~ The vibe: Authentic—and family-friendly—western culture with a side of relaxation and luxury Location: Granby, Colorado | View on Google Maps From $782 per person per night ~ |
~
The Afar take
It’s hard to overstate how transporting it is to spend a week at C Lazy U, a guest ranch in the mountain town of Granby, Colorado. The ranch, which has been offering a taste of Colorado’s western culture since 1919, has access to more than 8,500 pristine acres with rolling hills, hundreds of trees, and a creek burbling peacefully through the landscape. On a recent June day, as I drove through the handsome wood-framed entry, the sights and sounds of city life felt very far away indeed.
“Our original slogan dating back 105 years was trout fishing, bear hunting, and all-you-can-eat apple pie,” said general manager Jeremy Belnap on my recent visit. “And we still do some element of all of those three things to this day.”
While bear hunting is off the table, throughout the weeklong program you can learn to fly fish (and throw an ax and shoot a BB gun), eat delicious food (including pie), and most importantly, learn how to ride or deepen your riding skills. The ranch’s 200-plus working herd of horses are the stars of the show here, all well cared for by Ami Cullen, the director of equestrian operations.
The week revolves around these horses, and when guests check in on Sunday, Ami—who has an uncanny knack for pairing the right horse with the right human—plays matchmaker. (My horse was a caramel-colored gelding named Duncan.) As the week unfolds, there are rides and clinics and private lessons targeted at different levels. And riders range from people who have never been on a horse before to expert riders seeking to improve their skills, so never fear if you’re a little nervous around horses. In fact, that’s one of the things that gets Ami out of bed in the morning.
“I really just love getting all different types and sizes and age levels of people on horses,” she said. “Some people don’t want to ride. They’ve never been on a horse before. And then they leave here and they’re like, ‘I can’t wait to ride. I want to go home and take lessons.’”
Horseback riding is one of the main reasons people come to C Lazy U Ranch—and all experience levels are welcome.
Courtesy of C Lazy U Ranch
As confidence grows over the week, so do friendships. There’s time and space to connect with other guests, especially over morning cowboy coffee, where staff warm mugs over an open fire before filling them with rich, hot coffee, or over evening cocktails, as everyone unwinds from a day of riding and other fun. People connect so deeply with the ranch and with other families that Belnap said some families have been returning on the same weeks and staying in the same cabins for more than 50 years.
At the top of the can’t-miss list at the ranch is what’s known as a “jingle.” The ranch has access to about 8,500 acres, and every night, wranglers herd the horses out to graze. So at 4 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily, you can catch the mesmerizing spectacle of 200-plus horses thundering past you.
Who’s it for?
C Lazy U is especially good for—and geared toward—families, though a couple or solo traveler would never feel out of place. The programming for kids is spectacular and offers a lot of independence: For most of the day, kids are off in the capable hands of wranglers who teach them how to ride, introduce them to the property’s donkeys, and generally keep them entertained, giving adults the opportunity to have their own vacation.
Families eat breakfast and lunch together, but kids can eat separately to allow parents time to relax over a glass of wine before the evening activities bring everyone back together again. The kids I saw running around seemed to thrive in this safe, independent environment. Belnap said that, based on what he’s witnessed with both his own kids and other guests’ children, the programming is “confidence boosting and absolutely freeing for them too.”
I stayed at the ranch on my own for several days and felt completely comfortable—my fellow guests were more than happy to fold me into their conversations and groups, and I never felt lonely or out of place.
You don’t need to have any previous riding or ranching experience, although you’ll want to heed C Lazy U’s advice to bring comfortable jeans to ride in and a good hat to keep your face safe from the Colorado mountain sun. The ranch also encourages guests to dress up in western attire, but if you don’t have that kind of clothing (I didn’t!) you won’t feel out of place. I just did my best to approximate the suggested dress code.
The ranch also has a small, sweet guest shop that sells boots, western-style shirts, hats, and other similar items.
The main lodge at C Lazy U Ranch was built in 1947 with logs sourced from the surrounding land.
Courtesy of C Lazy U Ranch
The location
Granby, Colorado (elevation: 7,935) is a small mountain town that’s known as a base for outdoor adventures, given its proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park (a 20-minute drive away) and activities from fishing and rafting to hiking and horseback riding.
