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970 Grand County
970 Grand County
Mountain Retreat: A Conversation with Hayden Hughes from Arapaho Valley Ranch
Step into the storied wilderness of Grand County, Colorado as Hayden Hughes, Ranch Manager at Arapaho Valley Ranch, reveals the remarkable journey of this mountain retreat. From its origins as a girls' camp in 1896 through its evolution into a beloved dude ranch, this 40-acre sanctuary nestled against national forest has welcomed generations of adventure-seekers and nature lovers.
Our conversation peels back the layers of history as Hayden recounts how buildings from condemned ranches were salvaged when Lake Granby was created, finding new purpose at what would become Arapahoe Valley Ranch. The property's rich legacy continued through multiple owners who preserved its character while adding their own chapters to its story. In 2021, a family who had fallen in love with the ranch as guests purchased it, ensuring its traditions would continue while breathing new life into its infrastructure.
Today's Arapaho Valley Ranch offers an impressive spectrum of accommodations—from luxury cabins that sleep up to 18 people to glamping tents, yurts, teepees, and traditional campsites. The all-inclusive experience provides guests with complimentary bikes, fishing poles, paddleboards, canoes, and access to recreational facilities that appeal to visitors of all ages. Families enjoy the playground and various activities, while adventure-seekers appreciate the proximity to Monarch Lake, Grand Lake, and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Discover the charming additions that connect guests to the ranch experience, including a daily "duck walk" where newly acquired ducks parade to the property's pond, and the preservation of 30-40 original saddles from its dude ranch days. Perhaps most impressive is the ranch's commitment to sustainability with a recently installed solar array that has dramatically reduced generator use—sometimes allowing the property to operate completely on solar power for days at a time.
Whether you're planning a family reunion, dream mountain wedding, or simply seeking an authentic Rocky Mountain getaway, Arapahoe Valley Ranch offers a unique blend of history, comfort, and adventure in one of Colorado's most spectacular settings. Visit their website or social media channels to begin planning your own chapter in this continuing mountain legacy.
Today on the show, I'm joined by Hayden Hughes, the ranch manager at Arapahoe Valley Ranch, nestled near Monarch and just a stone's throw away from Lake Granby. We dive into the rich history of the ranch and talk about the variety of lodging options and the outdoor adventures it offers today, from hiking and biking to paddle boarding and plenty more. So sit back and enjoy my conversation with Hayden. Good morning, hayden. How are you?
Speaker 3:Good and yourself.
Speaker 1:Not bad. Well, you are at the Arapahoe Valley Ranch, which was a dude ranch back in the day in Grand County. Tell me a little bit about the history and where you guys are located.
Speaker 3:Okay, so a little bit about the history. It is a little up in the air. It depends on who you ask and what dates you get, but pretty much the general consensus is there were a number of ranches down in the valley which is now Lake Granby and the ranch, what it is today. Some of the buildings are an accumulation of different ranches that got condemned and buildings got moved up here.
Speaker 3:So 19 1896 the murray camp was founded, as what I understand, and it was kind of a camp for girls, and then it kind of progressed and was sold to bob and carol wild in 1962, who then ran it as a dude ranch and sold it to the Golds I believe Matt and Barb Gold in 1980. And they continued to run it as a guest ranch until not necessarily sure what happened kind of fell through. But their son took it over and he actually got married here and they ran it till about 2021 when it got sold to what it is now, to the teen group, who is a family that stayed here in the past and basically got to know the owners and said, hey, if you ever want to sell it, we would love to keep it going, and that's kind of what happened. So they took over in 2021 and did some major infrastructure renovations and opened for the first time in the winter in 2022. Open for the first time in the winter in 2022.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, that's quite the history.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so tell us what you guys offer today if a guest was to stay there.
Speaker 3:Okay. So we cater to almost everyone's needs. It's hard to say that, but we have cabins, glamping tents, yurts, teepees, campsites and RV sites. So whether you really like to embrace and suffer in campsites, you're welcome to do that, or all the way up to luxurious cabins with multiple offerings. Our biggest cabin will house 18 people, where a lot of family reunions and weddings happen, but we have cabins all the way down to two to four people, so kind of can cater to anybody.
Speaker 3:When you come and stay with us, everything is included. So we have bike rentals, fishing poles, paddleboards, canoes, volleyball court, arcade games, ping pong, pool tables, and so you can enjoy your time doing that. We have a playground for kiddos. So we're very family oriented. That's who we kind of cater to pool tables and so you can enjoy your time doing that. We have a playground for kiddos. So we're very family oriented, that's who we kind of cater to. You know, bring your family, have fun. We've got something for all ages and you know we're set right in the heart of the Rocky mountains. So we've got Monarch Lake where people can hike and go around, hike that, they can fish it, or they can take off and go to Grand Lake for the day or up to Rocky Mountain National Park. So a little bit of everything. And then in the winter things slow down and we have an ice skating rink and complimentary snowshoes and we groom a little ski trail. So if you want to bring your cross-country skis, you can do that as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a beautiful property. How big is it? We're right about 40 acres. Okay.
