Vee Bar Guest Ranch

Everyone there was wonderful and we had the best time learning about life on a ranch. We rode horses, drove cattle, played games and ate great food! Would definitely recommend and will return someday!

Hands down, one of my favorite vacation spots!!!

My sister and I came here several years ago and stayed for 3 nights prior to continuing on a western road trip, but we knew we wanted to come back to the Vee Bar again. Flash forward three years - not only did we come back but this time, we stayed the entire week! We were so glad we got to experience the latter part of the week at the ranch - inclusive of trapshooting, archery, a day-long mountain ride, and an overnight camp-out! It was really humbling that the wranglers remembered us from our previous visit, too; we really felt a part of their family!

Speaking of the staff - they are phenomenal and VERY accommodating! The on-site chef is AMAZING and provides gluten free/vegetarian/etc. options during the buffet-style meals; the wranglers ensure you are comfortable at all times; Lori at the front desk was very responsive via email with my pre-travel questions; and housekeeping made our cabin looking fresh every day. All were very welcoming and friendly.

Vee Bar puts together a very well-organized itinerary for the week too. As a planner, I personally love this. They have multiple activities for all activity levels and you're more than welcome to "skip" an activity if you wish. From horseback riding to hiking, they truly have something for everyone, and it's very evident they put a lot of time into creating a well-rounded trip experience.

The reason why we chose Vee Bar initially (compared to other dude ranches) was due to its proximity to the Denver Airport. Now, I will gladly continue revisiting due to the GREAT experiences and memories made there. If you're wanting a true western experience, I couldn't recommend Vee Bar enough. I truly cannot say enough good things about this ranch!

Happy to report a totally positive experience regarding cabin #6.
It's decorated so cute- the linens were clean - actually everything was perfect in my opinion.
I definitely will return here with grandkids and our children too!
Wranglers knowledgeable and accommodating too.
We had some special needs situations and they were very happy to accommodate!
Kudos to all staff that are making this memorable trip happen!

This was such a fun trip I really enjoyed it. All the Wranglers were so nice and the staff did anything you needed I recommend this to anyone who wants to have a great time. I really liked riding the horses and had fun doing it. All the people are really nice. I am going to come back.

We just returned from our first dude ranch experience and can't say enough great things about VeeBar. My daughter and I had the time of our life. Best vacation ever. So many fun things to do and best of all, you become part of the VeeBar family from the moment you arrive. The entire staff, from the wranglers to the cooks and housekeepers were awesome. Little surprises like personal notes in your cabin to an unexpected ice cream stop after a long trail ride made for a lifetime of memories.

Thanks for all you do and best wishes for continued success.

Patti and Juli

BAIT & SWITCH: GUEST COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE:

Advertised as 3-bedroom, 6 guest cabin, Cabin #1 has no separation/privacy doors (only one queen bedroom has a thin door), a small bathroom with 2 towels (not half as nice as the bathrooms pictured on the Veebar.com website) and it is located at the main (dirt road) driveway of the ranch, so every truck and trailer entering and leaving passed directly by. Add the mouse or rat that is currently building a nest in the ceiling of the only "bedroom" with a door, sleep is optional in this setup. The little sink in this bedroom has multiple cracks and shows major use/dirt and is no pleasure to use for personal hygiene. The bathroom itself wasn't clean, did not provide sufficient towels and shampoo for a party larger than 2 and the shower curtain did not look like its cleaned regularly. A proof for this assumption was, that the two nights we spent in cabin #1 the room was not cleaned, the beds weren't made and the towels not exchanged. The excuse of "true western experience" sounds lame, as we are sure even cowboys shower from time to time and each would prefer his/her own towel to dry. We signed up for the 3:30pm orientation ride - unfortunately, our cabin was only ready minutes prior - no time to change into riding gear. Although not anybody's fault, we could have been advised not to park our car next to Cabin #1, as the tree there emitted enough tree-sap for our car requiring expert detailing after our stay.

FOOD:
Sourced from a SYSCO truck and the Vee Bar "Wal-Mart charge account" (quote of a wrangler), the food does not nearly meet the expectations set by the amount charged ($5,800 for four people, Wednesday afternoon arrival, Saturday morning departure). Do not expect espresso drinks or a breakfast buffet with several choices of cheeses and meats.....you are in for a couple of yoghurts and one or two warm dishes (scrambled eggs, hash-browns), basically a "free breakfast" equivalent of a Residence Inn or similar hotel type. Also worth mentioned is how the rations are calculated: once the wranglers join for the meal (nice touch), the more popular food items are quickly exhausted. Twice (in only two days) we were unable to acquire a second helping and not once were we truly impressed with the taste, the quality of the ingredients or the choice of sides. We felt "nickel-and-dimed" as sodas (!) and beer/wine was charged extra for $3/can/bottle. Seriously for that price and the quality of food served? You could - of course - always drink water from the sink.....

