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Badger Creek Ranch is a working cattle and guest ranch located high in the spectacular Colorado Rocky Mountains. It is also our home. Here we invite you to enjoy a western vacation adventure of a lifetime. 

At Badger Creek Ranch you will be an important part of our cowboy crew as we ride fences, round up, doctor and sort our cattle. Even though we are a working cattle ranch, we never forget you are on vacation!

A sturdy horse will become your new best friend as you cover miles of mesas and ride the open range. Sleep in our comfortable bunkhouse after a traditional day of ranch life but don't forget to check out the endless stars in our Colorado Rocky Mountain skies. A breathtaking view and a life long memory are never more than a horse step away.

Like many before us we traveled west to find our American dream. Now that we have found it we would be honored to share it with you.

Good to know

  • Works with travel agents?

    yes

  • Good time to go

    From May to November there isn't a bad day to be at Badger Creek Ranch.

Lowdown

  • Owner(s)

    Susan & Eric Hotaling

  • Address

    5795 CR2, Canon City, Colorado, USA, 81212

  • Tel

    (719)837-2962

  • Fax

    n/a

  • Capacity

    6

  • Open

    May-Oct - view details

  • Nightly rate

    $175 - view details

  • Ranch Type

    Guest Ranch, Working Ranch, Authentic, Hands-On, Bed & Breakfast

  • Great for

    Romance, Action & adventure, Peace & quiet, Solitude, Diverse scenery, Adults

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Highs

  • A small, homey atmosphere - no large or set agendas. Trips and activities are custom-designed for your wants and needs
  • Eric, with his quiet, calm confidence, spends the needed time with each guest to improve horsemanship skills and ensure comfort on the rides
  • The ranch is remote and peaceful and the landscape stunning; tranquility where you feel absolute contentment
  • An authentic taste of ranching and rural life where riders of all levels engage in an ideal riding vacation
  • There is opportunity for off-ranch rafting, ghost town, fishing, festivals and more - and don't forget to visit the highest suspension bridge in the world
 

Summer Season Rates & Booking

  • Open

    May-Oct

  • Nightly rate

    $175

  • Nightly rate (non-rider)

    $100

  • Minimum stay

    No miminum stay

  • Preferred arrival day

    Any day is fine

  • Preferred depart day

    Any day is fine

  • Booking Policy

  • To book a reservation for the ranch a guests would contact us for availabilty, either by phone or email. If dates are agreed on a 30% deposit is required to confirm the reservation. We will refund that deposit up to 30 days prior to arrival date minus any processing fees.

  • Included FREE in your stay

  • meals, activities, lodging, gratuity, Riding

  • Extras

  • Tax

    7% tax

  • Massage

    by request we have massages available. Payment arrangements are directly with the masseuse

  • Other

    White water rafting, golfing, rental of ATV, guides for fishing etc. We are happy to reccommend businesses and even get them to these places but activities off the ranch aren't included

Environmental & Social Practices

  • Food

  • Delicious meals are prepared three times a day. A hot ranch style breakfast will keep you energized for the trails ahead. Refreshments will be provided for the day's ride. Breakfast and dinner are served in the bunkhouse. Lunch is usually out of your saddlebag on the open range, or picnic style on the front porch. With all the mountain air you will be ready for hearty home cooked meals. Make sure you leave room for a slice of pie. Help yourself to beverages and snacks from the always open kitchen.


    Badger Creek Ranch doesn't have a liquor license but you are welcome to bring your own.

     

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

Avg Temp (°F):

 264036455265686867573527

Avg Rainfall (in):

 .1.2.6.71.81.31.6.9.8.3.3

Lowdown

  • Elevation

    9,000 ft.

  • Generate power

    Badger Creek is completely off the grid. We supply our own power through solar and a back up generator.

