PO Box 67 7214 Hwy 145
Telluride, CO 81435
Toll-Free: (888) 754-1126
Phone: (970) 728-3757
Fax: (970) 728-6728
Send Message
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Skyline Guest Ranch PO Box 67 7214 Hwy 145 Telluride, CO 81435 Toll-Free: (888) 754-1126 Phone: (970) 728-3757 Fax: (970) 728-6728 Send Message |
| Skyline Guest Ranch is a family owned and operated ranch offering an unequaled outdoor experience. Our program is designed to stimulate, enthuse and stretch individuals in an adventurous, non-threatening way. We would like to provide people with the opportunity to experience freedom and the excitement of learning. We want our guests to have the feeling of coming home while sharing heartfelt and adventurous outdoor experiences. We want our guests to return to their own homes rejuvenated and inspired. We feel that we give people's souls what they are looking for: caring about each other; enjoying the spectacular outdoors; leaving the outside world of technology behind; and exposing them to new ideas in a positive, non-threatening way so that people feel free to experience the excitement of learning. Skyline Ranch is situated on 140 acres surrounded by the Uncompaghre National Forest. The views of the San Juan Mountains are spectacular. The Farny family is committed to preserving this natural beauty so they deeded Skyline's Development Rights to the Nature Conservancy in 1975. This was the Farnys' way of saying, "Skyline will remain a haven for the enjoyment of extraordinary peace and beauty." We extend to you, your family and friends our warmest Western Welcome! |  |
Summer Activities |
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| Our summer program at Skyline is designed to stimulate, enthuse and stretch individuals in an adventurous, non-threatening way. We would like to provide people with the opportunity to experience freedom and the excitement of learning. We want our guests to have the feeling of coming home while sharing heartfelt and adventurous outdoor experiences. We want you to return to your own homes rejuvenated and inspired. | |
Horseback Riding and Clinics |
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Skyline's summer program focuses on horse psychology and the thrill of developing harmony with horses with a natural approach. Guests will experience a horse program unlike any other, inspired to have a different type of relationship with horses than they have had before. It will be a relationship that is built around communication between horse and rider. Guests will learn how to ask their horses to become calmer, smarter and braver. Guests will develop skills and techniques which allow them to gain their horse's respect so that rides are more rewarding to both horse and rider. Skyline would like to provide their guests with enough information, education, and experience to begin a safe and natural relationship with horses.
All abilities are welcome! Monday morning begins with a horse orientation to lay our foundation. An afternoon clinic follows for those who are interested. Beginning on Tuesday, full and half-day adventures will allow guests to build on their knowledge, in some of Colorado's most beautiful country. Having developed a foundation early in the week, guests are enabled to be responsible for themselves allowing Skyline horsemen to go with guests, versus taking guests, on rides. Can you imagine: playing with your horse in a horse park with all sorts of obstacles to enjoy; getting your horse to stand on a rock; crossing a stream backwards; loping through a meadow performing figure eights while enjoying the freedom of your partnership with your horse? Children may participate in our riding program once they are 6 years old.