Speaker 3:And just surrounded by the forest. Yeah, surrounded by a national forest on all sides, except for across the river on the south side, funny enough, the one of the wilds who used to own the ranch. They still have a parcel back there and it's one of the daughters that owned that still and they have a parcel that we actually connect to across the river.
Speaker 1:Oh, I didn't know that Interesting, yeah Well, like I said, it's a beautiful property. Hayden, when we talked last, you were getting some ducks and some chickens. Tell me about the thoughts behind the ducks and the chickens.
Speaker 3:The thoughts behind the craze. Yeah, yeah. Well, you know it's kind of funny. You know we're Arapahoe Valley Ranch, but I like to say we're a people ranch, not a livestock ranch, and I was like how can we kind of play homage to that or, you know, more fit into the ranch theme when someone here is ranch? They used to run horses out of here. We still have funny side note, we have probably 30 to 40 original saddles from when it was a dude ranch that we still have and we'll have folks come in that have worked here in years past and they can actually go find their saddle that they used to use. But we're not doing horses and we can't do cattle and goats and all that stuff yet.
Speaker 3:So I was like let's start small. Let's go get some chickens and ducks and we'll have some feed for kiddos to throw at them so they can see them running around and, just, you know, have a little bit of pizzazz running around the ranch. So we got 20 chickens and 15 ducks and they are growing like weeds. The ducks in five days had basically tripled in size. We've got one little runt that I want to name Lulu, but they're the funniest thing and it was the kind of the brainchild of what we're going to call the duck walk is our maintenance manager. His name's Joe. He's awesome and I think in the past at other places he's worked, they've had ducks, and whether he's done it before or wants to do it here, he's like well, I'll do a duck walk every day. So he will take the ducks from their pen and walk them to our pond that we have on property and they can spend the day running around the meadow playing in the pond and then he'll walk them back. So, and then any eggs that hatch or not hatch because we're not going to have any male ducks or chickens Any eggs that are laid, we will collect every morning and then turn around and give them out to campers that want them.
Speaker 1:That's great. We should notice that you guys do not have any food service on property, but people going through Granby can stop at City Market. We've got some great restaurants that they can get and especially most of the cabins have refrigerators and kitchens or kitchenettes in them.
Speaker 3:Right, yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And then you mentioned it's a big wedding place.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, we offer two packages. We have either a full buyout, where you can get everything private to yourself, or you can do the gold home, which is a tribute to one of our past owners. It was their main house that they lived in when they ran the ranch. It is able to sleep 18 or 19 people, and you can book that cabin out for three nights and do your wedding in the backyard of the gold home. And so we have those two packages and we are filled up all year with weddings on and off, so it's fantastic.
Speaker 1:Tell me about. You. Guys have the solar system in your generator, which you're pretty off the grid.
Speaker 3:Yes, and I like to tell people it's not necessarily by choice, but by necessity. Okay, if we had the option to have power back here, I think everyone would jump on it, but that option is not here yet. So we used to run solely off of a generator. So we had batteries and a generator system. So the generator would run, charge the batteries and then it would repeat itself, rinse and repeat. Generator would run, charge the batteries and then it would repeat itself, rinse and repeat. We last year around November finally got around to getting installed our solar array and our new inverters and battery banks. So we doubled our battery capacity and six times as many inverters as we had and put up a slew of solar panels. So just for perspective, our generator used to run from 12 to 16 hours a day and it's down to maybe three or four. So huge decrease in that. And then in the summertime, when we get those beautiful sunny days in a row, we can go four days without the generator ever funding and just run solely off of the solar.
Speaker 1:Wow, which is pretty impressive.
Speaker 3:Yes, cause we do have a lot of stuff happening.
Speaker 1:Yes, you do Well, Hayden. It is a beautiful property and you guys are doing so many amazing, wonderful things to just make it the best place to stay in the county.
Speaker 3:So we appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Yes, and people need to come out and just visit and stay and Hayden. Where can people find out more information?
Speaker 3:So we are all over the place. The easiest is our website, arapahoevalleyranchcom, but we do have Facebook and Instagram. That will take you to links to our page and our profile, as well as, you know, information on any specials that we might be running at the time.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, hayden, thank you for your time. I know that you're getting ready for the busy season that will be here, we know it. Well, you take care and I know I will see you soon.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:You bet. Thank you.