Soft-boiled eggs, Eggs Benedict, omelet's or espresso for breakfast? Dream on, Cowboy!

ENVIRONMENT:
We observed how trash was mixed with glass and recyclable paper cups/plastic at the
Camp", although it would have been easy to put two cans and to separate these items for proper recycling.

GUEST WELL BEING AND HEALTH:
No filtered water is provided - other facilities we have visited (including Yellowstone, Bryce lodges) had plastic bottle elimination faucets with cold, clean drinking water. Glasses are filled in the "saloon" in the dishwashing sink from the faucet. The bathrooms we observed (including the cracked sink in Cabin #1 queen bedroom) are not very clean and aged and the toilet at the camp site is disgusting (our mom ran to the shower after our return from there).

RIDING:
The orientation ride on the ranch - the only "ride" we experienced there - did not nearly provide the guidance we have experienced at other outfits; NO advice on heal position, properly holding the reigns, foot-steering, backing-up, riding uphill or downhill, or potential life-saving single-side reign emergency stop etc., etc. was given. We blame this lack of instruction for our group "newbie" to being unable to avoid/steer around low hanging branches, resulting in bruises and cuts.
90% of the wranglers are young college students, some are very nice and tell the guests about the area (e.g: "Frog"), others do not speak a word for the whole transfer to the other Ranches, where the actual riding takes place - see below. The horses (approx. 40 owned by Vee Bar (Brent and Kari) another 30 or so leased from other ranches) appeared well trained and healthy BUT the Vee Bar Ranch itself appears to have little to none challenging riding terrain. Hence, every ride (but the orientation) requires a 20-45 minutes shuttle ride to the terrain (often in total silence from the student wrangler).
The advertised cattle drive (at the Hecht creek ranch) was disappointing, as we rode along the highway for several miles (walking), hence no excitement, views or fun to be had, as we have experienced at other ranches, e.g. in Vail, CO, where we jogged and cantered for most of the drive and the terrain and views are amazing. In Vail a much more compelling (faster, more interesting and much more beautiful terrain, and Texas longhorn cattle) better ride costs $170.00 per person.
Our (significant) refund request was refused to date.

Hot damn everything is better with ranch, guest ranch that is.

I spent this past weekend in Laramie, WY at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch. This place is just miles from Snowy Range Ski Area and is the middle of the majestic Medicine Bow National Forest.

Oh where to start? How about this, you do not get keys to your room or cabin, it is all honor system. You can lock yourself in at night, but as they told me don't lock yourself out. Speaking of honor system, the John Wayne Saloon on the 500 acre property was open 24/7 with no bartender and just a sheet to write down what you drink. Add a free juke box, games galore and a pool table it was a perfect place to start or end a day.

My personal cabin was 8 feet from the Little Laramie River and the surroundings are breathtaking. Add a hot tub, amazing service, all the little details with none of the modern crap and you have the most relaxing place on earth.

I rocked a three night and three days of skiing at the mountain for a song. You could go to Colorado or North Cali and ski as well, but you would be paying 5X too much and miss partying with some amazing Wyoming cowboys and cowgirls.

YEE HAW

Greatest time of my life, sure it's not modern, clean, or regular food but
that's what it's about! This is the true western experience and I hope I come again!

We love this place. The rooms are well done and have a great layout. We stayed with our two boys and it was perfect for skiing at snowy range. The breakfast in the morning is at a nice, cozy lodge and is amazing.... homemade smoothies, homemade blueberry bread, pancakes, sausage and more. The game room is great. This is a place where we will bring family to stay for a mini-vacation. Just really nice and laid back in a beautiful spot--a hidden gem.

Came here for a weekend while working the week in Denver a litle under 3 hour drive and worth every minute of it

Couldn't agree with the other review more. We were the only guests and it as 8 below this weekend but the warm fire, warm reception, great cooked to perfection breakfast served to us at 8am straight up was more than expected. The Ranch kitty gave us some pet happiness and kept a watchful eye on us.

Great value and a place where you will start making your return plans before you leave. Can't wait to go there in other parts of the year and partake in the ranch activities.

Can't say enough wonderful things.