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Saddle up on horseback and ride among the shimmering aspens. Follow the gold panning streams to mining towns of yesteryear. Breathe in deeply of the fresh alpine air or settle in and watch the sunset over Sleeping Ute Mountain.

Get in touch with nature in the heart of Mesa Verde Country. Fish for Colorado trout, share a horseback ride with your children and make memories to last a lifetime.

Read a review for Majestic Dude Ranch!

Good to know

  • Works with travel agents?

    yes

  • Belongs to

    Durango Chamber of Commerce, Dude Rancher's Association, Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Assocation

Lowdown

  • Owner(s)

    Robert Bucksbaum

  • Address

    42688 County Road North , Mancos, Colorado, USA, 81328

  • Tel

    800-325-9462

  • Capacity

    50

  • Open

    May-Sep - view details

  • Nightly rate

    $325-325 - view details

  • Ranch Type

    Luxury Dude Ranch, Guest Ranch

  • Great for

    Romance, Action & adventure, Peace & quiet, Pampering, People of all ages

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Highs

  • This ranch is unique - it not only has a fabulous riding program, it offers organized workouts, intense guided mountain bike rides, and a host of sports activities including baseball and softball
  • Guests have their own full-suspension mountain bike along with a horse for the week
  • A real highlight is their nighttime snacks which range from smores, fresh baked cookies and milk to free fresh popcorn for outdoor movies on single-screen theaters
  • A new owner(formerly known as Lake Mancos Ranch) Robert is committed to excellence and offering the best stay for his guests
  • The setting and hospitality of this ranch truly makes "Majestic" an ideal chosen name

Lows

  • Although a new owner, Robert is no stranger to dude ranch vacations - he spent many years travelling to some of the finest
 

Summer Season Rates & Booking

  • Open

    May-Sep

  • Nightly rate

    $325-325

  • Nightly rate (children)

    $200-250

  • Minimum stay

    3 days

  • Preferred arrival day

    Sun

  • Booking Policy

  • Rates are a six night package: Sunday - Saturday; however, partial weeks (3 day minimum) are available with arrival on Sunday. All meals, activities and trips are included. Non-rider rate discounts available. We accept cash, personal checks, Master Card, VISA and American Express

  • Included FREE in your stay

  • meals, activities, ranch shuttle, lodging, Riding, fly fishing, water rafting, rodeos, horseback riding, mountain biking, baseball field, batting cages, movies under the stars, karaoke, singing, dancing, talent show

  • Extras

Weather
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Avg Temp (°F):

 273138445361676760483526

Avg Rainfall (in):

 1.51.21.61.21.2.061.71.51.51.61.31.4

Lowdown

  • Elevation

    8000 ft.

  • Remote Location

 

Nearest Airports

  • Cortez Municipal Airport, Cortez

  • Nearest town / city

    Cortez

  • Distance to ranch

    18 miles

  • Time to ranch

    30 mins

  • Airlines

    United, Frontier, Mesa Airlines

  • Ranch shuttle

    complimentary

  • Durango - La Plata County Airport, Durango

  • Nearest town / city

    Durango

  • Distance to ranch

    44 miles

  • Time to ranch

    1 hour

  • Airlines

    United, US Airways, Frontier, Continental,

  • Ranch shuttle

    complimentary

Nearest Town / City

  • Mancos

  • Population

    1119

  • Time from ranch

    15 mins

  • Facilities

    grocery store, pharmacy, church, school, post office, medical clinic, hospital, bank, atm, gas station

  • Shopping

    small hometown necessity shops

  • Rental car

    Required
 

Our riding stands out

  • Personally hand selected and trained horses
  • Over 2 million miles of trail access in southwest Colorado
  • Challenging and exhilirating rides.

