for riding

225-250 lbs

Riding considerations

no riding experience needed, We recommend a good level of physical fitness, We consider height and athletic ability as well as a guest's weight

Hours in the saddle

Hours in the saddle are estimations and can vary. We also offer all-day rides with packed lunches.


Why our riding stands out

  • Trails are so numerous (over 200 miles) there is no need for a guest to ever repeat a trail
  • We sit at 9,000 feet so the views will rattle your spurs.
  • We teach basic principles of riding and horsemanship on the trail - as well as teaching trotting and loping skills in a natural environment

Sample Riding Itinerary

Monday

Morning - Horsemanship demonstration and orientation followed by a short ride on the trail.

Afternoon – Regular trail tiding and instructional opportunities. Rides are organized based on your individual interest and ability.

 

Tuesday

Morning – Regular trail riding and instructional opportunities.

Evening – Early dinner with a rides afterwards.

 

Wednesday

All-day rides.

High Meadows overnight pack trip.

Regular rides available morning and afternoon.

 

Thursday

Regular rides morning and afternoon.

Kids Ute Scouts campout ride in the afternoon.

 

Friday

Morning – Gather cattle from a several hundred-acre pasture or regular ride options.

Afternoon – Team penning activities with the cattle in the arena.

 

Saturday

Ride out for a breakfast cookout. Additional trail riding is available after breakfast.

Riding Lessons

Most of the riding lessons are conducted on the trail in a natural environment. However, if a guest wants or needs special attention in a restricted environment, we will head to the arena.

Details

lessons come with package, basic riding lessons, advanced horsemanship lessons

Given by

wrangler, ranch owner or manager

Location

on the trail, in the arena

Natural Horsemanship Clinic

Clinician

Randy George

Details

Clinics occur weekly, Included in package, Clinics occur in the arena

Focuses on

Sunday night's orientation talks about the basics of horsemanship. Then on Monday morning Randy offers a horsemanship clinic in which guests can participate. Depending upon the week, Randy may be working with a young horse, tuning up a guest horse, or even working a mustang. The clinic generally lasts about an hour long. It covers basic horsemanship, various aspects in regard to horse behavior (as that is key to horsemanship), and how to relate to a horse by understanding its behavior and instincts. Guests are welcome to get directly involved. Randy also covers riding and horsemanship aspects from catching a horse to riding it at a lope. Throughout the week you can work work on various principles learned in the clinic while on the trail. The wranglers are always ready to assist.

Cattle work - pasture gathers

In September we spend a week helping our neighbors gather hundreds of cattle from the summer pastures, moving them down to winter holdings. We limit the number of guests helping at this to 14, and they must be experienced riders capable of riding independently. We may be working with several hundred pairs at a time.

 A couple times a week throughout the summer, guests have the opportunity to interact with cattle in the pasture by moving them to different pastures, riding herd to perform health checks, do a count, and, if there are any seen problems, we bring the animal into the corral for doctoring. Friday morning, guests who are interested head out to the pasture and sort the cattle in the pasture. Guests and wranglers hold herd while individually, each guest has the opportunity to sort a designated animal out of the herd, practicing his/her skills in maneuvering and controlling the horse.

When

Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Frequency

Weekly

No. of cow/calf pairs

30-40

Interaction

Guests participate

Pack Trips

Each Wednesday morning Randy leads guests by horseback into the mountains for an overnight pack trip. We head out at 9am and travel into the mountains on a scenic ride, with lunch on the trail, to our overnight camping spot where we arrive late in the afternoon. Upon arrival, each family or individual sets up his or her own tent. We have 30 different sites in which we rotate through, so guests rarely stay at the same site twice (except for those who have been coming for years!) Randy personally prepares a tantalizing dinner for each of the guests. And, believe us, if you've ever eaten a meal in the wilderness, something about preparing it outdoors makes it one of the best, most memorable meals you could eat. Horse are kept in an overnight portable, electric solar powered fence. Out of respect for the land, when we leave, our goal is to leave minimal impact on the land. Even to the point that Randy replaces the sod from his firepit to restore to its previous natural condition. Guests enjoy breakfast of scrambled eggs or omelet, sausage, pancakes, or potatoes with steak. We head back out on the trail for home and make sure we're home for homemade pizza hand-created in our Latigo kitchen! We provide everything: sleeping bags, foam pads, flashlights. Guests only need to worry about bringing a coat (we supply raincoats) and a change of socks. We also offer an overnight campout for the wee ones age 6-13. For this overnighter kids enjoy staying in camps already set up with permanent teepees. Depending upon the age and attention span of the children, we generally leave after lunch and get to camp by 4 or 5.

Arena Work

Once we are done sorting the animals(from our Friday ride in the pasture - please see "cattle work"), we gather a number of the cattle and drive them into the arena. In the afternoon, we work these cattle in the arena and do some team penning.

Type

outdoor arena

Activities

penning, sorting, cutting

Lowdown

  • Nightly Rates (per adult)*

    Summer: $507 - $597
    Winter: $225
  • Nightly Rates (per child)*

    Summer: $380 - $448
    Winter: $135 - $150
  • Nightly Rates (nanny)

    $200
  • Minimum Stay

    Summer: 6 days
    Winter: 2 days
  • Preferred Arrival Day

    Summer: Sun
    Winter: Thurs, Fri, Sat
  • Preferred Departure Day

    Summer: Sat
    Winter: Mon, Sat, Sun
  • Style of accommodation

    Western rustic chic
  • Packages available

    6 night
* Rates will vary based on Season and Accommodation selection. Please contact the ranch directly for Date Request, Availability and exact Rate quote/proposal

Latigo Ranch can cater for up to 32 guests. See below for details and indicative rates.

