Mancos is the place for horseback riding, stagecoach rides

Mancos is the place for horseback riding, stagecoach rides

July 19, 2001

WRANGLER BRADLEY DENNISON checks out a mule, the mascot, during a recent day at the horse riding stables at Wild Wild Rest, located about a mile east of the Mesa Verde National Park entrance on U.S. Highway 160. Many different riding stables are located in and about the Mancos area.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

For those who love to horseback ride - or if you have always wanted to learn, there is a riding stable in the Mancos area. Mancos touts itself as the place "Where the West Still Lives."

Horseback riding is the central activity in and around the Mancos area. Experienced riders will be on the trail following a short orientation. New riders, or those who desire a refresher course, can stay in the arena a little longer and work on basic skills until they are comfortable with their horse. Those who want to learn to ride, and veteran riders, will feel safe and relaxed with their horse so they can enjoy a great vacation of riding.

With a large string of fine riding horses, the stables and ranches will find a horse that is just right for any level of ability. Experienced wranglers accompany small groups of riders to provide the personal attention and instruction necessary to ensure that every rider can enjoy their days in the saddle.

The Mancos Visitor Center and Pioneer Museum is a good place to start for those looking for stables and/or places to ride. Phone them at 533-7434.

But here are a few other places to check out:

Sarah, Justin and Dave Show operate two stables, both located on U.S. Highway 160 between Mancos and Cortez. The Mesa Verde Riding Stable and Wild Wild Rest Riding Stable are open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily from May 1-Sept. 15.

Prices vary, depending on long a ride is wanted. Generally, prices are $20 per person per hour, $30 for hour-and-a-half, $40 for two hours, $55 for half day, and $85 for full day. Horses also are available to lease for regular riding or hunting trips.

"We have horses for all levels of ability for children to adult and seniors," Sarah Show said. "We have seven horses at Wild Wild Rest and many more at Mesa Verde Riding Stable. We can accommodate as many as 30 people for a ride."

Show said that an hour ride from Wild Wild Rest will go a ways into the Mud Creek Valley.

"I heartily recommend the two-hour ride. We go way up into the valley. It is so pretty up there. We ride through pinons, cedars, and some pines. You can get great views of the LaPlata Mountains and good views of Mesa Verde National Park. A half-day ride is very nice because we get way out into the woods. The full-day ride takes riders up near Summit Lake," she said.

For more information, phone the Wild Wild Rest at 533-9747 or Mesa Verde Riding Stable at 533-7269.

Those who would rather sit on a seat, can take an authentic stagecoach tour. Those who take the stage can enjoy scenery of Weber Canyon to see Anasazi ruins which date from the 900-1200s, and old log cabins and weathered barns which date from the 1880s.

Bartels’ Mancos Valley Stage Lines down Weber Canyon is the place. Phone 533-9857 for reservations. There is an hour tour for $25 per person, lunch tour for $55 per person, and dinner tour for $65.

Ruslter’s Roost Ranch offers riding and outfitting. Breakfast rides with views of Weber Canyon and the Mancos Valley are $29, dinner rides with steak or chicken and cowboy entertainment is $39, and half-day rides up into the mountains for views of the Mancos Valley, Mesa Verde National Park, and Weber Canyon for $59.

For more information, phone 533-1570.

Rimrock Outfitters, operated by Perry and Lynne Lewis, offers trail rides, pack trips, breakfast rides, dinner rides, hay rides, sleigh rides (during winter) and leases hunting horses. The rides head along the west fork of the Mancos River and into high-mountain elevations. All-day rides go into Southwestern Colorado’s high country (lunch included). They have overnight and extended pack trips into the La Plata Mountains. All trips leave from Echo Basin Guest and Dude Ranch.

For reservations, phone Rimrock Outfitters at 533-7588.

Tumbling T’s Stables and Mancos Trout Farm is located about a mile east of Mancos. Prices range from $20 for an hour to $35 for two hours and $60 for half-day (four hours). Breakfast rides are $40 and dinner rides $60. The group also operates Opposition Stage Line, open 8 a.m. every day. This is a stage journey across the Mancos River. Special cattle drives often take visitors during the year. The ride lasts 20-30 minutes (depending on mood of mules). Prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-11. Reservations are not required and drop-ins are welcome. Also at Tumbling T’s are rainbow trout in a spring-fed pond that can be fished without a license.

For more information, phone 533-7356.

Echo Basin Guest and Dude Ranch, located a few miles east of Mancos, offers rustic steakhouse and bar, A-frame cabins, deluxe cabins with kitchens, shaded tent and recreational vehicle sites, private rodeo arena and grounds, laundry and fitness rooms, arcade and pool tables, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, fishing ponds, horseback riding, and heated pool and hot tub.

For more information, phone 533-7000.

Lake Mancos Ranch is another option. It offers a children’s program, scenic trail rides, riding instruction, team penning, four-wheel drive trips, cookouts and home cooked meals, hayrides, specious accommodations, swimming, mountain biking, hiking, and fishing opportunities. Phone 533-1190 for details.

Flagstone Meadows Ranch, located just outside of Mancos, offers horseback riding, river rafting, guest rooms, and other Western adventures. Phone 533-9838.

Wilderness Weber Canyon Ranch is already the trail head for many horseback riding trips, but soon will be what Anne Rapp calls a combination between an up-scale hostel and a rustic bed and breakfast.

Jerry and Anne Rapp operate the Wilderness Weber Canyon Ranch in Mancos which is the starting point for guided group horse rides through the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, with special permission from the tribal park, and also guided horse rides through the ranch. Soon, however, the ranch will be expanded to provide accommodations for their guests to stay overnight.

Anne Rapp said, "We’re developing it more into a ranch stay, but not a dude ranch. We don’t want any planned activities." Although the ranch will not have specific activities, those who stay at the Wilderness Weber Canyon Ranch will have access to horses. "We just want it to be a place for people who just want to get off the beaten path," she said. "We’re keeping everything as rustic as possible."

The Rapps have been in the guide and wilderness outfitting business 18 years. Recently, the Rapps sold their well-known wilderness outfitting company Rapp Guides and Packers to Pete Turner of Durango. With the sale of Rapp Guides the Rapps are free to broaden their ranch while continuing their Haviland Lake summer riding stables, winter sleigh rides, and snowmobile tours in Durango.