C Lazy U Ranch

C Lazy U Ranch was established near Granby, Colorado in late 1800s as a dude ranch by Four Member families who explored the mountain ranges in the region. The property, originally named the F Slash Ranch, is located at 8,250 feet (2,514 m) above sea level on Colorado Highway near Granby, Colorado, AbOUT ninety five miles (152 km) from Denver. As one of the oldest dude ranches in Granby, C Lazy U Ranch has a strong influence on the other dude ranches in the area and state. The ranch was opened to the guests in 1919 with 11000 acres of land, continuing to grow to meet the needs of guests. By the early 1900s it included lodge (1920), cabins, barns, post office, and outbuildings.

History

The two families McQueary’ and Smilies’, known to be territorial frontier in the region, were holding two adjacent ranches at Dexter and Willow Creek. McQueary family was running an inn and post office in their ranch whereas Jack Smillie sold the ranch to his cousin Wilson Smillie in the early 1900s. Since childhood, Jack had keen interest in becoming a cowboy, although his parents had different dreams for him. In 1917, Jack was given a boost by his mother and, upon her invigoration, arrived back at the ranch to fulfill his childhood dreams. Gertrude, daughter of Milton McQueary who was assisting his father in the ranch, met Jack at the ranch and they married in 1919. After marriage, Jack bought the ranch back from his brother to work on his childhood passion and the couple eventually associated the two ranches and hooked it as F Slash ranch.

The standard of service and cuisine rose rapidly and Jack built the first few guest houses on the property to initiate development as an organized guest dude ranch. In 1925, on Wilson’s recommendation, his friends came to the ranch to review growth opportunities, as they had frequently visited other dude ranches. They were impressed by the natural beauty and surroundings around the ranch and gave ideas on how to grow the area as a western dude ranch. Jack and Gertrude listened to their feedback and started working on building the initial barn and new building structures that could attune more guests and continue to expand the ranch. The couple ran the guest ranch for 30 years before selling it to Paul Carmichael and Colonel Jess Hart. The ownership of the ranch changed frequently, then was re-sold to Mr. Peterson and Mr. LeFleur. They hosted it for a year before selling it to [...] Schoenberger, Katie Schoenberger and Ivor Peterson. The ranch was carefully selected by the trio; they worked on further developing the ranch to compete with other western dude ranches. The trio rebranded it as C Lazy U Ranch and started construction of a new lodge in 1947.

During the 1950s, the renowned horsewoman Marion Palmer came to the ranch as a guest. She liked the place and collaborated with Schoenbergers to start a riding program for the children, which turned the ranch into a place of outdoor and western activities where families can spend time together. Mare’s program did much to popularize dude ranches in the area; she won several horse riding events during the period including Denver Stock Show. It also helped in driving interest of parents towards her riding program at the ranch. Another major change at the ranch occurred when horse wrangler Dawn Cone joined the ranch in 1955. In 1973, Katie sold the ranch to George and Virginia Mullin, who visited the ranch during their honeymoon. The couple owned several other companies and focused on developing the ranch by constructing new guest units as well as adding sports & amusement activities. Mullins upgraded the ranch by adding winter programs such as cross-country ski trails, game rooms, and a sauna. They continued to run the ranch for fifteen years before selling it to the Murray family. In 2008, Brian Murray made a formal declaration of family partnership to perpetuate the ranch’s inheritance. After a span of three years Jacobs and Murrays sold their share to Bailey and Stanford families.

Present day

In addition to the year-round horseback riding program built as a core of the ranch, C Lazy U ranch has game rooms, spa, gourmet dining, yoga and personal training programs including hiking, biking and fitness center. The ranch is now primarily operated as a guest ranch and has become an attraction of weddings, holiday getaways, all-inclusive trips, family vacations, and corporate retreats. The activities are mainly bifurcated into summer and winter programs and are generally offered as all-inclusive packages with different activities for kids and parents.

The summer program includes horseback riding, mountain biking, a ropes course, zip lining, fly fishing, luxury camping, swimming, trap shooting, archery and outdoor games. Their horseback riding program is well developed and includes different activities and rides for kids of all ages. C Lazy U is located on the Colorado River’s headwaters and is an Orvis’ endorsed lodge for fly fishing programs, offering fly fishing from professional guides. Guests can choose half and full day guided trips on the Fraser and Colorado River. Off-ranch activities include skiing, golfing, campouts, hot air ballooning, water rafting, wagon rides, atv rentals and others.

As a year-round dude ranch, C Lazy U ranch offers additional activities and unique winter vacations. Winter activities include private snowcat skiing, sledding, ice hockey, snowmobiling, ice skating, snowshoeing, tubing, and more. Due to their idyllic Colorado country mountain setting, C Lazy U has become the backdrop for destination ranch weddings and has been used for multiple commercials, photo shoots, and ad campaigns.

Awards and recognition

  • Approved ranch member of the Dude Ranch Association
  • Top-Ten Luxury Ranch/Signature Ranch Award by DudeRanch
  • Winner of YPO Best of the Best Family Event
  • Best Guest Ranch Suites by Elite Traveler
  • Top 5 best Places for Your Winter Family Vacation by Travel-Tot
  • Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing Lodge
  • 10 Great Dude Ranches by USA Today
  • Top 1000 places to See Before you Die
  • ‘Best Of Awards Editor’s Picks by Colorado Meetings + Events
  • World’s 15 Best Spas with a View by Fodors