devil's thumb ranch cross country skiing

For years we came to Devil's Thumb Ranch to eat at the wonderful restaurant in the original log cabin. Then came extensive renovations and development, which included more guest rooms, a spa, and wide-ranging cross-country ski trails which are groomed and well maintained. There is a big valley for easy skiing as well as hills that can be climbed if you want something more strenuous. At the base is a fairly nice store.This time we decided to enjoy a drink in the new restaurant that boasts a huge two-story stone fireplace. Good drinks and nice views out across the valley. Next time we'll need to try the food as well.

I've been coming here for years -- sort of take this grand place for granted as a local. However, it's noteworthy and special. The nordic trails are groomed and maintained. The snowshoeing trails lead to fine views as well. The trailhead village area is safe -- I've never worried about leaving my snowshoes or skis out. The staff is friendly and helpful -- which I appreciate. It's "down home" rather than stuffy. Let there be no mistake, it can be very elegant, but it's nice to avoid the snobbery. The stables are worth the visit -- to be sure! The animals are fun to see -- both the domestic and some of the wildlife nearby. And -- they have lit night nordic ski trail which is simply beautiful!

We have been going to this ranch for years for their cross country skiing trails, but decided to stay right at the ranch this year. Stayed in one of the log cabins. The bedding is so plush you just sink into it. Visiting the stables and the animals is fun and they encourage you to interact with the animals. Staff is great -- very friendly and will take the time just to talk with you. The cross country ski trails are well maintained and take you through some beautiful country. All levels of skiers can find a favorite trail there.

Devil's Thumb committed considerable resources to grooming and packing the early season snowfalls. As a consequence the ski trails have remained in good shape throughout the ski season, even in those periods when the the snow has been light. I've skied there twenty times or so already this season -- the grooming has been excellent.

We come to DTR 3-4 times a year, and we absolutely love skiing these immaculate trails. The groomers must start at midnight, as I never see a groomer on the trails, and I'm skiing by 10 am.....love that! The quality is unmatched....skate track is in excellent shape. A lot of other nordic areas use snowmobiles to "groom".....nasty! I'm also amazed at how efficient and attentive the rental/shop crew are on a busy weekend morning when they get slammed....unflappable. I highly recommend DTR, for all levels. Also, I'm very happy they built a nice little skating rink.....I skate with both my kids. DTR just can't be beat!

Devil's Thumb has a good variety terrain from beginner to the most advanced. Staff in the ski store was very friendly and were even kind enough to see if the groomer had been on the trail I wanted to ski. I skate skied the Black 10 route, was well groomed and extremely challenging. Beverages in the coffee shop were a little pricey but typical of a high end resort. Very nice facilities.

Nice staff at the rental place, fabulous scenery, great trails and totally uncrowded. Hard to beat. The only downside is that the only lunch place (unless you want to eat in a real restaurant) is small and can be crowded.

DTR has a great location if you enjoy great scenic mountain views. The people working at DTR were exceptionally nice and friendly. They even had a young man at the lodge who would open the doors and assist as needed. If you enjoy cross country skiing, you can ski here to your hearts delight. One trail was maybe a half mile circle. It was a flat trail and was nicely groomed. The other trail was maybe a couple of miles beginning to end. It had a little upward climb on the north side. A little strenuous but fine for an intermediate in shape skier. This trail was also nicely groomed.Whether you ski or not, it is worth the visit just to enjoy the surrounding beauty.

The staff is terrific and the venue beautiful with lots of varied terrain for skiing and mountain biking. Weddings are magical here too.

I have been to Devils Thumb Ranch before for Fly fishing instruction, so when we heard there was a zip line on their property, it became a must do for our family. We have gone zip-lining in in several locations, mostly around Cancun Mexico. While the zip-lines in Mexico may be more numerous, (Selvetica is a 12 zip-line course), they look like a death trap compared to the setup at Devils Thumb. Most zip-lines hook you up to a single wire, and off you go. The set up has you attached to 2 lines at the same time. You are so safe it should be marketed for those looking to challenge their fears (which are only lies anyway). The operation is first rate, well informed, professionally outfitted and a setting not to be believed. We were there in the middle of the leaves changing and ripping over that scenery was nothing short of awesome. The ride up was in the back of a vintage Swiss Military transport with stops along the way for views and history. The zip line course starts relatively short and gets longer and faster as you go. The towers the lines are attached almost seem overly safe with a series of anchors and massive timbers. You basically just sit down and off you go, and on the other end, the guide has a state of the art braking system that was smooth and very effective. I am 6'2", 240 lbs so I really make the most of gravity and I was moving across the canyons and their system stopped me so gently, I almost felt robbed of some dramatic conclusion. My son and I would run off the ramp to maximize the speed, and others just sat down and took a ride. Short walks between ramps was nice. This activity is beyond safe, and I can't recommend it any higher. We saw deer, marmots, and had a blast. We even stayed and took an archery lesson which was a tough one for me as after 2 buckets of Arrows to warn up, the competition with my 12 year old son began with him getting a dead center bulls-eye. He beat the old man. Fun activity in a wonderful setting.

