Cherokee Park Ranch

It's been a few days since we came home from our week at the Cherokee Park Ranch and friends and colleagues have been asking me about how the trip was, after seeing some of the photos that I posted on social. My response? The trip was truly wonderful! From the moment we turned onto the gravel covered route 80C heading west into the mountains and towards Cherokee Park Ranch, we were whisked away from the pressures of everyday life into the beauty and natural wonders we'd be surrounded with for the next several days. On arriving to the ranch, we received a personal tour of the facilities while our bags were brought to our cabin, and then had a bit of leisure time before dinner. We relaxed a bit, and then gathered for the first of several incredibly tasty meals. The ranch is a family run establishment; Christine and Dickey Prince manage the ranch, their daughter Emelene and her husband Joshua run the kitchen and ranch staff, and their son Townsend handles everything outside from the horses, cows, goats, and runs the wranglers and pretty much everything else. Everywhere you looked he was running around on a truck, tractor, horse, or driving somewhere! There were about 28 guests the week we were at the ranch, an "Adults only" week. Some of the guests had never ridden a horse before, others were more experienced. The wranglers did a great job of pairing each guest with their horse for the week or making adjustments if the initial fit didn't seem perfect. With over 130 horses, there were many options to choose from! The horses were all sure-footed and well trained to handle the huge variety of trails in the area, and were happy to lope and trot when given the opportunity. The scenery in the area was stunning and each trail ride was different and beautiful, crossing the Cache la Poudre river, climbing sheer switchbacks up to Turkey Roost, or running through the golden meadows. Every trail was unique and different, and the wranglers put together rides based on the comfort level of the guests. Our cabin was simple, but clean, and spacious, with a Queen bed, and two twins in a separate room with fans, heat as needed and a clean bathroom and shower. My favorite were the porch swings where I took at least one great nap. The food throughout the week was plentiful and beautifully prepared, with thought and care taken for any guests with allergies, food sensitivities, or specific dietary preferences, even for those that took food out on the trail. Breakfasts, lunches and dinner changed each day, all with a western flair, and delicious. After a day of riding (or rafting, or fishing, or whatever we wanted to do that day), we mixed it up, sometimes playing some pool, sometimes swimming in the pool or easing aching muscles in the hot tub, mingling with other guests at the daily happy hour, or just relaxing at our own cabin taking in the quiet beauty of the Ranch. After dinner, each night an evening activity was available, from an art class, to square dancing, a staff show, and one night we even jumped in a game of kickball with some of the wranglers and ranch hands! Unfortunately, vacations do come to an end, and after saying goodbye to our trusty horses for the week, we packed our bags and left early Friday morning to head back to the Denver airport. That's another great thing about Cherokee Park Ranch; it's less than 2 hours away from the Denver airport, making it very easy to get to, despite how remote it seems while you're there! If you're looking for a ranch vacation, I can't recommend this place enough. It's not glamping, but its beautiful, comfortable, and its full of wonderful people who truly care about showing you the Western adventure you've been craving. Thanks for having us!

I rarely leave reviews, but can't say enough good things about Cherokee Park Ranch and felt compelled to do so after our great week there. I'll try to hit the high points: 1. The people that work there are fantastic. Everyone was friendly, competent, outgoing, service oriented, and just nice to be around, which I think was an extension of the ethics and ethos of the wonderful owners and managers. 2. The horses were incredibly well trained, reliable, and sure-footed. There was a variety of steeds for all skill levels from super reliable kids horses to flashier horses for skilled riders and the ranch does a great job of pairing people up with the right horse. There were tons of options for rides each day based on length, speed, difficulty, etc. There were fishing rides and longer lunch rides, the opportunity to do team penning with cattle, and a really fun rodeo at the end of the week. Truly as much riding as you could possibly want, and we had so much fun loping through high meadows and crossing rivers and climbing to high vistas. 3. The scenery around the ranch is stunning. The area around the ranch has some pretty rolling plains, some really dramatic mountains and forests, and a beautiful river. The rides took advantage of all of these and we didn't duplicate territory on any of our rides so each was a new adventure. 4. The ranch facilities are wonderful. The ranch is oriented along the Poudre river and the historic buildings are both quaint and clean/well-maintained. Cabins were charming, clean, and comfortable, many located right along the river for a post-ride plunge and some nice white noise at night. 5. The food was plentiful, varied, and delicious, and all palates and food restrictions were accommodated with grace. There was always coffee, snacks, ice cream, etc. if you got hungry between mealtimes (unlikely!). 6. The whole setup and agenda was just well thought-out and executed. There was plenty to do for those who wanted an activity (and they were invariably fun - skeet shooting, square dancing, campfire songs, etc), and also plenty of time for relaxation if you prefer it. I loved the happy hour at the Saddle Sore Saloon. There is no wifi or cell signal through most of the property, but there was wifi at the pool/bar/rec area for those of us who needed to check in periodically - this was a great balance of being off grid and not having kids scrolling social media all day, but still being able to connect if needed. There were many opportunities to mingle with other guests for those social butterflies, but also the opportunity to do your own thing with your family/group as much as you wanted. I could probably go on but I'll stop here - it's just a wonderful place and you can't go wrong choosing it for your family vacation.