  • Remote Location

 

Nearest Airports

  • Colorado Springs International Airport, Colorado Springs (to airport)

  • Nearest town / city

    Colorado Springs (to airport)

  • Distance to ranch

    90 miles

  • Time to ranch

    1 hour 45 mins

  • Airlines

    Delta, United, Allegiant, United Express, Frontier

  • Ranch shuttle

    75/trip

  • Denver International, Denver

  • Nearest town / city

    Denver

  • Distance to ranch

    150 miles

  • Time to ranch

    3 hours 15 mins

  • Airlines

    Delta, United, Skywest, Allegiant, Northwest, Alaska, United Express, Frontier, Jet Blue, South West

  • Ranch shuttle

    75/trip

Nearest Town / City

  • Salida

  • Population

    4,000

  • Distance

    18 miles

  • Time from ranch

    30 mins

  • Facilities

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

  • Shopping

    small hometown necessity shops, boutique shops, malls, western wear

  • Ranch shuttle

    n/a
 

Our riding stands out

  • Beautiful open country vistas
  • No nose to tail riding
  • Comfortable saddles and safe horses

Our horses

  • guest horses

    7

  • horse types

    Quarterhorse, Paints, Geldings

Our Riding

  • Guided rides

    All rides are guided by the ranch owner. The cows decide for us where that ride will go or the day. We also do have a few tourist rides to some fantastic Native American ruins on the Ranch. Our rides can be over varied terrain so we do reccommend that you are in good physical shape to enjoy the ride.

Good to know

  • Riding considerations

    Up to 210 lbs, no riding experience needed, We recommend a good level of physical fitness, Riders should be confident without a wrangler by their side, We consider height and athletic ability as well as a guest's weight

  • Saddles

    Western

Lowdown

  • Type of riding

    Western Riding

  • Riding opportunities for

    Beginner, Intermediate, Experienced

  • Most riders are

    Intermediate

  • Rides are grouped by

    Ability, Everyone rides together, Rides tailored to guest requests, Rides dictated by ranch work

  • Max riders per ride

    4

  • Wranglers per ride

    2

  • Pace of ride

    Walk, Trot
  • We prefer people have experienced riding a horse before but do not require any experience. Due to us riding cross country it is up to us when we feel the guest is secure enough in being able to stop and steer the horse before going out into big country.

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You'll enjoy

  • hours in the Saddle

    Morning - 4 hours, Afternoon - 2 hours, Evening - n/a
  • Our rides can often be dictated by the cattle. Sometimes a quick ride to go check can end up being 4-6 hours or a long day might be changed by a sick cow that needs attention.

  • Riding

    Openly through property
 

Riding Lessons

  • Details

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

  • Lessons given by

    ranch owner or manager

  • Lessons located

    on the trail, in the arena

Cattle work - pasture gathers

  • When

    Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

  • Frequency

    On Request

  • No. of cow/calf pairs

    100

  • Interaction

    Guests watch, Guests participate

Arena Work

  • Type

    outdoor arena

  • Activities

    barrels, pole bending, gymkhana, rodeo
  • all the above arena activities are really low key, and usually in the afternoon if a guest would like to try them. We do have a very informal ranch rodeo when a group of guests seem interested in this.

Setting

  • Private Land - 1000-5000 (acres)

  • Public Land - 250-1000 (acres)

At Badger Creek we serve breakfast and dinner family style. Our guests share meals with us in the bunkhouse dining room where we get to have great discussions about the day ahead of us and the one we just finished.

Delicious meals are prepared three times a day. A hot ranch style breakfast will keep you energized for the trails ahead. Refreshments will be provided for the day's ride. Breakfast and dinner are served in the bunkhouse. Lunch is usually out of your saddlebag on the open range, or picnic style on the front porch. With all the mountain air you will be ready for hearty home cooked meals. Make sure you leave room for a slice of pie. Help yourself to beverages and snacks from the always open kitchen.

Badger Creek Ranch doesn't have a liquor license but you are welcome to bring your own.
 

Personalized services

Guests can request specific soda/non-alcoholic drinks

Good to know

Alcohol

BYOB

Snacking

Stocked refrigerator, BYO snack

Lowdown

  • Enjoy

    Ranch-style

  • Meals served

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

  • 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 include

    lactose intolerant, vegans, vegetarians, other

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Guest Favorites

  • Steak & Potatoes
  • Badger Creek Chili
  • New Orleans Pasta
 

Your Chef

  • Your dedicated chef is is a cook, Sue Hoellrich

  • Hi, my name is Sue. I am one of hte owners here at Badger Creek and I will be your cook.  I have no formal training as a chef but do everything I can to make sure your meals are hot, fresh and tasty!

