| FOOD AND WINE |
Chef:
Mike Rosenburg
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Cooking Styles:
- Gourmet
- Ranch/Western
- Vegetarian
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| HIGHLIGHTS |
| Famous For: |
Great Outdoors Experience and Ranching With Nature |
| Capacity: |
In order to provide a more personal experience, we try to limit our number of guests to 15 per week |
| Open: |
Year Round |
| Altitude: |
7950 |
| Location: |
30 miles northeast of Alamosa |
| Reservations: |
1-888-5-ZAPATA x 110 |
| Rates: |
Adults: $1995 all inclusive weekly rate
Children: $1595 all inclusive weekly rate - 7 years old and under
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| Minimum Stay: |
3 nights for $985 |
| Deposit: |
50% due upon booking |
| Payment: |
Visa, Master Cards, Cash, Certified Check, Personal Checks, Traveler�s Checks, Wire Transfer, |
| Closest Airports: |
Alamosa, CO |
| Transportation: |
Airport Pickup - additional cost |
| Travel Agents: |
YES |
| FEATURED AMENITIES |
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 Adults Oriented
All Inclusive
Bed-and-Breakfast
Always
Big/Heavy Riders
200-250 lbs.
Birding
Bring Your Own Horse
Buffalo
Cattle Drives
1 or Part Day
week
Cattle Ranches
Authentic Working Cattle Ranch
Children's Programs
Moderate - Half Day
Nannies Encouraged
Computer/Email Services
Conference Services
A/V
Computer/Email Services
Separate Conference Center
Corporate Groups, Meetings
Small (under 50)
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Cuisine
Gourmet
Ranch/Western
Vegetarian
Culinary Trained Chefs
Dude/Guest Ranches
Email Access
Fishing
Fly Fishing
Fish on Your Own
Professional Guides & Instruction
Type of Fish
Trout
Spin Fishing
Golf
Near (within 30 miles)
Handicapped
Wheelchair Friendly
Hiking
Guided
On Your Own
Historic - National Historic Site
Honeymoon Packages
Horseback Riding
Horsemanship
Horses
Appaloosa
Paint
Quarter
Thoroughbred
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Hot Springs
Nearby (within 30 miles)
Languages Spoken
English
Laundry Service
Liquor
Bring Your Own
Naturalist Guides
Organic Foods
Pack Trips
Ranch Activity
Rafting
Ride on Your Own
Sometimes Available
RVs Welcome
Seminars
Horsemanship Seminars - Fall
Horsemanship Seminars - Spring
Horsemanship Seminars - Summer
Horsemanship Seminars - Winter
Short Stays (1-4 days)
Always
Team Building
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White-Water Rafting
Winter Months Open (Nov-March)
Cross-Country Skiing
Downhill Skiing
Horseback Riding
Park Tours
Snow Shoeing
Workshops
Art
Nature
Photography
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| LODGING |
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| Each guest room is equipped with either two double beds or a single king, its own private bathroom and free wi-fi access. The lodge is built on the original Zapata homestead with buildings that date back to the late 1800’s and is surrounded by extensive grounds. The buildings are all restored chinked log and boast high comfort and rustic elegance. Daily maid service and laundry facilities are included. |
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| RECREATION |
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Join us at any time of the year and immerse yourself into day-to-day life on the ranch, and experience the outdoors. Each experience is customizable and trips can consist of activities from both programs.