Cabin | One Bedroom Cabins

Minimum Stay

3 nights

Description

2 one bedroom cabins each with a queen bed, fireplace, full bath and sitting area with a small fridge and hot drink maker. These are ideal for couples. Enjoy the comforts of electric heat and relaxing porches to take in our surroundings.

Rooms

1

Bathrooms

Private bathroom

Amenities

fridge, hair dryer, seating area, wood fireplace

Cabin | One Bedroom Cabins with Sitting Area

Minimum Stay

No minimum

Description

2 one bedroom cabins each with a queen bed, fireplace, full bath and sitting area with a small fridge and hot drink maker. Enjoy a separate room (the sitting area) with a pull out bed for families with one small child. Enjoy the comforts of electric heat and relaxing porches to rest while soaking in our natural surroundings.

Rooms

1

Bathrooms

Private bathroom

Amenities

fridge, seating area, wood fireplace

Cabin | Large 3 Bedroom Cabins

Minimum Stay

No minimum

Description

6 cabins with large 3 bedroom units. Each has a queen bed in the master bedroom as well as a vanity. A second bedroom has a double bed. The third bedroom has either a double bed or a set of bunk beds. Each cabin has a nice sitting area with a wood burning stove. All of Latigo's cabins have electric heat and relaxing porches with a sitting area.

Rooms

3

Bathrooms

Private bathroom, Shared bathroom

Amenities

fridge, seating area, wood fireplace


Booking Policy

A deposit of 25% is required to confirm your reservation. Cancellations made before 45 days of scheduled arrival will result in a refund of the deposit less a $75 cancellation fee. Cancellations made within 45 days of scheduled arrival will result in forfeiture of the entire deposit unless we can fill the vacated space. If we can fill the vacated space with some other guest, then the deposit will be refunded, less the $75 fee.

Included in your stay

meals, activities, lodging, tax, gratuity, Riding, river rafting, riding lessons and flyfishing instruction, shooting sports, guided hikes and rock climbing, cookouts, dances, covered wagon rides, yoga,

Extras

Tax

4.8%

Gratuity

20%

Massage

by prior appointment

Other

Beer & Wine, Store Purchases

Lowdown

  • You can borrow

    Cowboy hats, Cowboy boots, Riding helmets, Saddle bags, Rain coats
  • Communications

    Wireless Internet/Wifi.
  • Cell Networks

    verizon. most work; networks service limited when riding .
  • Business Services

    printers, common computer.

Onsite

Shopping

Ranch store with hats, shirts, jackets, sweat shirts, jewlery, memorabelia, basic toiletries, batteries, artificial flies for fishing,

Outdoor Activities

climbing, mountain biking, Yoga, sporting clays, campouts, wagon rides, bird watching, Shooting - trap / clays, rifle shooting, country dancing, waterfalls, archery, nature/guided walks

Water based Activities

outdoor pool, hot tub, river floating, whitewater rafting-adventure

Winter Activities

cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, sledding


Fishing & Wildlife

High mountain streams and ponds, nearby reservoirs, near Colorado and Blue Rivers

Fishing on offer

spin, fly, river, stocked pond, lake, stream, equipment available, guided non-inclusive, unguided, instruction available, BYO equipment

Wildlife

Elk, deer, moose, fox, coyotes, rabbits, marmots, eagles, hawks, beaver, weasels, geese, ducks, sand hill cranes, osprey, squirrels, pine martens, numerous bird species, antelope


Additional Services

Corporate Retreats

For groups of 30-40.

Generally taking place during our winter season where you can meet half the day and ski the rest! Accommodations for 30. Meeting room for 75.

Weddings

We do not offer weddings.


Local Attractions

Rocky Mountain National Park

One of America's iconic National Parks. https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm

 

Distance

60 miles / 1 hour 30 mins

Ranch shuttle

No shuttle

Rental car

Required


Steamboat Springs

Resort town with hot springs.

Distance

60 miles / 1 hour 30 mins

Ranch shuttle

No

Rental car

Required

Highs

  • Offers guests a genuine and relaxing experience with horses and nature
  • Scenic overnight pack trips across the continental divide – it's a long ride, but the experience of riding and camping with owner Jim Yost is exceptional. No frills, just fulfilling and fun
  • There's an emphasis on improving your riding skills, a first-time rider can learn to lope within the weeA
  • An outstanding children's program and fantastic hosts who are serious about providing a quality experience

Lows

  • Smaller numbers of cattle to work, however there are certainly excellent cattle working opportunities in a natural environment
  • All cabins are a small walk up hill, but nothing too strenuous

Visitor Reviews

Dont just take our word for it, see what visitors like you say...

Outstanding Week!

I don’t know which is more impressive: The George Family, who own and run the ranch, the gourmet food prepared by family member Spencer, the beautiful and breathtaking scenery, or the opportunity to ride well trained horses with experienced wranglers at your level of comfort and ability!

5 stars

You can find more reviews for Latigo Ranch on TripAdvisor