Rainbow Trout Ranch (RTR) is the perfect Colorado dude ranch for adults, families, singles, couples, groups and anyone else who wants a western getaway. Offering exceptional Colorado horseback riding, superb Colorado fly fishing, awesome children’s programs and a fun teen ranch program, trapshooting, swimming, day trips to Taos, white water rafting and the chance to ride America’s highest and longest narrow-gauge steam train, the dude ranch brings timeless simpler pleasures to life all in a spectacular setting.
Why take a Rainbow Trout Ranch vacation? It is more than just great horses, awesome fishing and spectacular scenery. It is more than great meals and programs and more even than watching your family reconnect and revitalize. It is about the feelings you experience throughout the week, but especially as you leave. It is the feeling that comes with making good friends with other guests and amongst the exceptional staff. It is about mile-wide smiles and teary goodbyes. In the end, a ranch vacation is all about the memories. And your RTR memories will truly last a lifetime…
We raise horses ourselves as well as being competitive team-ropers; therefore we take our riding program very seriously, with plenty of fun thrown in. You will have a wonderful horse of your own, perfectly matched to your ability and you will soon become close friends. You will delight in the atmosphere of our magnificent lodge and your own aspen-log cabin. A historic ranch, we are within easy access of Alamosa, Albuquerque, Durango, Colorado Springs or Denver.
There is something for everyone here at the ranch and guests of every age have a great time. Even those reluctant teens end up begging their parents to come back! Here at Rainbow Trout Ranch you are not a customer but a cherished guest, welcomed into this magic corner of Colorado we call our own.
Located at 9000 ft in the spectacular Conejos River Valley in the southern Colorado Rockies we are surrounded by the Rio Grande National Forest and bordered by the San Juan Wilderness giving us endless and varied country to explore and enjoy. Our proximity to northern New Mexico means you can combine the splendor of the Rockies with the enchantment of the southwest—many guests spend a night or two in fascinating Santa Fe on their way to or from the ranch.
There is no cooking, cleaning or organizing. Just simple enjoyment in the true pleasures of a top quality Colorado dude ranch. Savor our delicious home-cooked meals served family style in the lodge or at the poolside barbecues or by the river’s edge. Soak those pleasantly tired muscles in the outdoor hot-tub under a blanket of the brightest stars you can imagine.
Watch your children progress more in a few days than you ever thought possible. By the end of the week even the most timid will ride their own horse around the barrels and poles at the ranch rodeo. Watch the sunset at 11,000 ft from the cliffs on the Overnight Ride. Come back again and again as so many of our guests do…
"There is no greater place for a family vacation. Rainbow Trout Ranch has become our summer home away from home.” The Fledderjohn Family; San Diego, California
Reconnect, renew, revitalize…
