Are you looking for an unforgettable family vacation? Want to find a place full of memorable outdoor adventures for the entire family? Are you craving a luxurious guest ranch experience while you enjoy the beauty of a traditional dude ranch? We’ve found the perfect place. Today, Araceli Gonzalez, a California mom of three, is going to introduce you to Vista Verde Ranch. Vista Verde Ranch is located just north of Steamboat Springs in Colorado and is a luxury guest ranch for outdoorsy and adventurous families! Let’s take you on a tour!
*This post was sponsored by Vista Verde Ranch. All opinions expressed and photos contained herein belong to the author.
Vista Verde, a luxury guest ranch
Vista Verde offers the hospitality and charm of the Old West with the luxuries of an all-inclusive resort. We had the incredible opportunity to spend some time at Vista Verde earlier this month and had the most incredible experience. We were amazed by the beautiful location and fantastic facilities, the stellar culinary delights, and the wonderful activities program for kids and families.
Sounds pretty unbelievable, right? Well, that’s not even half of it. Let me show you around!
Nestled in the Rocky Mountains
Vista Verde is a gorgeous luxury cowboy dude ranch nestled in the Colorado Rockies, just north of Steamboat Springs. It backs up into a national forest and feels as if they carved out space for this gorgeous ranch, making it the most pristine location.
From the minute you arrive, you will be blown away by gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains and struck by the beauty of 100+ horses roaming throughout the property. Cozy log cabins are scattered throughout the property, offering rustic charm and the feeling of alpine luxury comfort. I loved the wood-burning fireplace, spa robes, and local handmade soap. There were so many thoughtful details and amenities, which created a cozy and restful experience, even with vacationing with kids! We all know that a vacation with kids can be nearly anything but relaxing, so I was very impressed with how easy they made everything for us.
Vista Verde has something for everyone
Vista Verde makes it easy to vacation as a family. They really do have something for everyone, which makes it perfect for large families with lots of different ages and interests! With a large family, it’s sometimes tough to find activities that we all like, so the more options, the better. The kids’ program is designed for children 6 years and older and you can choose to do activities as a family or break apart for part of the day to give each family member the chance to do what they want to do. We were so impressed with the attention to detail and careful planning that goes into making sure every family has a memorable experience.
A winter dream come true
While Vista Verde Ranch is a spectacular place to visit any time of year, we found it to be especially MAGICAL in the winter. We arrived on a snowy day and truly felt as if we stepped out into a winter wonderland. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by a staff member who checked in with us every morning to ensure our day was planned for maximum adventuring. They answered all our questions with patience, attended to our needs and requests, and made the whole experience easy for us. After a day of adventures, it was amazing to go back to our cabin and warm up by the cozy wood-burning fireplace.
In the winter you can select from a wide range of activities such as skiing, ice fishing, massages, sleigh rides, snow tubing, snowmobiling, winter trail rides, yoga and so much more! The best part is that almost all activities were included as part of our all-inclusive experience! Amazing!
The ranch is also an amazing place to rest and disconnect. We enjoyed board games around the fire and truly enjoyed disconnecting as a family. I already know that the conversations we had as a family will be some of my favorites for years to come!
The Vista Verde horses
Vista Verde is a traditional dude ranch and home to over 100 beautiful horses. Horseback riding through snow-covered trails was pure magic and an experience our family will treasure forever. My kids described it as a scene from “Frozen”. One of the activities offered through the kids’ program is a sleigh ride to feed the horses.
It was an unbelievable experience to ride through the horse ranch as 100 horses gathered for their nightly feed. They were the most gentle and beautiful horses. The work and love that goes into caring for this beautiful herd is evident and it makes for a wonderful experience. We loved waking up and greeting the horses each day on our way to breakfast in the mornings. It was a pretty special experience.
So many activities!
Vista Verde had such a diverse program of activities! This is what sets Vista Verde apart from other ranches anywhere around. A carefully planned and wonderfully curated adventure program that is part of an all-inclusive experience is a dream come true for busy parents that are excited to get away, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of making all the arrangements for days upon days of activities. The attention to detail and thoughtful planning really made our stay special.
We opted for a family trail ride, ice fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and tubing as part of our stay. But there are so many fabulous winter activities led by the friendliest guides, it was really hard to narrow it down and choose. All the staff made us feel like part of the family and did the best job of taking amazing care of us.
Ice fishing adventures
For our ice fishing excursion, our guide drove us out to a local lake. We walked across the frozen lake and set up for an afternoon of ice fishing. The staff was all so knowledgeable and excited to share their passion for the outdoors with all their guests.
Sledding and snowmobiling
We also had the best time tubing down a magnificent mountain! We were so surprised (and delighted) to be greeted by our guide in a snowmobile! He took us up the mountain and got us all set up for our trip down in our tubes. We went tubing all the way down and at the end of the run, we were taken back up to the top after every run in a snowmobile! How cool is that! All the fun and way less work! This is perfect for kids that love action and adventure!
A divine culinary experience
And if you think the activities look great, wait until I tell you about the food! Food is a celebration at Vista Verde Ranch! The local chefs and staff made our experience so enjoyable! Every morning we woke up excited to head down to the guest house to enjoy our meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were each better than the next.
The kids loved ordering a hot hearty breakfast, pancakes to their liking with extra blueberries, homemade bread, avocado toast and so much more. Lunch was always a delight with amazing hot soups and crisp salads. We often had homemade dessert with lunch! The dinners were amazing. We even had the opportunity to enjoy a three-course meal on our own (just us parents!) while the kids enjoyed entertainment and dinner in the play center. That’s nearly unheard of when traveling as a family.
My husband and I enjoyed happy hour nightly, followed by a formal dinner complete with a delicious gourmet meal of scallops and short ribs. These multi-course meals varied from casual to formal themes and they were all amazing! We celebrated with dessert every single night! We’ve never felt so spoiled!
Adventure right out your doorstep
Vista Verde is the most amazing place for an unforgettable winter family vacation. It offers the perfect balance of outdoor adventure, luxury relaxation, and culinary excellence for the entire family. It was truly one of the best and most memorable vacations we have ever been on and we will be talking about this trip for years to come!
No matter what your interests, Vista Verde has something for everyone in your family and will treat you like royalty. I guarantee your kids will leave in tears and beg never to leave. Mine did! We are already planning our next visit and can’t wait to get back.
Vista Verde Ranch
For more information on Vista Verde Ranch, here’s where you can find them online:
Website: www.vistaverde.com
Instagram: @vistaverderanch
Facebook: Vista Verde Ranch
Phone: 800-526-7433
Address:
PO Box 770465
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477
What outdoor activity would you be the most interested in doing at Vista Verde?
About the author
Araceli is a wife and momma to three wild and adventurous littles. She believes that nature and free play are truly the foundation of a beautiful childhood. Araceli and her husband have made it a priority to raise their children with a strong bond to the great outdoors. Araceli is a working mom with an extensive career in Project Management. She’s creative, crafty, and loves collecting houseplants. As a family, they love exploring wild places and she loves documenting their adventures.
Find more from Araceli in the following locations:
Instagram: @roaminggonzalez
All RWMC posts: Araceli