One important task is to determine how to spend vacations. Will you go to Disney, Legoland, or one of those giant water parks? Will you go camping or head to a great city? There is no wrong answer. Diverse experiences are what make up a life.

Yet if you’re looking to start a family tradition, you may want to choose a destination that instills certain values. Appreciation for nature, for one, and respect for it. A place that fosters both Independence and togetherness. The kind of place you’ll want to visit again and again, year after year.

Generations of families have spent their summer vacations at 4UR Colorado Family Guest Ranch. Generations of children have experienced the joy of learning to ride a horse or catch a fish with a fly. They’ve spent summer days discovering that they can do things they never dreamed they could do. They’ve explored the Southern Rockies and learned about themselves.

Watching the next generation.

We have guests at 4UR Family Dude Ranch who came here as children and now come here with their own children. Now that’s a family tradition worth creating.

Kids at 4UR.

During most of the season, it’s true, we are a Family Vacation Ranch. Children love to come here and go horseback riding, swimming, and hiking. They enjoy art and craft programs, nature explorations, and cookouts. While here, kids have lots of time to explore and spend time with other children (in both structured and unstructured activities), and lots of time to explore and spend time with their parents.

Kids at 4UR.

We still have space available during our TWO FOR ONE KID’S SPECIAL, June 9-16, 2012. If you bring two children aged 9 and under to our Family Dude Ranch that week, you’ll only pay for one of them.

Of course, some folks like to vacation without children. These are parents who need a break, parents whose kids are grown, and folks who aren’t parents at all. They enjoy sitting by the pool with a Corona in hand, without danger of being splashed by frolicking children. They like to linger over dinner and conversation, without worrying about getting the kids to bed.

Adults only at 4UR.

If that sounds like you, please consider our ADULTS-ONLY WEEKS, August 18-25 and August 25-September 1, 2012. We still have a couple of spaces available.

Just for adults.

Our Colorado Guest Ranch is a great place for families and a wonderful place for adults. Horseback riding, fly-fishing, and delicious food are appreciated by everyone, no matter your age.

Hot coffee, whenever you want it.

People come to our Colorado Family Guest Ranch so they can connect with the great outdoors. They come to hike the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. They come to ride horses and stand in the cool, clear waters of Goose Creek, fishing rod in hand. They come for the fresh air and the astounding beauty of the place.

All this could be had in the backcountry. The same people who come to 4UR could, instead, don backpacks spend a week camping. In fact, we know some do, at other times.

The beauty of 4UR is that our guests have an all-inclusive vacation. They get the great outdoors, the horseback riding, the hiking, the fishing, but they also get luxurious services.

What’s included in an all-inclusive Colorado Guest Ranch Vacation at 4UR?

• Three gourmet meals a day (including non-alcoholic beverages), picnic baskets when you like, coffee and tea delivered to your room in the morning, ice delivered to your room in the afternoon. We will make you a cake to celebrate a special occasion, and we’ll do our best to accommodate special dietary needs.

• Daily maid service, nightly turndown service, laundry facilities, free Wi-Fi, use of computer, and transportation to and from Alamosa Airport.

• Horseback riding and natural horsemanship lessons, private fly-fishing, and sporting clays and trap shooting.

• Guests may use the pool, the natural hot springs, the fitness center, and bicycles.

• Supervised daily children’s programs are open to all children.

In addition, we offer massages, guided fishing, and wine and alcoholic beverages. These are not included in the base rate.

A vacation at 4UR is the softer side of roughing it, to be sure. It’s wonderful.

Beautiful baby Shelby and happy Grandma Kathy!

Kathy Adelman, office manager extraordinaire and all around “Ranch Mom”, is now a grandma! Congratulations to Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Jimmy, Papa Casey, and Mama Joni. Baby Shelby Leone Adelman is beautiful!

As any parent knows, welcoming a child into the home is one of the most incredible experiences in a lifetime. The birth of a child is a life-changing event: overwhelming, awe-inspiring, humbling. We wish the very best to Joni, Casey, and Shelby as they start their life together as a family.

Shelby’s arrival reminds us of the Two For One Kids Special at 4UR. It runs June 9-16 and August 11-18, 2012. We’re full during the August special, but we still have openings in June.

With the Two For One Kids Special, one child (aged 5 – 10) stays for free when another child stays for the regular price. If you have only one child (aged 5 – 10), she or he will stay for half price.

Your children will challenge themselves and thrive at 4UR.

Have a Colorado Family Vacation this summer. Bring your children to 4UR, and spend your time horseback riding, hiking, and swimming. It’s an all-inclusive vacation: parents enjoy gourmet cuisine while children feast on tasty favorites. Parents can spend a few hours each day on their own, while children explore the world of 4UR in the Kids Program. Its the best of everything, for everyone.

• For the angler in your life, give some time at our Fly Fishing Vacation Ranch.

• For the equestrian in your life, give some time at our Family Dude Ranch.

• For the children in your life, give an unforgettable experience replete with horseback riding, fishing, swimming, and unparalleled outdoor fun.

• For the grandparents in your life, give a Colorado Family Ranch Vacation – it’s the perfect family reunion.
  

  For someone in your life, this is a dream come true.

Don’t battle it out at the mall this year. Do your holiday shopping with us.

1. Chef Wray Warner and his staff will cook for you in glorious outdoor settings.

Food tastes best when consumed in a beautiful setting.

2. Your children will be deliriously happy.

Deliriously happy children? Check.

3. You can fly fish on your own stretch of water.

Fly fishing on Goose Creek.

4. You can ride horses in the Colorado Rockies.

Simply spectacular.

5. You’ll have a memorable family vacation.

An unforgettable family vacation.

Below are photos of some of our favorite things – favorite moments, really. Enjoy!

"Praise the Lard" - our Labor Day Weekend Pig Roast.

Guests share in the Pig Roast feast.

Kids make everything more fun.

Happy wranglers.

Haying.

Another glorious sunset.

Thanks to all the staff of our Colorado Family Guest Ranch – those of you who left in August to pursue your dreams, and those of you who were able to stay until the last hay bales were dry in the barn. Many of our favorite moments include you.

Bring your children to 4UR, and watch them thrive.

Children ride horses at 4UR, in the ring and on the trail. They go fishing. They climb and hike and swim. They build muscles and they build confidence and they breathe in the fresh air of the Southern Colorado Rockies. We swear we’ve seen kids grow while they’re here, so fertile is the soil (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Kylee, Aaron and Robin Christensen’s daughter, ended her rodeo season this year as the Reserve All-Around World Champion Little Wrangler at the National Finals Little Britches Rodeo. At the start of the competition she was in 9th place, and she finished in 2nd place. She won 12 buckles while she was there, and she had a blast doing it. We’re all so proud of her.

Kylee has grown up at our Colorado Family Dude Ranch, reaping the rewards of her environment. Children who visit 4UR get a taste of what Kylee and her siblings experience every day. They have thrilling experiences, they gain confidence, they make friends and they have fun. As parents, what more can we want?

Below are some memorable moments from this summer and past summers at 4UR.

It’s not too early to start dreaming about next summer at 4UR!

Do something you didn't know you could do.

It means doing something you didn’t know you could do, and perfecting skills you already have.

Hone old skills.

A 4UR Family Dude Ranch Vacation means fun for children….

Did you know your child could do this?

and fun for adults.

Picture yourself here.

You may see something you’ve never seen before.

It was worth the delay.

You may try something you never thought you’d try.

A safe environment to practice shooting.

You may decide you need to come back to 4UR again and again, because you like how you feel when you’re here.