GRANBY, Colo., March 17, 2025 – Located in Colorado’s Grand County at the south end of Lake Granby, Arapaho Valley Ranch is a guest ranch and popular year-round adventure-focused glamping destination with a long and rich history. The ranch has been welcoming guests since 1945.
Surrounded by the Arapaho National Forest, the ranch is 100 percent self-sustaining, and it generates electricity through solar power while storing excess power on batteries. Propane is used for heat, and water is pumped from an 80-foot deep well.
Although the ranch is within an easy drive of regional attractions like Winter Park Ski Area and the charming town of Grand Lake, its remote setting allows for peaceful relaxation-inducing experiences like stargazing, forest bathing and digital detox. The drive time is two hours and 15 minutes from Denver, three hours from Fort Collins, three hours from Colorado Springs and a half hour from Granby.
Accommodations
From glamping tents and new-this-year yurts to historic cabins, guests have many choices for accommodations. Cabins are open year-round while glamping tents, tipis, yurts and tent and RV camp sites are available Memorial Day weekend through early October.
Glamping tents, tipis and yurts include a camp kitchen box with plates, silverware, frying pan, mugs, cooking utensils and cooler as well as a French press. Guests can grill on the fire pit or camping stoves. Propane is provided. Wi-Fi is available at the ranch with the strongest signals in the lodge and cabins.
Glamping tents. These 19 units are constructed of canvas on raised wooden platforms and include private decks, firepits, one or two queen beds and a futon with bedding.
Tipis. The ranch’s three canvas tipis are placed on raised decks and feature a queen bed and two cots with bedding.
Yurts. Arapaho Valley Ranch is constructing two yurts that will be completed and available for the summer 2025 season.
Cabins. The ranch features nine cabins that sleep from four to 18 persons. Some of the cabins have been in use since the 1940s while others were recently added. Amenities include grills, fire pits, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, silverware and tableware, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves ovens and coffee makers.
Camp sites. The ranch features 22 tent sites, most situated right on the banks of the South Fork of the Colorado River. Twelve RV sites are available, some with hookups. Smaller rigs can be accommodated in tent sites with no hookups. A dump station is available.
Reservations can be made online, by calling 970-238-9728 or by email at info@arapahovalleyranch.com.
Things to Do On Site
As a year-round property, Arapaho Valley Ranch offers its guests a wide array of on-site activities.
Warm weather recreation activities include fishing canoeing, stand up paddleboarding, biking, hiking, wildlife watching, yard games, volleyball and a playground.
Winter activities include snow shoeing, cross country skiing, sledding, tubing, ice skating, ice fishing and wildlife watching.
A resort fee covers the use of all of the equipment, including canoes, paddle boards, mountain bikes, fishing poles, horseshoes, volleyball, cornhole, ping pong, snowshoes, sleds and ice skates.
Off-Site Activities
The region surrounding Arapaho Valley Ranch is a recreational playground with a wide variety of activities.
Located 45 minutes from the ranch, Rocky Mountain National Park features 265,000 acres of spectacular mountains and meadows and incredible hiking and wildlife watching. Grand Lake and Lake Granby provide fishing and water sports. The towns of Granby, Grand Lake and Winter Park offer a variety of retail shops, restaurants and entertainment.
During the warmer months, Grand County is an outdoor paradise with some of the state’s most beautiful lakes and reservoirs that are popular spots for sailing, boating, fishing and relaxing. Local rivers host numerous kayakers and rafters while opportunities for hiking and biking are practically limitless. Additional activities include off-roading, hot air ballooning, rock climbing, golfing, horseback riding and touring by Jeep.
Winter activities include Winter Park and Granby Ranch ski areas, ice fishing, snowmobiling and cross country skiing.
Soaking in hot springs is a year-round activity. Leaf peepers travel to the area to see the changing colors, especially the quaking aspen trees. Hunting is active starting in September through the end of November. Historical attractions include a variety of museums and sites.
Weddings and Retreats
With its dramatic scenery, on-site activities and overnight accommodations, Arapaho Valley Ranch is an ideal setting for a destination wedding. Wedding parties like the option of having the entire ranch to themselves, and they are encouraged to bring in their own caterers, entertainment, disc jockeys and florists. The ranch’s previous owners, who were instrumental in making it a camping and glamping facility, were married at the ranch.
The ranch also hosts group gatherings such as yoga retreats and family reunions.
Events
In summer 2025 Arapaho Valley Ranch will host live music. July 18-19 will feature a Bluegrass Festival, and a country music weekend is being planned.
The Lodge
The heart of the ranch is the main lodge which was built in the early 1900s and renovated multiple times over the years. The lodge has two living rooms, a stone fireplace, billiards room, store and the Red Dog Saloon, affectionately called “Colorado’s Smallest Bar.” Decks and patios include a fire pit and seating areas.
History
While Arapaho Valley Ranch traces its roots to the late 1800s when original owner Henry Lehman owned property and buildings along the South Fork of the Colorado River which ran through the valley where Lake Granby is now located. Construction of the Granby Dam dictated that the ranch buildings – and many others – needed to be moved.
In 1945, the lodge and dance hall were moved to their present location, and the ranch was turned into a full-fledged dude ranch with a herd of 50 to 60 horses.
The ranch has had several owners over the decades. The current owner is a group comprised of several families who purchased the property in 2021 after vacationing there for many years. Led by the Tiehen Group, a commercial property and management company in the Kansas City area, the new owners immediately embarked upon a series of renovations and upgrades to the ranch’s infrastructure and facilities.
Upon completion of the renovation, the ranch reopened to guests in the winter of 2023, the first time in 40 years that it did not close for winter.
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About Arapaho Valley Ranch
Arapaho Valley Ranch has been welcoming guests since 1946. Situated on 38 acres on the south end of Lake Granby near the town of Granby, Colo., the ranch features glamping tents, tipis and cabins as well as on-site activities and a wide range of regional attractions. The ranch is popular for weddings, special events and music festivals. This off-grid property generates electricity through solar power while storing excess on batteries. Propane is used for heat, and water is pumped from a depth of 80 feet. A backup generator is used for emergencies.
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Media contact:
Mesereau Travel Public Relations
720-284-1512