The Villard ranch is located near Craig, Colorado, where most of the countryside is wide-open ranchland. With the exception of wire fences, the region looks a lot like it did hundreds of years ago. Unless you're a hunter, chances are slim that you'd make Craig, located about an hour's drive west of Steamboat Springs, a destination. But, there are unique adventures here.
Ranchers and Farmers Promote Agri-tourism Ranchers and farmers around the country are getting into agri-tourism as a means of letting people experience ranching and farming, and to get closer to their food sources. The Villard Ranch, a 13,000-acre spread that was featured on America's Dirtiest Jobs, is one. Albert and Melody Villard are third generation sheep ranchers, who raise their sheep in a beautiful, natural setting the same way Grandma Villard did 80 years ago. Visits here offer a variety of opportunities to work with the sheep, or just camp in the backcountry in a sheepherder's wagon far away from city lights and traffic.
The Villard ranch is not a guest or dude ranch with a planned program and lots of staff. Here, arrangements are customized based on the needs and desires of the guest. While there's something to do year-round at the ranch, May through September are the best months to work alongside Albert and Melody and experience sheep ranching. In May you can help with the lambing, which may include birthing, bottle feeding baby lambs that the mothers have not accepted (they're called bums), helping with the ewe's post natal care, tail docking and identification marking of the lambs. Spring is also shearing time. If you've never seen a shearing, it's an amazing operation. A good shearer can strip a coat in about a minute.
In the summer horses are available for experiences riders for keeping track of the sheep, which can be particularly challenging when the sheep head into the scrub oak or tall sage. The primary summer job is keeping the heard healthy. But, depending upon the needs of the day, you could find yourself driving a tractor, feeding the horses or repairing fences. Guests who participate in the ranching activities usually stay in the bunk trailer, which has a shower, and eat with the ranch staff. It's really a unique, memorable adventure. The annual the Sheep Wagon Days Festival in September is designed to educate people about sheep ranching.
Spending a Night in a Sheepherder's Wagon
For those that want to get away from it all the Villards will arrange to locate a wagon in a remote spot where you're almost guaranteed to see a variety of wildlife and the stars fill the sky. Use the wagon as a base to hike in solitude; photograph deer, elk, antelope, coyotes and other wildlife; or just relax and recharge your batteries. For those who lead a fast-paced life, just sitting alone in the sun with your back against a rock and looking out over Mother Earth (maybe even falling asleep) could be the best vacation activity ever.More Places to Explore Near the Ranch
If you are staying in a sheepherders wagon, you can still visit Dinosaur National Park and explore this region. Ask to be located closer to a rural road. so you can head into town or go fishing at Freeman Reservoir (bass, walleye, crappie). A bit further west is the Sand Wash Basin, known for the opportunity to view wild horses. Dinosaur National Monument, about an hour's drive west of Craig, has a massive exhibition hall where visitors can view some 1,500 dinosaur bones left in a huge wall. There are also thousands of ancient Indian petroglyphs on walls around the monument and many of the sites can be reached by car. A day here is a memorable experience.Visiting the Villard Ranch
Unlike a guest ranch, the Villard ranch does not have a pricing "laundry list". Based on 2011 pricing, daily costs ranges from $50.00 per day per person for use of a sheepherder's wagon located near the road to $150 per day per person with meals and accommodations. To discuss the opportunities, costs and availability call Melody Villard at 970-824-9302 or 970-326-6368. Because the ranch can only accommodate a few guests at a time early booking is recommended.For more information about working on the ranch or hiding away in a sheepherders wagon visit Villard Ranch vacations. (For more details on area attractions go to Visit Moffat County. You can view a clip from the Discovery Channel's Dirty Job" TV show to the Villard ranch when Mike Rowe learned how to castrate and dock sheep
.Where to Work on Ranches & Experience Agri-Tourism
- Take a cattle drive vacation in Colorado.
- More places to vacation on working ranches.
- Vacation on a farm in Switzerland.
- Websites listing dude and guest ranches.
