Vista Verde Guest Ranch

Top choice in Steamboat Springs


This is the most luxurious of Colorado’s top-end guest ranches. Here you spend the day riding with expert staff, the evening around the fire in an elegantly appointed lodge, and the night in between high-thread-count sheets. If you have the means, this is it.

The staff takes the ‘all-inclusive’ concept to satisfying lengths. There are cooking and photography classes, rock climbing and yoga classes in the summer, and four-star meals that arrive with well-paired wines. If you’re looking for a true-grit cowboy adventure, it’s best to look elsewhere, but if luxury is a requisite, this is the best dude-ranch experience money can buy.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Steamboat Springs attractions

1. Pearl Lake State Park

3.58 MILES

A glorious spot for camping and canoeing, this small alpine lake backs up to aspen and evergreen forests, and has some excellent lake-front campsites ($20…

2. Mount Zirkel Wilderness

3.83 MILES

One of the five original wilderness areas in Colorado, Mount Zirkel Wilderness is an untamed, roadless expanse dotted with icy glacial lakes and granite…

3. Hahns Peak

4.98 MILES

On the windswept plain at the base of a picturesque peak lies this quasi–ghost town, 27 miles north of Steamboat Springs via Elk River Rd (Routt County Rd…

4. Steamboat Lake State Park

7.19 MILES

If you like boating, fishing and bird-watching, this is an incredible place to stay. The campsites ($20 to $26) on the water are pretty good, but could be…

5. Bud Werner Memorial Library

18.93 MILES

A perfect indoor break for families, this library has awesome interactive games in the kids' area, a sweet fish tank, free wi-fi and story time. Oh yeah,…

6. Tread of Pioneers Museum

19.03 MILES

A favorite among the area’s community history museums, these restored Victorian homes host an even-handed display about the history of the Native…

7. Fish Creek Falls

19.51 MILES

Just 5 miles out of town, Fish Creek Falls is a wonderful hike for families. The 0.8-mile loop takes you to a scenic overlook with views across to the…

8. North Park Pioneer Museum

28.73 MILES

Walden's sole, modest tourist attraction is the volunteer-operated historical museum, which houses artifacts, from early settlers of the area, in a log…