Your Summer Week
at the Ranch

You won't need your watch here — but if you're the planning type, this is how a summer dude ranch week at Sundance Trail tends to unfold, from Sunday check-in to Saturday's Ranch Rodeo.

One thing to know before you scroll: this is an EXAMPLE schedule. Every summer week flexes with the weather, the season, and the guests on the ranch that week — times and activities may change without prior notice. What never changes is that your days are full, your meals are handled, and nobody's asking you to make a single decision you don't want to make.

SUNDAY — Welcome Home

• ‍3:00–5:00 PM Check-in. Get settled, then join us for a meet & greet with some of the horses — learn how to groom, tack up, and be safe around them. A welcome charcuterie will be waiting for you.‍
• 6:00 PM Dinner in the lodge.‍
• After dinner Weather permitting, we'll hike over to Stony Peak for a sweeping view back across the whole ranch — and, with any luck, a gorgeous sunset.

MONDAY — First Rides‍

• 8:30 AM Breakfast. Come dressed and ready to ride — water bottle, sunscreen, hat, long pants, and closed-toe shoes.
• After breakfast Safety video.
• 10:30 AM Riders meet under the trees just before the fence line, and we'll walk down to the arena together. Our more experienced riders mount up and head out first.
• 10:45 AM Families with kids under 10 meet under the trees.
• 12:30 PM Lunch at a surprise spot outdoors (weather permitting).
• 1:30 PM Riders 10 and up meet under the tree for the afternoon ride.
• 1:40 PM Families with under-10s meet under the tree.
• 4:30 PM Archery (kids under 14 with a parent or guardian supervising).
• 6:00 PM Dinner — then stick around for cowboy singing after.

TUESDAY — Ride, Climb & Campfire

• 8:30 AM Breakfast.
• 10:30 AM Riders meet under the trees; families with littles at 10:40 AM.‍
• Lunch On the picnic tables out back of the lodge — a warm one today, so we'll take our time and enjoy the ranch.‍
• 2:30 PM Meet on the lodge porch and we'll head over to rock climbing.‍
• 6:00 PM Dinner. Fire permitting, we'll have a campfire going in the fire pit — dinner out there for the teenagers and mini humans.‍
• After dinner Kids & teens: play pool, shuffleboard, foosball, cornhole, and horseshoes in the recreation barn — or hang with the wranglers for jackalope hunting, fort building, flag football, and other fun.

WEDNESDAY — Into the Forest

• 8:30 AM Breakfast.‍
• 10:00 AM Checking out today? Please be completely out of your room by 10:00 AM, before we head down to ride.‍
• 10:30 AM Full-week guests (and anyone not rushing out): our first long ride into the forest, with a packed picnic lunch on the trail. Kids under 10 stay ranch-side — one parent or guardian can look after up to two kids under 10.‍
• 10:40 AM Everyone staying ranch-side meets under the tree and we'll make a plan for the day. Checking out and need to leave at a set time, or can't join the long ride? Let us know in advance — we'll split you off and send you back early, or set up a shorter ride or another activity before you go. ‍
• 12:30 PM Ranch-side picnic in the "forest" of the property.‍
• Afternoon Yours to enjoy. Grab a disc and take on our disc golf course — a wonderful way to hike around and see every corner of the ranch.‍
• 6:00 PM Dinner — then square & line dancing!

Joining us mid-week? Check-in is 3:00–5:00 PM Wednesday — we'll get you settled and see you at dinner.

THURSDAY — Adventure Off the Ranch

• ‍After breakfast Full-week guests: head down the mountain to Fort Collins. Guests love the Silver Grill Café in the heart of Old Town — home of the world-famous cinnamon rolls — for a bite before rafting.‍
• 12:45 PM Be at A1 Wildwater for whitewater rafting — not too early, not too late! Wear your swimsuit under your clothes for a quick, easy transition, and take a couple of towels from the hot tub area with you.

Rafting not for you (or traveling with little ones)? Go for a swim at Horsetooth Reservoir, or hunt for gnomes along Gnome Road right here in Red Feather Lakes. Check out the welcome book in your room for more ideas of fun local things to do.

New mid-week guests: today follows Monday's schedule — breakfast at 8:30 AM, safety video, then riders meet under the trees at 10:30 AM (families with under-10s at 10:45 AM).

• ‍6:30 PMDinner — a little later tonight, so nobody has to rush back.

FRIDAY — Forest Ride & Cowboy Poetry

• ‍8:30 AM Breakfast.‍
• 10:30 AM We mount up and head into the forest again, packed picnic lunch in the saddlebags. Same guidelines as Wednesday — kids under 10 stay ranch-side (one parent or guardian per two kids), meeting under the tree at 10:40 AM.‍
• 4:30 PM Archery (under-14s supervised by a parent or guardian).‍
• 6:00 PM Dinner.‍
• Evening Cowboy Poetry Night! Everyone comes prepared with a cowboy poem to share around the fire pit.

SATURDAY — Rodeo & Farewells

• ‍Breakfast Come dressed and ready for the day's activities — and all packed up, ready to go.‍
• 9:00 AM Want to shoot? Meet on the porch and we'll wander over to the shooting range together.‍
• 10:00 AM Everyone checked out of their rooms, please! Roping lessons begin down in the arena — and if we have littles, we'll be painting the horses, too.‍
• 10:30 AM The Ranch Rodeo begins! Jump in and participate, or sit back and let the wranglers show off for you.‍
• 11:45 AM Grand finale — and hugs goodbye.

Good to Know

• Every ride: long pants, closed-toe shoes, water bottle, sunscreen, and a hat. Helmets are free and encouraged.
• Archery runs Monday & Friday at 4:30 PM. Axe throwing is available anytime — just ask Christopher or the lodge team to get them out for you.
• Anything that shoots — firearms, archery, axes — kids under 14 must be directly supervised by a parent or guardian. Kids under 10 don't shoot the guns.
• Campfire nights are always "fire permitting" — Colorado sometimes calls a fire ban, and when it does, we'll trade the flames for other evening fun.
• We're at 8,000 feet — weather calls the shots. Outdoor plans may shuffle, but the fun never gets canceled.

This schedule is an example of a typical week. Activities, times, and locations may change without prior notice.

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