Devil’s Thumb Ranch Sleigh Rides

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Chris

Horse Drawn Carriage Rides Winter Park, CO

Looking for some fun for the kids and the whole family? Devil’s Thumb Ranch is offering guests of Winter Park Lodging Company a screaming deal for carriage rides through their Cabin Creek Stables. The stables have agreed to a special offer just for WPLCo guests…

Mondays through Thursdays, get four sleigh riders for the price of two (a $70 savings) on our feed sleigh rides offered at 10:30 and 3 pm daily. Reservations required, space limited.

The feed sleigh rides are when they take a small amount of guests out to help feed the cattle…they get to see the cows very close up and help give them hay…kids and people from the big cities love it.

You can check out Devil’s Thumb other sleigh ride offerings or do a special event out on their beautiful property.

Ski Magazine rated Devil’s Thumb Ranch in their top 5 Favorite Sleigh Rides and this what they had to say about DTR:

After a sleigh ride around the ranch’s 5,000 snowy acres, return to the stable to dinner around the campfire. Tabernash, Colo., near Winter Park; (800) 933-4339; devilsthumbranch.com .

Dinner at either The Ranch House Restaurant or Heck’s Tavern is some of the best eatin’ you will find here in Winter Park or the whole Fraser Valley. If you have never been out to Devil’s Thumb you are missing one of the top destinations in Grand County and Colorado for that matter.

So if your heading up to Winter Park let us here at the Winter Park Lodging Company set you up with the best deals and most fun activities that be had on your Winter PArk winter vacation. Check out all the special deals WPLCo has to offer guests of the Grand County and the Fraser Valley.

Come on up and get to horsin’ around and have a grand time in Grand County, Colorado.

Winter Park, Colorado Sleigh Rides

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Chris

Colorado sleigh rides Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides in the Colorado Rockies

We had a chance to take a sleigh ride here in Winter park a couple of days before Christmas. What a thrill for the whole family. Kids, Grandparent and the parents were all a-gag about what a cool experience we had.

Our 1400 lb sled was pulled by two 2000 lb horses that were as friebdly as I can imagine horses a could be. Our twin boys thought they were great. The sleigh ride lasted about an hour and a half with a twenty minute break for some tasty hot chocolate and marshmallow roasting.

The Sombrero Stables are up in Snow Mountain Ranch just outside of Tabernash, CO with some of the best views you will get of the Fraser Valley. Compass was the name of our driver and she could not have been more appropriately named with the superb handling of the horses Ben and Wyatt.

Guests of Winter Park Lodging Company receive a discount on sleigh rides, sleigh dinners and horseback rides.

Sombrero Stable Pricing for WPLCo guests are shown below. Present your VIP Guest Discount Card provided in your Winter Park Lodging Company vacation rental to get these deals.

Hot Cocoa Sleigh Ride:
Adult: $23.00* (regular price $28)
Children 6-11 years old:$20.00* (regular price $25)
Children 3-5 years old:$10.00 (regular price $12)
Children 3 years and under: Free (regular price $6)

Dinner Sleigh Ride:
Angus steak, roasted chicken or poached Rocky Mountain trout, served with a fresh dinner salad, baked potato, ranch beans, garlic bread. Fruit cobbler with ice-cream for dessert.
Adult: $55.00 each or $50 per couple* (regular price $60)
Children 6-11: $40.00 (regular price $45)
Children 5 and under: $15.00 (regular price $15)
Children 5 and under also have the option to go without a dinner plate for free (normally $5)!

One Hour Trail Ride:
(offered as long as the weather permits).
$32.00 per person
No double riders, they highly suggest kids be at least eight years of age once we have snow on the ground.

If you have kids and want a day to get outside and see what Winter Park and Grand County is all about check out the horse-drawn sleigh rides from Sombrero Stables. Below is a short video of the sleigh and horses right before we stopped for out hot chocolate and marshmallow roasting break. Check it out!

Horseback Riding in Winter Park: Steak Dinner Ride

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Chris

Bernie's Backside

My brother and his family plus my 77 year old dad were in town last week, so we decided to be tourists and headed to Sombrero Stables in Snow Mountain Ranch (a YMCA camp) for a steak dinner horseback ride.

We had to arrive by 3:30 to be matched with our horses (I got “Hitch” who liked to eat grass). We were riding by 4:15 in a straight line with our nice guide who rode looking back at us to be sure we were ok.