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Horse Pack Trips & Overnights | |
| Fall Horse Pack Trip - The most important thing to bring on this trip is a can-do attitude and your sense of adventure! This trip goes rain, shine, or even snow! On Sunday, guests arrive in the afternoon and after dinner have a short introduction to the adventure ahead. Monday, horses will be selected and saddles fitted for each rider. An afternoon ride gives you a flavor of the trip ahead. Riding groups will change daily to enhance your group's camaraderie. Tuesday, after a hearty breakfast, the horses will be trailered 15 minutes to Lizard Head Pass, which is where you begin your ride. You will climb steeply up to the top of Lizard Head Ridge, contouring Lizard Head Peak, and then down into Dunton Meadows for your first night's camp. On Wednesday, you will ride along the base of the San Miguel Range through giant stands of golden aspens. Mid-day, you will ride up above timberline, by Navajo Lake, and over a high pass; total distance of about 18 miles. On Thursday, you will ride up and over a high pass and down into Beaver Park, covering 20 miles with lots of loping while viewing fall colors at their best. Friday you will cover 14 miles, riding through ponderosa pine forests, western sage, and open fields until you arrive in Norwood at the horses' winter pasture. From there you will travel by van to Skyline Ranch to cast a line in the Upper Lake or soak in the hot tub before the banquet dinner. The pack trip ends on Saturday as riders are bid a fond farewell after breakfast. Camping gear, your personal packs, and food are brought to you each night. Sleeping bags, foam pads, tents, and rain slickers are provided, unless you wish to bring your own. Overnight Trip to High Camp - During the summer, we offer an overnight pack trip weekly. A sense of adventure and a few personal items are all you need. Everything else is provided by the ranch. This trip involves a full day of riding through open meadows and high ridges and returning the following day after an equally unforgettable ride (shorter rides are also available). Watching the sun set while cooking over an open fire, soaking in a wood-burning hot tub under a blanket of stars, laying your sleeping bag out in the meadow or in a cozy tent, and awakening to the smell of cowboy coffee make Skyline overnights memorable. |
Mountain Biking | |
 | Skyline's mountain bike program is designed to allow guests to explore the beautiful San Juan mountains on their own. We offer off-road guided trips later in the week so that guests are better acclimatized to the altitude. Join us on an exciting single track descent from Alta mine (which is an old mining town above the Ranch). Feel free to hop on a bike, grab a helmet, then either coast into the town of Telluride or get a map from one of the staff and head out for some exercise! |
Fly Fishing | |
| Skyline offers fly fishing instruction and guided fishing trips on the San Miguel and Delores Rivers as well as on our own private lakes. Our guide will instruct you on the basics of casting, tying your fly onto the line, and how to read the river to find where the fish will play. The rainbow, brown and brook trout will challenge any level of fisherman. Fly rods are available and the ranch chefs will cook your catch-of-the-day for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. | |
Hiking/Peak Climbs | |
| Hiking around Skyline and the surrounding areas is best described as varied. From brilliant flower-filled meadows and breath taking views, to snow fields and rocky terrain, each hike is its own adventure. Imagine the indomitable spirit of the early miners and their families as you hike up steep switch backs, windy trails, and explore the antiquated buildings of the local mines. In an effort to acclimatize hikers, Skyline paces the hikes. The more gentle hikes take place early in the week and build to an opportunity to summit a 14,000 foot peak later in the week. You will be introduced to ice axes and ropes to assure your safety in crossing rock pitches and snow couloirs. Good hiking shoes/boots are a necessity. |  |
| Skyline's Specialty Weeks |
| The Skyline Hiking Experience September 1-7 This spectacular adventure is designed for outdoor hiking enthusiasts who love the mountains. Each day there will be options regarding the length and difficulty of the day's tour. You will summit some of Colorado's most magnificent 14,000 foot peaks while hiking over 50 miles of high alpine splendor. |
| The Skyline Savvy Experience June 16-23 and September 8-14 For horse enthusiats who love the oudoors, Skyline Ranch offers a special progressive horsemanship adventure, which will inspire and challenge you. You will have the opportunity to learn and experience the principles and philosophies of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. |
