Posts Tagged ‘rio grande’

Trout Angling in Southern Colorado

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

4UR Ranch is now open to the public, and we are looking forward to get anglers of all skill levels back into beautiful Goose Creek. One of the more traditional aspects of a Dude Ranch vacation at 4UR Ranch is fishing on the creek. Before we were “duding”, Wagon Wheel Gap, where the ranch sits, had attracted past generations with exceptional fishing and natural hot springs. Goose Creek flows into the Rio Grande, and makes it’s way down towards Mexico, but before it reaches the Rio, it is some of America’s only private tailwaters, meaning the the water only passes through one piece of private property before it reaches the guest ranch.

We are currently in the middle of a kids stay free week at 4UR. It has been fun to see fathers and their children bond over the activity of fishing. It happens every year, and has been as long as humans have known to take from the bounty of the sea and stream. Imagine throwing dry flies to the big wild Browns and Rainbows in Goose Creek, or exploring the pristine high mountain stream for big Cutthroats. Come and start your next adventure! We use a lottery system that makes sure that each angler gets to pick a private station on the creek. You end up with solitude, peacefulness and a great chance to catch exciting fish. Of course this is also part of a fabulous horseback riding vacation that you will be able to partake in.

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Getting Closer to Dude Ranch Vacations…

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

As the Spring Thaw begins to hit Goose Creek, we look forward to warm summer days and cool summer nights at the Guest Ranch. The Rio Grande and Goose Creek’s icy exteriors are starting to loosen up. Soon those chilly, clean waters will be home to the big bright trout that make fly fishing vacations at 4UR Ranch so unique. Yesterday there were elk crossing on Walton Pond — they won’t be able to do that much longer or they will be getting an early spring bath! Soon the birds will be back, bluebirds, humming birds, all sorts, adding to the brightness of Spring in Southern Colorado.

Dude Ranch Vacations

We look forward to welcoming you!

We’ll keep you updated on all the seasonal changes around our Rocky Mountain vacation spot as the sun banishes Winter!

What makes us a Colorado Luxury Dude Ranch?

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

There are dude ranches, and then there are luxury dude ranches. That’s 4UR. We are way beyond your basic BBQ & beds setup. Here are some of the small details and big amenities that make 4UR ranch more than your average guest ranch.

Dining: We recruited our chef, Wray Warner, from the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole. Some of his specialties include unique home-made ice creams, and ambitious pasta, beef and fish dinner entrees. One of my favorites is a mushroom pasta that has been prepared to allow the delicate flavors of the fungi to come out.

It’s not just about dinner, breakfast and lunch are stunning as well. I love to start breakfast with the home-made granola and yogurt, along with hot, strong coffee. We also serve unique cook-to-order breakfast dishes. Breakfast is a very personalized meal, and we want you to feel right at home.

Even lunch is a special affair, esp. on Wednesdays when we hold our Mexican luncheon poolside. We have fajitas, chips, guacamole, cold Coronas and margaritas. Box lunches are also available to take out for your fly fishing trip.

Bathing: We have great “watering holes” – literally! Our pool is large and refreshing; there is plenty of deck space for lounging or playing games with family. We have tables if you want to sit in the shade umbrellas and have a cold drink or a snack. The pool is the place to be, if you ask me!
The hot springs are what Wagon Wheel Gap was originally famous for. In the early 1900s, General William Palmer founded the Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs Resort. The Hot Springs were thought to have medicinal qualities; we still have the historic bath house on property. You can still enjoy the Hot Springs, they are just adjacent to the pool and may still have the power to cure what ails you.
The sauna is here for you to enjoy as well – it is also in the pool area, and next to it is our massage parlor. This is relaxation central, and something that makes 4UR quite luxurious.

colorado fly fishing

Catch a beauty in our "Private Tailwaters"

Fly Fishing Vacation: Our fly fishing is renowned as spectacular. We divide our pristine Goose Creek into 15 “stations”, each a 1/3 mile, which are assigned by lottery in the evening. This system keeps everything fair, and assures each fisher-person prime waters at a prime time nearly every day.

Along with Goose Creek, there are four stations on the Rio Grande and one in the Weminuche Wilderness. You may also take a guided fishing trip above timberline to Lost Lakes for rare Rio Grande cutts, or fish Station 21, a trophy pond in the ranch valley. All waters are catch and release fly fishing only, except for Walton Pond, which is a great place to start practicing with your little angler.

Goose Creek’s drainage is quite unique. Flowing from the Weminuche Wilderness, it passes through only two private properties before reaching the Rio Grande; the 4UR Ranch and our neighbors upstream. Our neighbor’s reservoir feeds the creek from its cool waters via an 80-foot dam, making this creek one of only a handful of private tailwaters in America. Andy Lee and Aaron Christenson have spent their years with us managing the stream rigorously. This, along with our catch and release practices make for some surprisingly big, well-colored trout. Look forward to seeing rainbows, browns, snake river cutts, cutt-bow hybrids and even brookies.

As you can see, 4UR Ranch is more than boots and dusty arenas – come here for something completely unique.

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Colorado Fly Fishing Vacation

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

The mouth of the Rio Grande river originates in the mountains neighboring 4UR Ranch. Our private creek, Goose Creek, feeds into this mighty river at the end of our little valley.
For many, many years, the Valley that has recently facilitated horseback riding vacations for families, was known solely for it’s amazing fly fishing conditions. Goose Creek is quite unique; flowing from the Weminuche Wilderness, it passes through only two pieces of private property before reaching the Rio Grande: the 4UR Ranch and our neighbors upstream. On the neighboring property, a reservoir feeds the creek from the cool and pure waters at the bottom of their 80-foot dam. This makes Goose Creek one of only a few “private tailwaters” in America. We are very proud of how well we maintain our stream. Our ranch manager Aaron Christensen and head guide Andy Lee have taken great care to maintain the integrity of the stream through careful stewardship. Water temperature, flow, fish size and algae growth are some of the things that these two men monitor. Years of rigorous catch and release practices make for some surprisingly big, well-colored trout.

Horses in the Valley at 4UR Ranch

Horses in the Valley at 4UR Ranch

We have a very funĀ  and fair lottery each night to determine who will fish where on the stream and when. We have broken up our approx. 7 miles of stream into 15 stations, each about 1/3 mile. Through our lottery system, each angler gets privacy and fresh water for himself, every day.

We want your Rocky Mountain vacation here at 4UR to be memorable for everyone in the family, not just Dad and his fishing rod. Sometimes Dad can drag out his teenage daughter for a few casts, and sometimes a teenage son is excited to learn about fly fishing. But even if fly fishing is not your primary interest, the 4UR ranch will keep you pleasantly occupied. How about a dip in the pool? Or maybe a soak in our natural hot springs, which have been drawing visitors since the early 1800’s. We have miles of trails to explore, trapshooting and lots of room to just let your mind unwind.

Welcome to 4UR ranch. Whether your here for big fish or big relaxation, you’ll catch it here.