That’s right! Sundance Trail is joining the digital age!
Are you considering visiting us for the first time and want to see what we’re all about? Maybe you’ve visited us in the past and just miss the ranch. Whatever the reason, we invite you to take advantage of our new virtual tour and take a walk around the ranch!
Clicking here will take you inside our main lodge and from there you can simply click and drag to navigate around the room. Want to move into the dining room? No problem. Simply move your cursor and click to move into the different rooms or even outside! Just keep clicking to take your own, self guided tour of Sundance Trail.
Tired of clicking and want to jump to a specific area? No problem.
Click here to get an idea of what our rooms are like.
Over the coming week, we’ll be implementing this fantastic tool into our website, travel sites and more! We hope you find this as fun and exciting as we do!
With so much history in the west, how are you to choose the right dude ranch in Colorado for you? Many guest ranches in Colorado claim sorted histories of all types but Sundance Trail Guest Ranch is lucky to be among the best locations for history buffs of all ages. The Red Feather Lakes area, though on the map for well over a century, is still sparsely populated and offers amazing opportunities to take a walk through history, and legends…in the rough.
The Legend of Redfeather
Long ago, a young Cherokee by the name of Redfeather was living a quiet life in the flat land with his tribe when a vision changed his whole life’s direction. This vision told him of a land, far to the north, that was full of clear water, plentiful fishing and game as far as the eye could see.
Redfeather and his loyal band of followers made the trek northward and claimed the area now known as Red Feather Lakes for the Cherokee. Redfeather was made chief and his people prospered in the gentle valleys the park like setting offered. He was a true leader and was beloved by his people, other tribes and travelers alike for his gentle nature and giving spirit. When the time came, he was a fierce warrior and led his tribe to victory over many who would try to take their land.
Word got out about Redfeather’s mountain utopian paradise and soon the challenges for their land increased. Battle after battle, Redfeather and his tribe ended victorious. One, well-planned attack by the Pawnees caught the Cherokees by surprise and led to a long, exhausting battle between the two tribes. Redfeather and his forces fought heroically and, eventually, the Pawnees fled but Chief Redfeather had taken his last breath on the battlefield leading the Cherokees to the finish.
The town of Red Feather Lakes has taken the legend of this great chieftain with them throughout history and still displays his namesake proudly. The people who live and work in this area display the self-sufficiency and courage set forth by the Cherokees who settled this land.
The Red Feather Lakes Historical Society has a wonderful compilation of the stories, legends and history within the Red Feather Lakes and Livermore areas that our Colorado dude ranch is home to. This is but a small piece of the legends available at our Colorado guest ranch and we invite you to visit us, and our surrounding area, for more!
Ranch Life – Dude Ranches Offer a Uniquely American Escape, and give Meeting-goers a Taste of the Old West
Meetings West Magazine, August 2001 by Christine Brenneman
The need to breathe fresh air and get away from it all at a rustic, Old West-style dude ranch is nothing new. In fact, the legacy of these ever-popular ranch vacations started more than a hundred years ago, when East Coast city folk sought peaceful escapes from the harried urban grind. Back then, anyone from east of the Mississippi was called a “dude”, and these dudes would travel west to get a taste of ranch life, paying to board on various ranches. Thus, a niche of western travel was born.
Dude ranch family vacation instruction
Today, many dude ranches still exist as a beloved holdover from a bygone era. Americans seem to be fascinated by myths of the Old West – cowboys, rustlers and a simpler life – so it seems dude ranches are here to stay. Plus, these days, it’s more and more possible to take a corporate group out into the pastoral environs of a ranch to meet – and have the modern approximation of the dude ranch experience. Just what is a ranch vacation, and how do meetings at dude ranches work?
In the world of the dude ranch, change comes slowly. Indeed, these properties often eschew trendiness in favor of tried and true ranch activities such as trail riding and horsemanship. But recently, ranches as travel destinations have enjoyed a slow but steady increase in popularity. Blame it on the ubiquitous cell phone or our cubicle-bound existence. People are simply aching to get back to a slower daily pace in more scenic, technology-free environments. Of course, a dude ranch fits these specifications; and in the current, more competitive market, each ranch has had to carve out its own niche – and even diversify a bit – to differentiate itself from others.
But just how many niches can there be in the seemingly limited dude ranch world? According to Dan Morin, owner of Sundance Trail Dude Ranch in Red Feather Lakes, Colo., who has been in the business for years, even some traditional ranches have expanded beyond mere horse rides.
“Over the last few years, I’ve seen much more diversification,” Morin explains. “Twenty years ago, a dude ranch was a dude ranch. Now you’re finding that ranches tend to find niches that fit with the personalities of the guests and owners. Some are involved with trout fishing, for example. Our ranch is very involved in family, and supporting that. That fits our philosophy. And each different ranch specializes in enhancing the guests’ skills in certain areas.”
“This is a place to get into jeans and tennis shoes,” explains Morin of his ranch in Colorado. “I’ve never seen anyone here wear a tie. The meetings we host are very informal; this is our home after all – you’re meeting in the barn or the lodge dining room. And on breaks, people can go sit outside and watch the horses or hummingbirds.”
At Morin’s Sundance Trail Guest Ranch, a local group of teachers, who meet at the property for a seminar each year, decided to bring families along for the first time last summer. Morin describes it as an unexpected, but overwhelming success.
“We were packed in, with teachers and professors in the meeting rooms strategizing, and the kids and spouses out riding horses, hiking and doing activities with our staff,” he says. “They took their breaks together and it was marvelous. We made it fun by turning one guest room into a kids-only room. And one night, our chef took the kids to make pizzas, which they ate around a campfire. The whole time, though, the spouses stayed away from the meeting rooms, and kids were warned off – so the meeting attendees got their business done.”
9/20/23 – We have an immediate opening for Ranch Marketing Manager!
past and just miss the ranch. Whatever the reason, we invite you to take advantage of our new virtual tour and take a walk around the ranch!
Over the coming week, we’ll be implementing this fantastic tool into our website, travel sites and more! We hope you find this as fun and exciting as we do!