Our horses

  • guest horses

    70

  • horse types

    Quarterhorse, Thoroughbred, Appaloosas, Paints, Arabians, Fox Trotters, Geldings, Mares, Studs

Lowdown

  • Type of riding

    Western Riding

  • Riding opportunities for

    Beginner, Intermediate, Experienced

  • Most riders are

    Intermediate

  • Rides are grouped by

    Ability, Rides tailored to guest requests, Families Ride Together

  • Max riders per ride

    8

  • Wranglers per ride

    1

  • Pace of ride

    Walk, Trot, Lope

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You'll enjoy

  • hours in the Saddle

    Morning - 2 hours, Afternoon - 2 hours, Evening - 1 hour

  • Riding

    Openly through property, On specified trails
 

Cattle work - pasture gathers

  • When

    Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

  • Frequency

    Weekly

  • No. of yearlings

    20

  • Interaction

    Guests participate
  • Guests have the option to participate in cattle roundups as well as team penning and our very own rodeo in our 30,000 sq ft outdoor arena. We have cattle roundups once per week. We gather the cattle in the pastures/mountains and take them into the arena for guests to enjoy team penning. and on the same day we offer team penning in the arena.

Setting

  • Private Land - 250-1000 (acres)

  • Southwest Colorado is also known as “little Switzerland” for its pristine mountains and crystal clear lakes/rivers. Our ranch is located on 50 acres at 8000 elevation, is relatively flat with gently rolling hills, surrounded by giant pine trees, a large family of “not very shy deer” and spectacular views of the La Plata Mountains.

  • Public Land - more than 50k (acres)

  • We have access to over 2 million acres of public land in the La Plata National Forrest. Our trails range from large open meadows to mountain climbs ranging as high as 13,200 ft. elevation. Trails pass through old mining ghost towns, mountain streams and lakes, and lush forest atmosphere.

We will have two fine chefs on-board to take spectactular care of our guests – one for breakfast and lunch menu and the other for dinner.

We offer a large variety of items from a breakfast omelet bar in the morning, two choices of fresh salads and an entrée for lunch, two entrée options for dinner in addition to a separate child’s menu.

The highlight is our nighttime snacks which range from smores, fresh baked cookies and milk to free fresh popcorn for outdoor movies! We occassionally serve wine with dinner - guests are welcome to bring their own as long as it stays in their cabin.

We do occasionally serve wine with dinner. You may also bring your own wine, but it must be kept in your cabin.
 

Personalized services

Guests can request favorite wine on-hand, request specific soda/non-alcoholic drinks

Good to know

Snacking

Stocked refrigerator, BYO snack

Lowdown

  • Enjoy

    Gourmet, Ranch-style, Health oriented

  • Meals served

    family style, buffet style, meals roll with days activities, everyone eats together, scheduled meals

  • Enjoy dining in

    nature settings, patio, dining room (casual attire), in-room dining

  • You'll definitely love

    farm fresh eggs, ranch garden, locally grown produce, fresh daily bread, fresh daily desserts

  • Dietary restrictions catered for include

    lactose intolerant, vegans, vegetarians, other

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Guest Favorites

  • Fresh popcorn on movie night
  • S'mores and our fabulous children's menu
  • Fresh Salads
 

Children at the Ranch

Great for children aged 0 and over



KID AND TEEN PROGRAMS

Majestic Dude Ranch has been family operated since 1956 and the tradition continues to this day.  The owner and ranch manager have kids of various ages that will be participating in the ranch so you can be assured – our kids/teen program is top notch. 

You have the choice of being with your kids throughout the day or seeing them maybe a few times in passing.  We have highly trained counselors that not only keep your kids busy, but also educate them from sunrise to sunset+.

Little Wranglers- normal day of activities include but not limited to supervised (one on one) riding, hayrides, gold panning, hot dog barbeque, pizza party, campouts, fishing, swimming, scavenger hunts, T-ball games and various sports, arts and crafts, archery, rodeo participation, skits.