Sample Menu

    Breakfast:  Eggs/pancakes/sausage/fresh fruit. OJ<Coffee<H2O

    Lunch:  When served on the porch Pasta Fagoli, fresh bread, salad.  Cookies and fruit. Drinks

    Saddlebag lunch:  Sandwich, chips, fruit, cookies, drinks.

    Snack foods are available throughout the day.

    Dinner:  Grilled steak, mashed potatoes, fresh veggie, salad and dessert.

Children at the Ranch

Great for children aged 15 and over



We very much enjoy all children; however, our stay is best for those who come with their family and are proficient in riding. This is a more adult-focused ranch vacation.


Our working cattle ranch is located in Colorado's Badger Creek Basin at approximately 9,000 feet on the Ute Trail (Fremont County Road #2), 40 miles northwest of Canon City and 20 miles northeast of Salida, with spectacular views of the Collegiate Peaks and the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.

The area is rich in history. From the Ute Indians, who had their summer hunting grounds here, to the Spanish Conquistadors, to the pioneers, miners, and cowboys of the old West, to our present day Badger Creek Ranch, this is a land of countless tales, both fact and fiction.

"Like many before us we traveled west to find our American dream. And we would be honored to share our dream with you."

Your staff and owners,

Susan & Eric Hotaling

Lowdown

  • Ranch established

    1996

  • Guest ranch since

    2007

Our Staff

  • A willing personality
  • A great smile
  • Honesty

Email Ranch  View Website

 

Owner Info

  • Owner - Susan & Eric Hotaling

  • Purchased ranch in

    2007

  • Languages spoken

    english, french

Rooms & Rates

  • Room type | nameSummer ratesWinter rates

  • Cabin | The Bunkhouse$175n/a

    • Rooms

      2

    • Max occupancy

      6

    • Prices listed are

      per person

    • Minimum stay

      no minimum

    • Bathrooms

      Private bathroom

    • Amenities

      seating area

    • Entertainment

      tv, dvd, vhs, cable / satellite tv

Services

Communications

  • wireless internet
  • telephone
  • free long distance

    • Business Services

    • computer and fax hookups
    • printers

Additional Services

  • Spa

    relaxation massage, rock treatments.

Onsite

Outdoor Activities

  • climbing
  • mountain biking
  • bird watching
    • wild life viewing, gold panning, rock hounding, hiking,

Good to know

  • You can borrow

    Cowboy hats, Riding helmets, Saddle bags, Rain coats
 

Fishing & Wildlife

  • Fishing

  • Types of fishing

    spin, fly, stream, unguided, BYO equipment

  • Badger Creek is one of the best kept fly fishing secrets around.  If you like small stream fishing you will fall in love with Badger Creek. (when you get here we will give you directions!)

  • Wildlife and birding

  • coyote, bear, mountain lion, elk, deer,antelope, big horn sheep

Offsite Activities

  • Close to the ranch is some of the best white water rafting in the country, golfing, world famous fly fishing, Jeep rental, ATV rentals, 14k peaks for hiking, ghost towns and great little towns that offer festivals and rodeo throughout the summer.

    We would reccommend a rental car so you can be on your schedule, but would be happy to help if you need us to when our schedule allows us to leave the ranch.

Local Attractions

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

  • The Royal Gorge

  • Boasting the highest suspension bridge in the world, the Royal Gorge offers a great afternoon of breathtaking views.

  • Distance

    30 miles

  • Time from ranch

    45 mins

  • Salida

  • Small cowboy towned that has evolved into a great destination while at the Ranch. The town has everything a tourist would want. Ghost towns, white water rafting, musuems and some great festivals!

  • Distance

    18 miles

  • Time from ranch

    30 mins

Tel (719)837-2962

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Your hosts, Eric and Sue
 

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