What a beautiful location and one stop shop for activities. Four of us ladies ages 57 to 67 went horseback riding with Laura and went rafting with Jason both were so knowledgeable about the ranch and its' history. There are multiple activities and all the people that we met that work there were just delightful would not hesitate to recommend stopping or staying at this ranch in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.. Brenda

We had an AMAZING time at Devil's Thumb Ranch. There were 6 of us that visited the ranch for the day and we all did something different. My 5 year old sun participated in the cowpoke camp and loved it. He spent the afternoon with Jessie, one of the activities employees, and went fishing, hiking, colored, and ate lunch. I felt very comfortable leaving him with the staff while everyone else did other activities. My 28 yr old brother went mountain biking and rode the hardest trail and loved the physical challenge it gave him, since he is a personal trainer. Three other members of the family also went mountain biking, but took the easier trails and found them to be at more their skill level. My parents and other brother and I went horseback riding in the afternoon on the 2 1/2 hour guided ride and it was my favorite part of our vacation. We had a wonderful guide who had a thick Alabama accent and the whole cowboy getup. He had great horse riding skills and pointed out mule deer while riding. Our guide was very friendly and kept us entertained on the ride. The views were breathtaking!!!! The staff on the entire ranch was great. I tried a Nico-coco latte alcoholic coffee drink at the little coffee bar and it was amazing. We also had appetizers and drinks in the restaurant, and the food tasted great and the service was amazing. A fantastic experience all the way around. I would recommend it to anyone that is physically active and staying in the area!

We did the 5 zip tour with Doug and Stephen and had a great time. In our group where first timers and experienced "zippers". Everyone enjoyed the tour and the awesome views it provided. Our first stop was the equipment Yurt, where we were outfitted with our gear, then Doug and Stephen took us out in an all terrain vehicle, showing us the ranch and giving us the history of the area. There were no towers to climb and there are short downward hikes between lines.The first line was a great one to break in the newbies like me. The lines get longer as you go through the tour and the tour finishes with a 1600 ft. line that is a great finale. When the tour is over you get to enjoy a complementary soda, beer, wine or water overlooking the beautiful views of the ranch. We had awesome time and when we were done, wanted to immediately go do it again!

We just came back from a day trip from Arvada CO. (Denver), to the Devils Thumb Ranch where we spent the afternoon on their zip line course. Just this side of Tabernash we found the Devil's Thumb Ranch. What a beautiful resort and although we didn't stay, I would have to say a first class operation. We were kindly greeted at the main entrance where we got directions to their activities center. After finishing the release forms we were off to zip line.After a rather bumpy (but not bone jarring) fifteen minute climb in a Jeep up a nearby mountain side we were ready to go. I believe our guide's name was Doug and he was very warm and personable. Safety was certainly paramount on their minds and we were well prepped for our adventure, in addition we were reassured that you could stop if you felt nervous. Both guides were excellent and we felt very safe. The price was $99 per person for their full zip line course (5 different ziplines), and the 5th or last ride is awesome! We chose this zip line course over the one in Idaho Springs because we wanted to get away and be in the mountains, not I-70. The Idaho Springs locale is next to I-70 (yuck) and are towers you have to climb up. Where as the Devils Thumb course follows the contour of the land, no towers to climb just nice short trails between platforms. [Not to rip the Idaho Springs course just not our cup of tea.] All and all it was a great day for our first zip-lining. We chose the 12:00 time as showers usually move in for the afternoon. We took a full size 35 mm. camera and that was no problem to carry on the trip. And they will accomodate your go-pro with a helmet mount and will even let you take a hand held video camera during your ride. Even in summer, it's chilly - bring a sweatshirt and/or jacket!Devils Thumb was a beautifully scenic choice for ziplining. A great family activity and in my opinion a good value.

Given the absolutely beautiful terrain this has the potential to be one of the best cross country ski areas in North America. However, the trails are badly mismanaged. My husband and I spent over a month in the area, skiing almost every day at either Devil's Thumb or YMCA's Snow Mountain Ranch. Towards the end of our stay we skied almost exclusively at Snow Mountain Ranch because the grooming at Devil's Thumb is just terrible. The groomers either lack proper equipment or do not know what they are doing. The skating lane at their signature trails such as Black 10 trail is so soft that you sink in over your ankles. And that is when the groomers actually went out, which is the exception. The Double Pole Trail which is their prettiest classic only trail often remains ungroomed for days. The most ridiculous was President's day, a wonderfully sunny day where you would expect they would do their best to groom the trails. But no: half of the trail system was completely un-groomed and the rest in bad shape. To avoid bad surprises, we actually checked trail status on their website before heading out to ski the Lactic Grande trail. It said that all trails would be groomed by 10:00am. Yet, at noon, trails were still ungroomed. No wonder the trails always seem deserted: Everyone goes over to Snow Mountain Ranch where the grooming is excellent.