Cowpokes– same activities as above, in addition to horseback lessons and supervised riding, mountain bike lessons, ping pong tournaments, Dodgeball, and coach pitch baseball…

Buckaroos– Same activities as above, in addition to guided trail rides with horses and mountain bikes, fly fishing lessons, kayaking, baseball games

Mavericks–  Same activities as above, in addition to advanced riding (depends on ability), mountain bike guided trails, fly fishing, workouts (strength and conditioning), competitive sports activities, campouts.

*Kids and teens are welcome to participate in all adult activities but must be placed at levels within their capability.  For example, if parents are advanced riders – they will have to ride with the level that is best for their kids…

Detailed Activities

  • Arts & Crafts

    play-doh, coloring, sketching

  • Games

    scavenger/treasure hunts, board games, horseshoes, soccer, volleyball, badminton, ping pong

  • Riding based activities

    animal care, horse care, pony rides, trail riding, rodeo

Babysitting

  • Available for children age

    0 to 3

  • Provided by

    Staff

  • Hourly prices from

    $10.00

A family-owned and oriented guest ranch nestled high in the pristine wilderness of the San Juan Mountains and just 35 minutes from Durango, CO. Since 1956, Lake Mancos Ranch has been offering our guests a home away from home in the Colorado mountains 35 miles west of Durango.

Lowdown

  • Ranch established

    1956

  • Guest ranch since

    1956

Our Staff

  • Friendly
  • Clean Cut
  • Courteous

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Owner Info

  • Owner - Robert Bucksbaum

  • Purchased ranch in

    2011

  • Languages spoken

    english

  • Los Angeles resident and single-screen movie theatre owner Robert Bucksbaum fulfilled a lifelong dream this past month by buying The Majestic Dude Ranch (formerly Lake Mancos Ranch). 

    Growing up in Northeastern, PA, Bucksbaum always had an affinity towards the old West and the ranching business. After serving in the US Army as a paratrooperfor four years, he settled in Los Angeles and worked a number of odd jobs in and outside of the movie industry. Hislove of the cinema propelled him to purchase the historic Crest Theatre in Westwood, which he renamed the Majestic Crest. Why the Majestic? Blame Jim Carrey. Frank Darabont’s 2001 film, “The Majestic” mirrored Bucksbaum’s story so much (amnesia aside) that Darabont and writer Michael Sloane even recognized the coincidence and hand delivered an autographed poster from the film, which was proudly displayed in the theatre lobby. For eight years Bucksbaum tore tickets, served popcorn, ran the projectors and mingled with customers, all the while never losing his passion for fly fishing, horseback riding or the great outdoors. When the harsh economic realities slowed the theatre business to a crawl, it was time for a change and he reluctantly sold the theatre, in search of a new adventure.

    When Bucksbaum arrived at the Lake Mancos Dude Ranch, which has been in operation since 1956, and saw the surrounding mountains and breathtaking vistas, he knew two things- That he had found his new adventure and that the word “majestic” was more applicable than ever.

    The Majestic Dude Ranch sits high in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, a working guest/dude ranch just 35 minutes from Durango. Just like those days tearing tickets, Bucksbaum brings his signature enthusiasm and hands-on, passion to every aspect of the ranch operations.  A wide variety of unique activities will be offered including horseback riding,mountain bike guided tours, fly fishing, gold panning, white water rafting and much more!  A lifetime baseball devotee and player, Bucksbaum is even building a full baseball field and batting cages on the ranch property. Guests will be offered unique amenities like tempur-pedic mattresses, stocked refrigerator with snacks/drinks and personally guided tours.  Further merging his passions, plans are also in place for nightly film screenings under the stars with free popcorn. How many theatre owners have ever boasted that?

    Bucksbaum sums up his vision for the ranch by saying, “I believe in reaching out and grabbing hold of life and living your dreams. My goal is for guests to leave the ranch feeling rejuvenated and having rediscovered the beauty of the world around them.”