The ranch—which has been owned by just a handful of families since it was founded—has 8,500 acres, and while the ranch only occupies a small patch of that, it still feels sprawling. Cabins are tucked back into the trees; although there’s a spa and updated lodging now, the ranch has maintained its roots. Several of the buildings date back to the early days of the ranch, including the main lodge, which was built in 1947 from logs sourced from the surrounding land.
In 2021, the ranch lost its historic 99-year-old barn to a fire that also destroyed several workers’ cabins and damaged other property (no horses or people were harmed) but the ranch reopened later that year after repairs and some remodeling.
There is a small pond for fly-fishing (the ranch also offers guided river excursions), an ax-throwing station, a BB gun “range,” skeet-shooting, archery lessons, and a skills course for the kiddos. And while summer is the most popular time of year, the ranch remains open in the colder months for a unique winter getaway.
Hiking and horseback riding trails radiate out from the main ranch, and everywhere you look there’s another gorgeous view. And the goal is for those views to never change. Of the ranch’s 8,500 acres, 2,600 are in conservation easements, and the current owners have maintained a commitment to the land. “Our owners refer to themselves as stewards . . . because they’re here to protect and preserve,” Belnap said.
At 4 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily, you can catch the mesmerizing spectacle of 200-plus horses thundering past you.
All the guest rooms at the ranch are spacious and offer tasteful, western comforts.
Courtesy of C Lazy U Ranch
The rooms
There are 38 guest accommodations, ranging from individual rooms to three-bedroom cabins. All are well appointed with cozy-yet-elegant ranch vibes: lots of wood walls, floors, and furniture, accented with buttery brown leather club chairs, bright western-style blankets, and stone fireplaces. The spacious cabins all feel more like homes than anything else—immediately comfortable and stocked with comfy robes, freshly baked cookies, toffee chocolates, and excellent coffee and tea. My welcome basket had a reusable water bottle, bug spray, an energy bar, and an oxygen can for altitude sickness.
The food and drink
Be prepared to eat: The ranch offers three robust, delicious meals each day and several snacks and desserts throughout the afternoon and evening. Breakfast and lunch are typically served buffet-style, but dinner can range from family style to buffet to multi-course plated (each night has a different option). The food, overseen by chef Ulises Salas, is fresh and accessible but elevated. On my visit, the lavish Sunday buffet dinner offered a chilled seafood display (including oysters!), salads with shaved vegetables and melon, roasted snapper, bison rib eye, and a mouth-watering table of breads. Sommelier Tony Collier oversees an impressive wine list packed with international bottles, while evenings often bring ice cream socials or s’mores and cocktails at the bar near the pool.
Staff and service
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more inviting, caring group of people. While C Lazy U is a laid-back place, with most staff and wranglers dressed in jeans and cowboy hats, the service feels luxurious. Staffers show you to your room, bring luggage, and are otherwise available for any and all questions. Stays include daily housekeeping and nightly turn-down service.
Belnap has instituted a new texting option for reaching staff, which makes it easier to chat with the front desk, get extra towels, or ask questions about anything around the ranch.
Accessibility
Accessible features on property include two cabins with entrance ramps and roll-in showers with support bars. A wheelchair lift in the main lodge allows easier access to the dining room, and golf carts help visitors get around the property. There is a 250-pound weight limit for horseback riding, for the safety of both guest and horse.
At the Lazy U Spa, relief for saddle soreness and other aches and pains is only a massage (or a soak) away.
Courtesy of C Lazy U Ranch
Wellness
The aptly named Lazy U Spa is a short walk from the main cabins, behind the tennis courts, and overlooks the ranch’s creek. In fact, several of the massage tents (imagine the most elegant glamping tent you’ve even seen) have glass windows in the floor so you can watch the creek running by as you get a massage. Facials, scrubs, and soaks in big copper tubs are also on offer.
There’s a pool on site, as well as a couple of hot tubs. In July 2024, the ranch opened the Lazy U Hideaway, an adults-only spa lounge with a custom hot tub, lounge area with a firepit, cold plunges, and a glass-walled sauna with panoramic views of the Continental Divide.
