WOW! We had a great time at Wit's End Ranch! The staff went out of their way to make everything amazing for us.

We loved the horses my son even asked if he could take his horse home on the plane. The wranglers were great and very patient with us. They were not your typically "cowboys/ cowgirls" They were neat and clean in appearance and very sweet with the kids. The mountain trails were beautiful, you'll have to take a 1/2 day ride up to Freeman Park it's breathtaking!

My husband loved Fly-fishing with the guides and went almost everyday. He caught brown trout and pike out of the lake.

I especially loved the Spa. The massages and facial were great. I was also suprised to see a sauna and steam showers i their Spa that I could use at no charge.

The ranch seemed to have something for everyone in our family we will beack next year!

What a disappointment! They describe the ranch as a luxury guest ranch & nothing could be further from the truth. This ranch is very simple & plain. The brochures lead you to believe the ranch is on a lake with access to boats. The ranch is not within walking distance of the lake, you have to take a car to get there. The cabins are described as "luxury" but what you get is a cabin with fake log siding on the outside & the insides are decorated with all different types of furnishings. The bathroom was so small you literally couldn't turn around in it. The swimming pool was a mess. The concrete on the bottom was peeling off & floating in the pool.

The ranch manager was contacted as soon as we got there on Sunday afternoon. We expressed our concerns & asked to have a refund. We were told that he could not do that but he would contact the owner's family & have someone meet with us. We continued to express our frustration at being misled but no one came to talk to us. We had to spend the night & the next morning we asked again to have our refund but no one would talk to us. The person that I reserved with would not answer the phone so we waited until 10am when someone finally showed up & he instantly said he does not give refunds. We argued for over an hour with him insisting we should just leave but without a refund. We travelled from Florida so leaving without a refund was not an option for us. I promised the young man I was speaking with that we would not be leaving without our $$ back & I assured him I would be at every meal & on every trail ride all week long telling every guest how misled we have all been & what they should have gotten from a "luxury guest ranch". Shortly after that he gave us our refund & we left.

This ranch is not a member of the Colorado Dude Ranchers Association. They do not meet the criteria. I obviously did not know this at the time so when selecting a ranch look for that.

We just returned from a week long family vacation at Wit's End. This was the first time in many years, that my parents, brothers and sisters and all of our children were going on vacation together. Our experience was nothing less than spectacular.
Our ages ranged from 9 to 78. Each of our families had separate cabins. The cabin in which we stayed is thought to be one of the oldest in the area dating back to the late 1700's. It was perfect for our family of 4. If you are expecting Ritz Carlton accomdations, that isn't what you will find. Instead you will find very comfortable accomodations with all the ameneties you need - from wood burning firelplaces, to down comforters, small kitchens to beautiful porches - perfect for reading a book or just watching the incredible views of the Vallacito valley.

The meals are served in the main lodge - an incredibly restored structure. Each night you have several main course options from which to choose, we found the variety and quality to be outstanding. The breaksfasts were a wonderful time to meet up with other family members, have a cup of coffee and chocolate pancakes and discuss the days plans.

The staff was outstanding. It is obvious that each and every staff members goal - from the General Manager, Phil, to our wonderful housekeepers - is to help you have a perfect vacation. They were flexible, courteous, available but not overbearing in any way.

Honestly, I was concerned that we wouldn't all be able to find things that would keep us all interested. I was so wrong. The proof lies in the comments made by three of our family members - my 14 year old neice and the other from each of our 9 year old sons. My neice - who prefers shopping over anything said "this was WAY better than I thought it would be." And from one of our sons, he's now made an edict that we are not allowed to mention the name "Wit''s End" because it was so much fun that he doesn't want to be reminded that the vacation is actually over. And from our other son, my wife noticed him sitting on our couch shortly after arriving home - he was very quiet and had big tears starting to form in his eyes. When asked what was wrong - he said "I'm just so sad thinking about the people checking in to Wit's End and the fun week they are going to have - and our vacation is over."

PS - I highly recommend that Overnight Horsepack trip - it was tremendous!

The owners of the Wit's End Guest Ranch and Resort, Jim and Karen Custer, made our experience in a word, incredible. Mr. Custer personally picked us up from the Durango airport which made us feel truly special. On the car ride, we got to know him intimately and his knowledge and expertise made us incredibly excited to get there! My husband is an avid fisherman, and I an avid horsewoman, so as you can imagine, this was a dream vacation for us both.

To say the least, we were not disappointed. Our accommodations were excellent. We had a spacious cabin with a huge living area and cozy fireplace. At night we would have a glass of wine and play Scrabble before dinner and just talk. We welcomed the change of pace from our hectic lives. Some nights we would go early to dinner, have a cocktail at their full bar and play pool, which is located upstairs with a dynamite panoramic view of the property.

During the day, we would fish or ride. The fly fishing guides were knowledgeable and extremely helpful. I sat on the bank and read my book and watched my husband reel them in! Other days we would ride. The views were breathtaking. Another day we had a competition where we herded cows into a ring, this was heaven for me. The instructors fit me with a horse that would really go and my husband, less experienced, was given a horse that made him feel comfortable and relaxed.

Another day we took a boat ride on Lake Vallecito. Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!

We stayed for 5 nights. Other activities in nearby Durango were shopping, restaurants and a great train ride. Mostly though, we loved relaxing on the ranch.

From the views, to the gourmet food (I had the best rack of lamb there in my life), to the various activities, we had our second honeymoon. I would recommend this resort to any one I know.

Have fun! You WILL NOT be disappointed.

Morgan and Oliver Green
Boca Raton, FL