So this review isn’t one for my stay at the ranch, (although I would love for it to be 😉) this review is on the kindness of Christine and Townsand. We recently went camping at Cherokee Upper Arm Area ( I might be wrong with the name) but it’s past Cherokee Park Ranch. So while we were up there camping, my friend went to get something out of her car, and with all the commotion with her kids and dogs, she accidentally locked her keys in her car, So my son worked and worked and worked on it, to try and get into her car, and it just wasn’t happening. so she’s like, we can break the window, so they tried and tried to break the window and nope, that window was not going to break. So, we’re trying to figure something else out cuz it’s aways back to town, so we’re trying to find other campers to see if they have anything to get into a locked car, but that was a failed attempt. So I thought maybe one of the ranches around the area might have something. So I called Cherokee Park Ranch and explained our situation and Christine said let me see what I can do, and mind you, she didn’t have to do any of this, we weren’t staying at the ranch, we’re just some people camping that she doesn’t even know. So after explaining everything to her she says call me back and I’ll let you know what I find out. ( She was going to try and get ahold of her son) So I call back and she tells me her son Townsand( don’t know if I spelled that right) is on his way. Well Townsand got there and saved the day, and let me tell you, nowadays you don’t get to meet many young men that are so polite and kind as Townsand, when he introduced himself to us he took his hat off and shook our hands, very seldom do you find that anymore. He also helped her get her car started because after all the mess with locking the keys in her car the battery was dead. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ And when she went to give him a tip for coming to help us, which he did not have to do, he wouldn’t accept it. So to Christine and Townsand at Cherokee Park Ranch, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! Your kindness was over the top and you two saved the day!!!! Thank You again!

My parents and I just got back home from this amazing ranch yesterday. We could not have asked for a better vacation or a better group of people to be there with, and definitely could not have asked for a better group of people that run this ranch. It is truly a family run business, and you can see the care they have, not only for their horses, which they truly do love, but also the guests and their guests experience when at the ranch. If there is something you need or want or even don't want, you just need to ask. They will go out of their way to accommodate you. From food to the ride you take. The owners were their daily checking on things, working or even just talking with the guests. Even though we were guests, we were treated like family by every member of the staff. I told the owner that this was by far the best vacation I have ever had, and I know that nothing will beat it. I will be going back for sure. If you love being outdoors and truly disconnected (no cell service, unless you go the the laundry area for the wifi, and no tv's), if you truly want a beautiful location, a beautiful rustic lodge, and cabins, a place where you could not ask for a better staff, where they truly care about every aspect of your trip, this is the place for you.

This is my second trip to CPR, this time with my husband who doesn't ride. One of the reasons I chose to come back was that I knew he would be well looked after when riding and there was plenty for him to do if he didn't want to ride, while I could get all the riding I wanted. The Prince family and all the teams at CPR work incredibly hard. The housekeeping, the food and the horse care are all kept to a very high standard and nothing is too much trouble. Come rain or shine they're getting things done with a positive attitude and a smile - I've not met a team of people that work harder or will do more for you. If you want a dude ranch experience then I couldn't recommend Cherokee Park more highly - kids and adults, riders and non riders all seemed to have an amazing week. I will definitely be back again.