Colorado Horseback Riding and Hiking

Welcome to Colorado! Make sure you arrive a the Denver International Airport by 12PM for the group's 1PM meeting and shuttle to Sylvan Dale Ranch. If you are driving, you can rendezvous with us at the ranch at 4PM. Then, take some time to kick back, settle in, and get to know your travel companions!

Sylvan Dale Ranch has been an authentic working dude ranch since 1946. If these walls could talk, they'd spin yarns about a young college student named Maurice Jessup, who hitchhiked from Oklahoma to Colorado to work at a youth camp. Jessup arrived at the camp with a dream in his head and love in his heart, and he told the Camp Director during the summer of 1934 someday he would own Sylvan Dale. While many cowboy dreams fade into the sunset, this one was buoyed by determination and patience. Twelve years later Jessup got special permission to take a break from his busy work at the Army Air Corps to bid on the property. Maurice and his wife Tillie purchased the 125-acre, run-down property and slowly,tirelessly turned it into the incredible 3,200-acre guest ranch you are visiting today. Mosey on over to the ranch watering hole for your first daily happy hour on the porch and take part in orientation before sharing the first of many delicious meals together! After dinner, load up for a scenic wagon tour of the ranch property.

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After the previous day of travel, you might choose to wake up this morning with a gentle yoga class in Sylvan Dale’s outdoor pavilion or just sleep in. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll meet at the barn for a demonstration on connecting with horses before you are paired with your trusty equine partner for the week and head out on your first ride. Remember, this is your vacation, and you can spend it however you choose! If you'd like to horseback ride every day, you can! If you'd prefer to alternate horseback riding with other activities (examples: roping lessons, trap shooting, pickleball, reading by the river, guided stretching, hiking), you can! Your AGC guides are here to make sure you have a wonderful time, no matter what you choose to do today and every day you’re with us. After lunch, we’ll have our first round of optional activities. Sylvan Dale means"wooded valley" and contains acre upon acre of pristine wildlife habitat, interspersed with Roosevelt National Forest lands. The main grounds, where the cabins and central lodge are located, are considered an ecological transition zone that includes the Big Thompson River, native prairie grasslands and wetlands, foothills shrubland, and ponderosa pine forest. 70% of the ranch is under conservation easement, providing a legacy of preservation for creatures great and small. Animals that have been spotted within Sylvan Dale Ranch's wildlife camera up Sulzer Gulch include bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bears, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes. After a beautiful day exploring and riding, end your evening with lots of laughter at a group line dancing class.

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This morning one of your options is a glorious breakfast ride! Saddle up your horse and follow your wranglers to an adventurous outdoor breakfast overlooking the ranch. After breakfast, Colorado's breathtaking foothills await, and you have another full day to choose how you spend your vacation. Whether you're in the mood for a long trail ride, wish to build your riding skills and learn to trot, or simply feel like interacting with your horse with a lazy afternoon of tacking and grooming, there is the perfect activity for you. Depending on weather, options throughout the day may include visiting the colts, team sorting adventures, or trap shooting. While you're enjoying the scenery from astride your horse, don't forget to look up to see the incredible bird life on the ranch. Twenty-five diverse duck species will entertain you for hours while you lounge by the river. Or, bring along some binoculars to help you spot birds during your hike: Ring-Necked Pheasant, Blue Grouse, Wild Turkeys, Bobwhite Quails, Common Loons, American White Pelican, Snowy Egret, White-Faced Ibis, nine kinds of hawks, Golden Eagle, and Osprey (to name but a few). Tonight, you’ll be treated to an overview of the ranch’s history with Susan, the ranch owner, and an honorary AGC group member in our hearts!

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Once again, begin your day with an optional yoga session before breakfast. Following breakfast, you will have more time in both the arena and on trail, working with barrels and poles and practicing for tomorrow’s gymkhana (games on horseback)! Following lunch, riders who choose to will depart to Cow Camp on an overnight pack trip—a true Colorado ranch adventure requiring stamina,a long day of riding, and the desire to sleep outdoors on a sleeping pad on the ground! Back at the ranch, options are plentiful. We just told you to look up, now it's time to look down (or all around, really) to see the incredible geology! The ranch sits at the convergence of the Rocky Mountains and the plains. Here, a host of fascinating geological formations will keep you entertained and pondering the magnificence of nature. Gravel here dates to the last Ice Age and granite found nearby on Alexander Mountain dates back 1.8 billion years! Doesn't that make you feel young again? While exploring the ranch, be sure to see the igneous intrusions, rocky outcroppings formed by the crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the Earth's surface. Rock hunters, be on the lookout for quartz and feldspar, among other fascinating specimens! Today and every day, you'll get a chance to stretch your legs, explore, and enjoy! After another wonderful dinner, sit out under the stars and bask in the warmth of a crackling campfire—and get your fingers sticky as you partake in some s’mores!

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On our last full day at Sylvan Dale, you will get to spend more time doing all the fun things that have occupied the week so far. If you haven't yet, now's your time for a pickleball game, a dip in the pool, some yoga by the river, or more horseback riding! Throughout the week, a variety of hikes will be offered by your AGC guides depending on your interests, and today may be the day to venture up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a morning hike. In the afternoon, our various groups will reconvene for a celebratory Gymkhana. All levels can join in, but we welcome cheerleaders too, for our less competitive cowgirls. We’ll end our final fabulous day with a ranch party, including awards, photo ops with your horses, and even a chance to brand your cowgirl boots. Yeehaw!

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In the blink of an eye, your week has come to a close. After a full week of wonderful fun with all of the new friends you’ve made (both two legged and four legged), it’s time to pack up and head home, your heart and camera full of unforgettable memories. If you are flying today, plan your flight home from Denver International Airport any time after 2PM. If you are driving, plan to leave the ranch at 10AM. Happy trails to all of you newly initiated Colorado cowgirls!

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