We rode the horses into a nice trail, thru some beautiful big aspens and by a meadow where our guide said she saw a moose just a few days before. We squinted and hoped, but no moose appeared. It was very peaceful and not scary in the least, since they don’t let you go any faster than a walk, although we learned the trick of holding the horse back a bit and then got to trot to catch up.

We arrived at our dinner spot – a wagon-looking grill and picnic area. By that point, one of my nephews was in the deep depths of a horse allergic reaction so they offered (and he accepted) to take some Benedryl and ride back down in the car. He hung out with us for dinner though which was surprisingly good. We had steak, excellent grilled potatoes, beans, and bread. They even had “Cowboy Coffee” for the caffeine addicted.

Wagon Grill

Got back on the horses and by that point we were aching a bit (knees, bum, etc) but we made it back before sunset and said goodbye to Bernie, Hitch, and the rest of the horses. One hint – if you tell them you’re an experienced rider, they give you the horses that act up a bit so for the most enjoyable time, swallow your pride and tell them you’ve never put your foot in a saddle.

Strongly recommend this fun activity for families with kids (age 3 and up) or groups that want to take enjoy the scenery and West without flying down a mountain on a bike or falling in the river on a raft. Thank you, Sombrero Stables!

Be a Cowboy at the Rusty Spurr Ranch near Winter Park

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Amy

In this day and age of high tech iphones and super jets, it’s hard to imagine the early days of life in the Rockies. To help you experience the simpler times, take a trip to the Rusty Spurr Cattle Ranch for a real taste of the old west. They offer a variety of rides on which anyone can jump on their horse and feel free, from beginner to expert.

Cattle Drives- Join in with the cowboys, and cowgirls, to wrangle up the herd of 150 head of cattle on the 10,000 acre ranch during your 4 hour cattle drive. $135/person, includes lunch.
Trail Rides- Enjoy the gorgeous scenery on a leisurely ride through the forrest and across the meadows. 2 hr ride $63/person, 3hr ride $95/person.
Outlaw Rides- Feel like Jesse James as you lope your horse at a faster pace than your average trail ride. An afternoon for $130/person.
Saddle & Paddle- Take a morning horseback ride and have lunch before you gear up for raft trip down the Colorado River. $135/person, includes lunch and transport to river.
Private Horseback Rides- To personalize your ride, go for the private tour. You choose where you want to ride and what to see. 2 hr ride for $125/person, or a 3hr ride for $190/person.

The Rusty Spurr is open Tuesdays through Sundays. Even the horses get Mondays off to roam freely on the ranch. Give them a call at 866.724.9715 or 970.724.1123 to make a reservation, or send an email to info@RustySpurr.com.

Winter Park Area Rodeo – This Saturday, May 30th

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Amy

: Yeee Haaa!!

Kick off the Rocky Mountain summer right and get to the Granby Rodeo this weekend at the Flying Heels Arena (located just past City Market on the right hand side of Hwy 40).

The Buckaroo Series starts at 3pm, and the Performance is at 7pm.

Want to catch a bite before dinner? Try Brickhouse 40 - a new bistro in Granby.

Get your bandanas and cowboy boots on, and come cheer the Colorado boys as they ride ‘em Cowboy!

Stay for 20% off this weekend. Call us at 1-877-329-1383 and we’ll fill you in on studios to 5 bedroom homes perfect for your family.

Giddy Up

Posted on July 15, 2008 by Chris

We’re back in action on the WPLBO blog after 2 years of building the business, having twins, and not posting to our beloved blog. Welcome all!

Wanted to share my latest “being a tourist” experience in the Fraser Valley recently. My brother was in town so we decided to go horseback riding.

We went to Sombrero Stables at Snow Mountain Ranch and were very pleased with the experience! The owner came out and chatted with us – cowboy hat and all. I got a sweet little horse named Luke and my brother got Bearle, but he kept forgetting his name. Finally reminded him of Milton, and all was well.

We opted for the 2 hour hike. A bit tiresome on the behind but beautiful scenery and nice guides. My horses reins got stuck under the tail of the horse in front of me once and provided a bit of a scare, but we survived.

Surprising fact – Sombrero Stables will allow children as young as 2 years old to ride with their parents. I personally wouldn’t do this since they are live large animals, but thought you may want to know.

Good price too – and we set up a WPLBO discount so just say “WPLBO sent me” and you get $5 off on 2 hour rides and $3 off on 1 hour rides.

They also have breakfast rides, and sleigh rides in the winter. Also say “WPLBO sent me” for those and you’ll get a discount. Sounds like fun! We’ll try that when the white stuff starts falling…