| The Skyline Cattle Experience April 7-12 Branding, June 2-7 Cattle Drive, October 6-11 Round Up An extraordinary experience at Dave Farny's 3x Cattle Ranch in Mack Colorado. Depending on the week you come, you will participate in cattle round-ups, cattle drives, calving, branding, checking stock and mending fences. This adventure is for the experienced rider who does not need pampering, has a desire to learn and experience the real thing and is able to ride through rough country during long days in the saddle. |
| The Skyline Fishing Experience June 9-16 and September 15-22 This spectacular adventure is designed as a Beginner's Week in June and a Woman's Week in September. For the angler who wants unlimited fishing and instruction on private lakes and local rivers surrounded by breathtaking views. |
Cross Country and Alpine Skiing | |
| In winter, snow blankets Skyline creating a romantic wonderland. Located just 5 miles from the renowned Telluride Ski Resort, Skyline is just far enough away to feel the beauty and solitude that the majestic San Juan Mountains offer. From mid-December to April, enjoy Telluride's uncrowded slopes and its pristine cross country trails. | |
Afternoon Sleigh Rides and Dinner Sleigh Rides | |
| Our horse-drawn sleigh rides stir up romantic images of days gone by. Handmade sleighs, pulled by powerful draft horses, will take you on trails with vistas of the towering San Juan Mountains. Listen to your driver tell of Skyline's mining history as you sip hot cider and smell the crisp, spruce-scented air. Join us for a dinner tour! After you wind your way up to the ranch underneath a blanket of stars, you are welcomed into our Spruce Lodge Restaurant. Dinner includes appetizer, choice of soup or salad, choice of delicious entrees, dessert and coffee. Indulge in this magical evening! | |
Other Winter Activities | |
| Horse-drawn sleigh rides, boot hockey on our pond, snow-shoeing and snowmobiling are just a few of the many activities you may enjoy as well as skiing. Skyline has both cross country equipment and snow shoes available for your use. Skyline has five to ten kilometers of groomed cross country trails. | |
Evening Entertainment | |
| Summer- Skyline's evening activities will top off your day with laughter and camaraderie. From June through September guests will enjoy weekly entertainment that includes a Sunday night BBQ cookout, Tuesday evening campfire dinner featuring a Bluegrass band and a sing-a-long, Friday night camp-out, Saturday night farewell dinner featuring your week's adventure on video, and lots of good old-fashioned fun! Feel free to join us in any or all of these activities or simply take a walk to discover the solitude, open vistas, sparkling lakes and spectacular beauty which are Skyline's hallmark. | |
| Winter- Dinner Sleigh Rides: Our horse-drawn sleigh rides stir up romantic images of days gone by. Handmade sleighs, pulled by powerful draft horses, will take you on trails with vistas of the towering San Juan Mountains. Listen to your driver tell of Skyline's mining history as you sip hot cider and smell the crisp, spruce-scented air. After you wind your way up to the ranch underneath a blanket of stars, you are welcomed into our Spruce Lodge Restaurant. Dinner includes appetizer, choice of soup or salad, choice of delicious entrees, dessert and coffee. Indulge in this magical evening! | |
Business Retreats | |
| Skyline's Spruce Lodge is specially designed to accommodate small conferences and corporate business meetings in our fall and winter seasons. Our intent is to make your retreat one that fosters uninterrupted concentration while providing you with inspiration for your goals and objectives. When it's time to take a break, we can coordinate or customize your leisure activities and meals. We can even create a personalized video of your stay! Our commitment to hospitality and service will guarantee you and your associates an unparalleled meeting experience. | |
Meals | |
| Our chefs are trained by various culinary institutes and pride themselves in creating fresh, homemade fare for all to enjoy after a day of adventuring. Summer meals are served family style. During the winter months, dining is available. We serve beer and wine. Winter- A hearty skiers' breakfast is served in the main lodge as well as savory hors d'ouevres after skiing. Dining in our Spruce Lodge provide sumptuous meals that are well-deserved. If you'd like to dine in town, hop on our shuttle service to the Mountain Village Gondola, which takes you right into town. Summer- All meals are served from the ranch whether a BBQ, cookout, dinner in the lodge, lunch on the trail, breakfast out on our overnight trip, and all the meals in between! Beer and wine included at no charge. | |
Lodging | |
| Experience the magic of a charming mountain lodge. Cabins and
lodge rooms are available. Ten lodge rooms all with private baths, comfortably
decorated. Six cabins with postcard views all around. The cabins range in size
from sleeping two to six people and all have kitchenettes. Unsurpassed beauty
just 5 miles from the Telluride Ski Resort.
Winter- Sleigh rides, dining, transportation. Gaze at the stars as you soak in the hot tub after a day on the slopes! Summer- Weekly stays, horseback riding, outdoor guided adventures, celebrating nature. | |
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