Latigo Ranch

Start with an azure blue Colorado sky, add a panoramic view of 100 miles of the Continental Divide and expect perfect powder. Now you've got the makings of a Rocky Mountain cross country heaven. And that's what you get when you click into a pair of skinny skis at Latigo Ranch, which is nestled on the edge of the Gore Mountain Range with amazing vistas in all directions.

"We're privileged," co?owner Randy George states. "We have some really great scenery. And unlike many ranches, which were constructed down in the valley to take advantage of irrigation, we're up high. The guy who built this knew he was building a dude ranch back in 1928, so he picked a place that was really very scenic. We're at about 9,000 feet."

You're surrounded by forests of pine, fir, and spruce, as well as some of the largest aspen trees in Colorado. And the elevation is an assurance that the ranch has good and reliable winter snow. Latigo Ranch is able to offer some of the finest cross?country skiing available in Colorado because they machine?groom 55 km of trail. Those trails cover terrain that varies from flat beginning track to challenging advanced track. And all of the cross country ski track is groomed for both classic and skate skiing. If you're someone who loves backcountry or telemark, Latigo is surrounded by more than 200 square miles of National Forest, where there's enough powder to satisfy the most advanced skiers.

"The skiing can be as easy a walk in the park or competitive as a marathon run," George says. "We have a maximum guest load in winter of about 24 people and that means that a tremendous amount of skiing is available for very few people. So if you come in winter, a stay here is very personalized."

And very private as well. The nearest neighbor is three miles away and the ranch is on a peninsula of private land nestled into the National Forest.

"Many Colorado ranches are seeing more encroachment from development," George points out. "But we have National Forest to the north, west and south of us, while east of us is a ranch that's in conservation easement."

There's an historic lodge that life at Latigo centers around while accommodation is in modern log cabins, with your own woodburning stove. Latigo rents classic skis, boots and poles, snowshoes and even pulks, sleds to pull a kid behind you as you ski.

Randy and Lisa George, along with Jim and Kathie Yost, have spent two decades working as partners and running the ranch. George's background is in chemical engineering and business administration, and he taught at the college level. Jim in an internationally recognized anthropologist. Both George and his wife Lisa can often be found in the kitchen, preparing what they describe as "Nouveau Ranch Cuisine," food that's healthy, hearty, tasty, fresh, and wholesome. And Kathie Yost serves as ranch concierge.

"You can ski right out of your cabin door and when you return, you can enjoy the hot tub," George says. "We have tubing and snowshoeing as well. But a big part of the experience in winter is guest interaction, people just sitting and talking among themselves at breakfast and dinner. We're about 90 minutes from Steamboat but our guests rarely take a day off for alpine skiing. These are people who want to be in a much quieter place. They want the seclusion and the peace."

Some of these guests return in summer, when the ranch accommodates 35 guests.

"In summer, we work at having riding program where guests can really learn and grow regardless of what level they ride at," George says. "We have riders who have never touched a horse and others who own horses and compete."

And there are about 200 miles of riding trails spread out on 50,000 acres for summer visitors to explore, as well as low impact overnight pack trips on offer. But the snow is still flying in Colorado, so that's months away. Latigo is still offering its guests a magical winter sports retreat in a ranch setting. Beyond the staggering scenery, the incredible trails and the wonderful food, George acknowledges that Latigo's magic is easy to define, because "it's the personalities of the owners that make the ranch."