Rooms & Rates

  • Room type | nameSummer ratesWinter rates

  • Cabin | General Lodging Information$325n/a

    • Description

      Many guests consider our ranch a luxury resort, but we prefer to classify our cabins and guest rooms as extremely charming, IMMACULATELY clean (our guarantee) and spacious. We offer flexible lodging choices that work well for families as well as single guests - from our newly renovated ranch house rooms to our two and three bedroom cabins, of which we have 17 on site. All cabins and guest rooms have King size tempur-pedic, front porches with rocking chairs, and refrigerators.

    • Prices listed are

      per person

    • Minimum stay

      no minimum

Services

Communications

  • wireless internet
  • telephone

    • Business Services

    • Executive business center
    • Conference center
    • computer and fax hookups
    • printers
    • common computer

      • Cell Networks

      • alltel
      • AT&T
      • verizon

Additional Services

  • Spa

    relaxation massage, deep tissue massage, rock treatments, couples massage, scrubs, manicures, facials, pedicures.

  • Corporate Retreats

    For groups of 50-75. Please contact us to book a corporate getaway specific to your needs.

  • Weddings

    We can cater for groups of 50-75. Beautiful weddings can take place against the gorgeous Colorado landscape.

Onsite

Shopping

  • There is a gift shop on the ranch.

Outdoor Activities

  • climbing
  • Golf - 9 hole course
  • Golf - 18 hole course
  • sporting clays
  • wagon rides
  • ATV Rentals - unguided
  • bird watching

    • Water based Activities

    • outdoor pool
    • hot tub
    • hot springs
    • lake water sports
    • river floating
    • whitewater rafting-adventure

Good to know

  • You can borrow

    Cowboy boots, Riding helmets, Saddle bags, Rain coats
 

Fishing & Wildlife

  • Fishing

  • Types of fishing

    spin, fly, river, stocked pond, lake, stream, equipment available, guided inclusive, instruction available

  • Ranch owner Robert Bucksbaum is an avid fly fisher and will gladly take guests on a memorable fishing excursion.

  • Wildlife and birding

  • deer, elk, bird watching

Offsite Activities

  • We are happy to recommend the Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Travel Services (1-800-729-5521, code #0914) to help you with your air travel plans; they are experts at getting you to out of the way spots in Colorado. 

    If you plan any off ranch activities, we recommend renting a car.  We offer complimentary airport transfers on Sunday afternoon and Saturday morning if you choose to make the ranch your only destination.  Many of our guests have found it economical to fly into Albuquerque, New Mexico and take the scenic 4 1/2 hour drive to the ranch.

Local Attractions

  • We've only highlighted attractions that may add to your stay!

  • Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

  • This historic train has been in continuous operation for 128 years, carrying passengers behind vintage steam locomotives and rolling stock indigenous to the line. Relive the sights and sounds of yesteryear for a spectacular journey on board the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. http://www.durangotrain.com/

  • Rental car

    Required

  • Mesa Verde National Park

  • One visit and you’ll know why an early civilization made it their home for 700 years. Protecting thousands of archaeological sites, including hundreds of cliff dwellings, Mesa Verde National Park is perched high in Southwest Colorado where the air is thin, the history is rich, and the views are spectacular. You’ll discover how Ancestral Puebloans lived with remarkable respect for the land – and learn why they left this awe-inspiring place. http://www.visitmesaverde.com/

  • Rental car

    Required

  • Four Corners National Monument

  • The Four Corners National Monument is the only place in the United States where you can in four different states at the same time. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The monument is located in the desert on the Navajo Indian Reservation. There is a small visitor center, some Navajo arts and craft booths, picnic tables and portable toilets. There is a small fee charged per vehicle. This monument is only about two hours from Mesa Verde National Park and provides some unique photo opportunities. http://www.mesaverde.com/fcmonument.htm

  • Rental car

    Required

Tel 800-325-9462

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Heading on the trail ride spanning from 8000 to 13000 elevation
Enjoying a fun day
River Rafting
Tipi
The baseball field
Gold panning
 

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