Ranching With Nature:
--Move cattle from one pasture into a fresh one
--Help maintain irrigation flow in our pivot fields
--Monitor water levels and grass growth
--Participate in a traditional branding
--Have 1-on-1 horsemanship instruction
--Fix barbed wire Fence or stretch electric fence to prepare for cattle moving pastures
Great Outdoors Experience:
--Ride through our wild herd of 2,500 bison that roam on 50,000-acres
--Summit 1-of-6 bordering 14,000-ft peaks (trail heads just 5 minutes away)
--Take a leisurely horseback ride and picnic through the Great Sand Dunes National Park
--Rise before dawn and photograph the sunrise over one of our lakes
--Go on an intrepretive walk through our grasslands and learn about bison as a conservation species
--Spend the morning hiking up to a high mountain lake and fish for the afternoon
--White water raft down the Arkansas out of Salida*
--Fly Fish on some of the nation's top water*
--Ski in Colorado's best, unexplored terrain*
*These experiences incur additional cost
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| FOR CHILDREN |
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| Children are welcome from though we do not have an organized children's program. However, if parents would like part of a day to themselves we can organize activities for the kids, or childcare services. |
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| FOOD/LIQUOR |
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| Zapata Ranch utilizes our own grass-fed beef and bison, along with local San Luis Valley produce. Our style is down home, gourmet and our meals are served family-style in our dining room. We use only the best ingredients and prepare them with creativity and respect. Guests are welcome to bring any alcoholic beverages to enjoy during their stay. |
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| BUSINESS/MEETINGS |
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| Our Education and Meeting Center is a restored timber-framed barn, which comfortably accommodates up to 50 people. It is fully equipped with wireless internet, A/V capabilities, a PowerPoint projector, plenty of table space and comfortable seating, and is just a short walk from the lodge. The original wooden support beams are exposed above, and a full wall of picture windows makes it seem almost like you're sitting outside. Available year-round. |
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| MEMBERSHIPS |
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| Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Association, Dude Ranchers' Association |
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| REGION/CUSTOMS |
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The 103,000-acre Zapata Ranch is located in the historic San Luis Valley adjacent to the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and the newest National Park in the United States: The Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. The San Luis Valley is home to the Spanish Trail and the oldest settlement in Colorado. The ranch is home to one of the nation's largest wild bison herds, which roams free on 50,000 acres and is managed as a conservation species. Annually, over 27,000 Sandhill Cranes migrate over the ranch and through the valley which is one of the most ecologically and geologically diverse landscapes in the universe.
Zapata Ranch is home to one of the nations largest wild bison herds along with elk, deer, antelope, coyote, bobcat and numerous species of birds. The ranch also lies in the migratory path of the Sand Hill Cranes.
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| HISTORY/HOSTS |
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| Managed by third-generation ranching family, The Duke & Janet Phillips Family, the Zapata Ranch has been hosting guests since 1999. We have developed our guest programs to integrate the daily ranch routine and extensive nature programs so that guests can be involved in whichever arena they prefer, to whatever extent they choose. |
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| ITINERARY |
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A NORMAL DAY is structured as follows:
Breakfast: 7:30-8:30
Activities: 8:30-12:00
Lunch: 12-1 (sack lunch)
Activities: 1-5
Relax: 5-6:30
Appetizers & Dinner: 6:30
An EXAMPLE ITINERARY follows, please remember that each visit is 100% customizable.
DAY 1-- Orientation
A: (Ranching With Nature) Orientation will be spent riding so that we can gain an understanding for your level of riding ability and you will be paired accordingly with a horse, and fit with your saddle.
B: (Great Outdoors Experience) Take a hike out into the meadows and learn about the ranch, the surrounding environment and plan the week's activities.
DAY 2--
A: In the morning, ride out into a pasture and gather cow-calf pairs and move them into a fresh pasture. Take a break for lunch and then spend the afternoon learning to sort cattle in the corrals with the wranglers.
B: Take a hike up to a high mountain lake and fish for the afternoon. Hike down while the sun is setting and arrive home just in time for appetizers and dinner.
Day 3--
A & B: Spend the day riding through the Sand Dunes National Park. Take a swim in the hot tub that afternoon and then after dinner, relax to live music by Fred Hargrove.
Day 4--
A: Wake up with the sun and ride out to check the calves for sickness. Doctor any that you come upon, and afterwards take a ride through the bison.
B: Take a photo trip through the herd of 2,500 bison and learn about how we manage them to conserve the land. Spend some time with a local naturalist to learn about the multiple unique traits of the San Luis Valley.
Day 5--Take it easy in the morning and head out about 2PM to the campsite for an overnight trip.
A: Receive 1-on-1 horsemanship instruction from one of our wranglers and then move another herd of cattle into a new pasture.
B: Hike up to Zapata Falls, and then beyond to its water source.
Day 6--
A: Spend the day with Jeff, our Ranch Operations Manager, who will teach about about how he manages the livestock. Help him with his daily duties and then finish the afternoon with a ride through the cattle herd to check for sickness.
B: Wake up early and head to Salida for a day of White Water Rafting. Stop at the hot springs on the way back for dinner.
Day 7--
A & B: check-out 10am
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