Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch

79 years in the saddle
Dude Ranch Vacations, Weddings, Meetings & Retreats
(1125)

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch is an authentic working horse and cattle ranch located on 3200 acres in the Rocky Mountain foothills west of Loveland, Colorado. Family owned and operated by the Jessup Family since 1946, Sylvan Dale provides a natural setting for dude ranch vacations, destination weddings, corporate meetings & retreats. We also offer a wide variety of additional services like private meeti

ngs, holiday parties, picnics, reunions, family vacations, bed & breakfast, trophy fishing, horse riding, and other exciting outdoor adventures. Guests go on cattle drives and cattle roundups, trail rides, and overnight pack trips, take horseback riding lessons and play “Gymkhana” games on horseback, and experience the old-fashioned family hospitality and cowboy culture of the historic American West.

2020 Travelers' Choice Award from Trip Advisor. Named "Best Family Vacation" by Frommer's Colorado guidebook and rated among the "Top Ten Colorado Dude Ranches" by True West Magazine, and Cowboys & Indians' Best Of The West. Conveniently located just one hour from Denver in the Colorado foothills near Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, Sylvan Dale’s 3200-acre Dude Ranch and Retreat Center is nestled along the banks of Colorado's beautiful Big Thompson River. For you good folks who care about nature and the environment, you'll appreciate our green philosophy and passion for sustainable practices. At Sylvan Dale, we pride ourselves on being excellent stewards of our land, livestock, and resident wildlife.

Favorite horse Friday brings us Rocky! Go Rocky Mountain is a 2016 model out of Pure Docs Spirit (Spirit) and by Goldwoo...
09/13/2025

Favorite horse Friday brings us Rocky! Go Rocky Mountain is a 2016 model out of Pure Docs Spirit (Spirit) and by Goldwood Drift (Drifter). His older sibling is Rainy, and his younger siblings are Blue and WR. Rocky is the tallest of the "kids" so far, but WR isn't quite done growing, so we shall see. You may recall that he's related to JR and Hollywood also, as they're Spirit's full brothers, which makes them the uncles, haha. Rocky missed a year of riding last year, due to the fact we had a really tough time finding him a properly fitted saddle! He's decked out with a new one this season, and has been providing guests with a smooth ride once again. He's still a bit young, so we're particular about who gets to ride him! Isn't he a handsome boy?! He knows it, obviously, seeing as he was caught looking at himself in the truck window, lol. Sarah Weiss Media Shani Le Roux

It's been 24 years, and yet it sometimes feels like yesterday. Today is the day of remembrance for all who were lost and...
09/12/2025

It's been 24 years, and yet it sometimes feels like yesterday. Today is the day of remembrance for all who were lost and to the families, friends, and frontline workers who still grieve. “No day shall erase you from the memory of time" - Virgil Sarah Weiss Media

You don't have to be on the trails to see wildlife here! Sitting right here on the porch, our guests can enjoy the hummi...
09/11/2025

You don't have to be on the trails to see wildlife here! Sitting right here on the porch, our guests can enjoy the hummingbirds, wild turkeys, and sometimes mule deer passing through. In the wild, but close to town. That's how we like it. Erin Zimmerman

Most everyone loves a little cattle work! Even though we no longer raise our own ranch beef, we do keep a few around du...
09/10/2025

Most everyone loves a little cattle work! Even though we no longer raise our own ranch beef, we do keep a few around during the season so we can play cowboy/cowgirl! We'll have to wait a bit for the backcountry to recover from last year's fire, so no cattle drives will be happening like you remember, but we make do with what we have! Come try your hand at moving the herd from pasture to pen for team sorting, and then back out to the pastures for rodear practice! We will have a Cattle Work week next year, and it's a tradition to host it over the July 4th week. June 28th through July 4th, you can spend each day doing something cowy! Sarah Weiss Media

Mondays are for bass fishing! Boy, oh boy, have our guests had a grand time catching up some bass at our Big Valley pond...
09/09/2025

Mondays are for bass fishing! Boy, oh boy, have our guests had a grand time catching up some bass at our Big Valley ponds. Thanks to Sarah, for capturing such great shots of some of our fisher folk! And a big thank you to Colorado Youth Outdoors for providing such wonderful instruction in bass fishing, shooting, and archery activities! We couldn't be more grateful for the partnership.

