Trip Report
Colorado Dude Ranch
"Go West!"
This
is a Colorado Dude Ranch (www.harmels.com)
that caters to the family. We went with the entire clan including 8 adults
(grandparents included), our 16 year old daughter, our 12 year old daughter,
3 kids ages 6-9, and a 2 year old. Everyone had a great time. The accommodations
are fairly simple log cabins that are either on the Taylor River or tucked
in the woods.
There
are always fun activities going on and you can either decide to rest and relax
on the river or be going constantly. We were somewhere in the middle with
one or two activities each day. Each of us took 1-2 horse rides. They are
your typical guided trail ride but the scenery is amazing. Harmel’s has access
to beautiful remote areas in the Gunnison Valley. The horses are very well
behaved and the guides are extremely friendly. The ranch has several horse
riding options for all ages. The younger kids took lessons and were then able
to go on some small easy trail rides. Our older girls and us went on a 4 hour
ride that was truly breathtaking. There is even an option to take a full day
ride where you can view the Aspen Maroon Bells or take an overnight camping
ride. Many of us took fly fishing lessons and then actually fly-fished on
their private stretch of the Taylor River.
| Next
time... Go on the all day ride to see the view of the Aspen Valley and the Maroon Bells |
The food and hospitality was absolutely amazing. The ranch is staffed by college-aged students pulling from universities across the country and even internationally. The students are very polite and the kids absolutely loved the Wranglers who were responsible for taking care of the horses and leading the trail rides. We ate way too much and the kids still talk about the ribs and Mexican food night. We stayed a week and there was entertainment three of the nights that everyone enjoyed.
One
of the best things about Harmel’s is the Kids Camp. Our younger kids absolutely
loved going to camp every morning after breakfast. This was led by college-aged
kids who planned fun and different activities each day. Examples are they
went fishing at the stocked pond, built a fort after scavenging for logs in
the woods, designed boats out of cups and then raced them in a trickling stream
on the property, etc. This also gave the parents and older kids to participate
in another activity that wasn’t well suited for the young kids.
| Don't
miss! Rafting! We went on a Class 2 river raft trip with all the kids (except the baby) and we all had a good time. It was completely safe so it didn’t scare the younger kids. We did get a little wet and had a lot of fun with small rapids. |
Our typical day was to get up and moving before (8 AM – didn’t want to miss breakfast and way too much to do). We then checked the younger kids into camp and we then either got a massage, took a fly-fishing lesson, read a book by the river, went horseback riding, etc. We picked up the kids before lunch and feasted again. In the afternoons, we tended to play at the playground with the kids, go on a hike, or lounge by the pool. We then cleaned up and went to dinner which usually was followed by a Harmel nightly entertainment event including campfires, square dancing, etc.
We were even lucky to be there at the end of the season to watch annual Wrangler
rodeo.
It was fun to spend time together. We are fairly
spread out as a family, so the cousins rarely get to spend time together.
We each had our own cabins and pretty much decided individually or as a family
what we were going to do each day. Harmel’s made our little reunion pretty
easy. We gathered for meals and spent a lot of time laughing and reconnecting.
Dude ranches are expensive; prepare yourself! But it’s pretty much all-inclusive.
We would definitely go back!
| Highlights: • Raft ride with the kids  • The food • Day horseback ride into the aspen groves 
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