The Ranch at Emerald Valley

My kids "wow! camping is so fun!" While this may be marketed as The Broadmoor's Wildnerness Experience it's far from camping. It's even a few steps above glamping as it should be for the steep price. However, if you want to experience a few days in a great outdoors The Ranch at Emerald Valley is perfect.After 4 nights at the Broadmoor resort (also amazing) we took the 2pm shuttle up a rocky mountain road to the Ranch. We were greeted by Aaron, a fellow Northwestern alum (go Wildcats) and his incredible staff. There were 38 people total our first night there, which the told us was a record for the Ranch. It didn't feel very crowded though (especially after the craziness of the resort) and most of the people had kids the same age as ours which was a lot of fun.They showed us to our cabin, Hills Cabin, which I realized was the "presidential cabin." It was a huge 2 bedroom cabin that had enough room for 6 kids up in loft up top and a beautiful master suite. + 3 bathrooms and a ginormous kitchen/dining room that we didn't really put to use. It also have a big TV with Netflix and a lovely fireplace. There's a 3rd bedroom that's attached to it, although the 2nd night we were there it was rented by another couple with a separate entrance.There's plenty of fun to be had at the ranch: horseback riding, paddleboats/kayaks, archery, fishing, hiking etc. And if you get a rainy afternoon there are plenty of board games to play both in the lodge and in the cabin. We spent 2 nights here, although with the rain wish we had an extra night to enjoy some of the activities we didn't have a chance to squeeze in. The food was absolutely amazing. My picky children were even in heaven and my little guy has been asking for lobster ever since trying it as their Wed night cookout. Dinners besides the twice a week cookout involves ordering off a menu with plenty of choices for all. I do wish they did a better job with labeling the buffet with food allergies. My son has a serious nut allergy and almost ate a brownie with walnuts because it wasn't labeled and I had to constantly ask if things had nuts and/or gluten in them. They asked for our dietary restrictions ahead of time so assumed they'd be better about this.This really was a very special experience that I think our kids will remember for a long time. I heard this coming week a big family is renting out the entire ranch and I'd love to do the same with family and/or friends at some point, although it was fun getting to know some lovely people from around the country as well.

Book this now! This is a vacation of a lifetime. We plan to make this an annual trip. The views are breathtakingly beautiful. The activities on the Ranch or around the Ranch are perfection. The food is world class. The care and service is the best! I wish my stay did not end. Aaron was so caring and accommodating to every guest. He really loves the Ranch and wants to make his guests feel special for every moment they are there. Chef Jesus's food is amazing! Charlotte at the stable was so friendly and helpful during our horseback rides. I hope everyone gets a chance to check this destination off their bucket list. It is a vacation of a lifetime. Thank you again Aaron. It was an amazing stay!

The Ranch at Emerald Valley is located in a beautiful setting, high in the hills overlooking Colorado Springs. Check in begins at the Broadmore at the South lobby. This is where you sign the release for liability while staying at Emerald Ranch. Transportation is provided by the Broadmore to Emerald Ranch. The reason- the road to the ranch is really only drivable by a four wheel drive vehicle. The 30 minute drive tranverses over a dirt road, not a road where you would want to drive your own vehicle. The ranch is located in a beautiful meadow, located in a dense forest. The cabins are spread over a 2 acre area, most in what's called a quad cabin configuration. All of these cabins have private entrances via a porch overlooking the forest. The main lodge is separate from the cabins, This is where a very small bar is located where there is room for two tables and a couple of easy chairs. To say that this area is undersized for the amount of guests booked is an under statement. It's cramped and, quite frankly, not all that appealing. The lodge also housing the main dining room, which is quite large, There is room for about 40 people, more or less, with an appealing central fireplace. It's quite comfortable.Immediately outside the main lodge dining room is the fire pit area. S'mores are served nightly out here as this is a great gathering place for all guests, young and not-so-young alike. Blankets are provided for additional warmth as it can get quite cool in the evenings here.My complaint and the reason for the low rating is the location of the room my husband and I were assigned. Being new to Emerald Valley, i didn't think to request a specific cabin. We were given the one and only room that's attached to the main lodge, sandwiched between the fire pit area and the main road leading into the ranch. There is absolutely no privacy in this room. All of the windows open onto public areas. Anyone walking to the main lodge or down the road can see directly into our room, including the bathroom. The only privacy option is to close all of the curtains in the main room and bathroom, which are blackout curtains. Closing all the curtains turns the rooms into a cave.It's also extremely noisy. These are old log cabins. There isn't any soundproofing with this construction. You can literally hear someone walking down the path by the room, let alone a vehicle coming down the road. Beautiful as this setting is, I am not thrilled paying $1300 a night for these accomodations. The Broadmore shouldn't even offer this room as an option for guests. I sill be contacting the GM about this ASAP.

When I was a kid, we were always warned not to get out of the car if we ever drove up Gold Camp Road. - It was rumored that escaped convicts (from Canon City, I guess?) often hid out around the shooting range area, etc. - And as a result, I've always been a little fascinated by the area and we loved to go up there to check out the views and mess around on the rocks.Take it a step further and head 8 miles up Gold camp to find an awesome guest ranch that used to belong to Spencer Penrose. It has at least 10 guest cottages, a huge dance hall/mess hall, hiking trails, horses, etc. - It's beautiful.Anyway, I've been to weddings and other events at Emerald Valley and it's easily in my top 10 places to see on a visit to Colorado Springs. I think they close it down during the winter (when gold camp isn't drivable) so be sure to call ahead and/or check the website.

Absolutely incredible. Breathtaking location, the food was amazing, the lodge is so cute, rooms are super nice and so many fun activities and amenities. Staff is incredible. One of the most memorable two days with my family and we can't wait to go back.

The ranch has been remodeled in the last year or so and it is even more awesome. A large group of us from work went up with our families and the manager, Craig, welcomed us by the lake, stood on top of a picnic table and gave us a quick overview of the fun to come. We had a fantastic weekend filled with adventures for all ages. The staff was impeccable, friendly and helpful, yet never intrusive. We felt we owned the place but had our best friends hosting us at the same time. We played lawn games, fished, hiked, rode horses, enjoyed the hot tubs and fire pits, and feasted upon beautiful meals. We slept in the luxurious cabins with heated floors and gorgeous upscale rustic decor. We highly recommend this wonderful getaway in the mountains.

Celebrating my wife's 50th Birthday and our 25th Wedding Anniversary. Needless to say it had to be a "WOW" on the special experience scale. We chose Emerald Valley as a 'can't miss' because or our previous experiences at The Broadmoor. Everything exceeded our expectations. Beautiful, Lavish, Attentive, Relaxing, Fun and more. Craig and his staff wonderfully delivered a 5 star experience. It was almost as though we need only think of something and they were providing it before we could say it out loud. They even helped me pull off some surprises I had planned through out our stay. Special thanks to the Staff Pro Angler Luke! Hooked into some big ones and learned a lot about lake dry fly fishing (never done it before). I can't end with out spot lighting the Chefs...Amazing...Creative...cuisine that made us wish our stomachs were bigger!