When planning a wedding with us, you are responsible for hiring and interviewing your vendors. However, we know this can...
09/06/2025

When planning a wedding with us, you are responsible for hiring and interviewing your vendors. However, we know this can be a dauting task. So we're more than happy to provide you with us a list of folks who have been here and gone a GREAT job!

On this International Day of Charity, both Tonto and Rawhide will start their new lives at the Colorado Horse Rescue wit...
09/05/2025

On this International Day of Charity, both Tonto and Rawhide will start their new lives at the Colorado Horse Rescue with the Annie Project. We're ever so grateful for this program for providing a safe space for horses in need. Tonto (Gold Cash Guarantee), a 2006 model who came to the ranch in 2023 from the Western Slope, bless his heart, has had challenges with falling asleep at the rail, stumbling on trails, and/or falling down in his tie stall. CHR will work on finding out what's actually going on with this sweet boy, and he will hopefully go on to find a family of his own. Rawhide (Dusty Rawhide) was born on ranch in 2009. He was a well-loved guest horse for many years, but injured both his withers and his hock, at different times, and isn't suitable for dude ranching any longer. Both boys are so loving and sweet, and will surely make someone happy to have them in their pasture. Sarah Weiss Media Alaethea Evans Photography

Throwback Thursday! Who remembers this adorable little buckskin mare? She was one of Lonnie's favorites, as well as a ma...
09/05/2025

Throwback Thursday! Who remembers this adorable little buckskin mare? She was one of Lonnie's favorites, as well as a majority of ranch guests and children over the years. She's 30 years old now, and lives on the other side of the ridge with one of our previous wranglers. In this pic, she was caring for a young gal with Down's Syndrome, a perfect therapy pony.

Did someone say it's World Beard Day?! Whether it's today, or Saturday, we appreciate a good beard around here. Michael'...
09/04/2025

Did someone say it's World Beard Day?! Whether it's today, or Saturday, we appreciate a good beard around here. Michael's is a bit thicker now, than when this pic was taken, so we're due to update our photo files, haha. Sarah Weiss Media

Tuesdays are for shooting activities! Our guests love to try their hand at clay pigeons and targets. Shooters must be o...
09/03/2025

Tuesdays are for shooting activities! Our guests love to try their hand at clay pigeons and targets. Shooters must be over the age of 10 to participate! We do only offer shooting for our weekly vacation guests (and sometimes wedding guests by appointment only), June through September only!

Happy Labor Day! Enjoy the day, you deserve it. And if you must work on the holiday, be like us ranchers...smiling away ...
09/02/2025

Happy Labor Day! Enjoy the day, you deserve it. And if you must work on the holiday, be like us ranchers...smiling away throughout the day. Our days here are mostly play, so are we really working anyway? Sarah Weiss Media

Address

2939 N County Road 31D
Loveland, CO
80538

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+19706673915

Website

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Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch is an authentic working horse and cattle ranch located on 3200 acres in the Rocky Mountain foothills west of Loveland, Colorado. Family owned and operated by the Jessup Family since 1946, Sylvan Dale provides a natural setting for dude ranch vacations, destination weddings, corporate meetings & retreats. We also offer a wide variety of additional services like private meetings, holiday parties, picnics, reunions, family vacations, bed & breakfast, trophy fishing, horse riding, and other exciting outdoor adventures. Guests go on cattle drives and cattle roundups, trail rides, and overnight pack trips, take horseback riding lessons and play “Gymkhana” games on horseback, and experience the old-fashioned family hospitality and cowboy culture of the historic American West. Named "Best Family Vacation" by Frommer's Colorado guidebook and rated among the "Top Ten Colorado Dude Ranches" by True West Magazine, and Cowboys & Indians' Best Of The West, June 2011. Conveniently located just one hour from Denver in the Colorado foothills near Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, Sylvan Dale’s 3200-acre Dude Ranch and Retreat Center is nestled along the banks of Colorado's beautiful Big Thompson River. For you good folks who care about nature and the environment, you'll appreciate our green philosophy and passion for sustainable practices. At Sylvan Dale, we pride ourselves on being excellent stewards of our land, livestock, and resident wildlife.