Colorado Horseback Riding and Hiking

Welcome to Colorado! Fly into the Denver International Airport by 12PM to make it in time for the group's 1PM meeting and group shuttle to Sylvan Dale Ranch. If you are driving, you can meet us at the ranch at 4PM. Kick back and settle in! Sylvan Dale Ranch has been an authentic working dude ranch since 1946. If these walls could talk, they'd spin yarn 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 that summer of 1934 that he would someday own Sylvan Dale. While some cowboy dreams fade into the sunset, this one was buoyed by determination and patience when 12 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 and tirelessly turned it into the incredible 3,200-acre guest ranch it is today. We'll mosey on over to the ranch watering hole for our first daily happy hour on the porch and have an orientation before sharing our first of many delicious meals together! After dinner we’ll load up for a wagon tour of the ranch property. (D)

After a long day of travel, you might choose to wake up this morning with a gentle yoga class in Sylvan Dale’s outdoor pavilion. 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 how you choose! If you'd like to horseback ride every day, you can! If you'd like 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. After lunch today we’ll have our first round of optional activities. Sylvan Dale translates to "wooded valley" and has acre upon acre of pristine wildlife habitat areas, 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 with 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, we’ll end our evening with lots of laughter at a group line dancing class. (B, L, D)

This morning one of the options on tap is a breakfast ride! Saddle up your horse and follow your wranglers to an adventurous outdoor breakfast overlooking the ranch. After breakfast Colorado's gorgeous foothills and another day to choose how you spend your vacation await. Whether you're more into long trail rides, building your riding skills such as trotting, or simply interacting with your horse while tacking and grooming, there is a place for you. Depending on weather, options throughout the day may include visiting the colts, team sorting adventures, and 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. 25 diverse duck species could entertain you for hours while lounging by the river! Or you could bring along some binoculars to help you spot along your hike: Ring-necked Pheasant, Blue Grouse, Wild Turkeys, Bobwhite Quails, Common Loons, American White Pelican, Snowy Egret, White-faced Ibis, 9 kinds of hawks, Golden Eagle, and Osprey (to name a few...). Tonight we’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! (B, L, D)

Day four will once again open with an optional yoga session before breakfast. Following breakfast there will be more time offered in both the arena and on trail, working with barrels and poles and practicing for tomorrow’s gymkhana (games on horseback)! Following lunch, our riders who choose to will depart to Cow Camp on an overnight pack trip – a true Colorado ranch adventure that requires stamina on a long day of riding and the desire to sleep out on a sleeping pad on the ground! Back at the ranch the options will be 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 where a host of fascinating geological formations will keep you entertained and pondering 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, you will see what are known as igneous intrusions, or rocky outcroppings that have been formed by the crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the earth's surface. Rock hunters should 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 we’ll sit out under the stars and enjoy a crackling campfire – and maybe even some s’mores! (B, L, D)

On our last full day at Sylvan Dale, we'll 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 interest, and today may be the day that we 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 are welcome, but we welcome cheerleaders as well for our less competitive cowgirls. We’ll end our final fabulous day with a ranch party including awards, photo opportunities with your horses, and even a chance to brand your cowgirl boots. Yeehaw! (B, L, D)

In the blink of an eye our week has come to a close. After a full week of wonderful fun with new friends (both 2 legged and 4 legged), we will pack up and head home. If you are flying today, you can plan your flight home from the Denver International Airport for any time after 2PM. If you are driving, you can plan to leave the ranch at 10AM. Happy trails to all you Colorado cowgirls! (B)