Ablendof the past…

and the present.

Southern Ute gathering, Pine River, circa 1880’s.

On a fair morningthe mountain invitedyou to get down and

roll in its new grass and flowers. Every livingthing sang, chirped and burgeoned. Massivepines and firs, storm-tossed these many months,soaked up in the sun in towering dignity. Tassel-eared squirrels, poker-faced but exuding emotionwith voice and tail, told you insistently whatyou already knew full well: that never hadthere been so rare a day, or so rich a solitude tospend it on.

Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac

June awakens the Colorado high country: springlight reveals a newness of color and soundunmatched in any other season. Here, the SouthernUte Indians of centuries past summered. Theyunderstood this paradise, its power and serenity.Come, explore with us the wonders of the San JuanMountains; rekindle a time when family and placewere all that really mattered.

With nostrils flared in excitementAnd muscles glimmering in the sun,He has carried his cargo–

Whether it be for fighting or for fun.Never has an animal ventured

Through history with such force.Never has there been an animalLike the noble horse.

John N. Campbell, The Horse

Horse dreams? Allow your imag-ination to become a realization. Experiencing themountains from the back of your horse is a uniquesensation – centered, muscular, invigorating,relaxing, and fun. Whether you’re a beginner or anadvanced rider, we invite you to expand your rid-ing abilities, as well as learn to communicate withand understand your horse.

Pine River stage stop, circa 1890’s.

If there is magic onthis planet, it iscontained in water.

Loren Eiseley, The Immense Journey

Water has shaped these mountains andvalleys – snow, rain, and rivers have etched a historyon the land. Humanity, too, has evolved withwater – from sustenance to recreation. Vallecito Lake,Rio de Las Animas de la Perdidas, the San Juan River,and Rio de Los Piños. Raft, ski, plunge, cast,immerse, listen … and the magic of water can turn usall into laughing children again.

ALSO PICTURED: The historic Durango-Silverton NarrowGauge Railroad and the Anasazi dwellings of Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park.

“The Swimming Hole” by Tim Cox

The ranch is an endless naturalplayground, a constant adventure. Mymemories are filled with a mixture offantastical imaginings of the hobbits andsnipes that dwelled just beyond my field ofview, of the smell of horses, of mud wars, ofswimming holes created from hand-built dams,of the children who joined me every week.When you don’t have a Nintendo or T V, youare left to the limitless possibilities of your own imagination.

Erika Roberts

Southern Ute families, circa 1880’s.

Cowboy hats have beenworn by kings and ranch

hands, by celebrities, politicalfigures, and businessmen

alike. But one thing iscertain–whoever you are, when that hat goeson your head, something unique happens. Fora brief moment, you become part of a grandadventure; you’re transported into anothertime and space, when the West wasn’t just aplace, but an adventure, a state of mind.William Reynolds & Ritch Rand, The Cowboy Hat Book

Recall the simple pleasures that liken us tothe Native Americans, the explorers, and theranchers. Slow down and sit around our campfire.Dance. Sing. Stare at the stars. Spend a week awayfrom alarm clocks and the ten o’clock news.Awaken instead to the distant song of a coyote andsleep to the sound of silence.

Chuckwagon on the ranch homestead, circa 1900’s.

If one is tounderstand and

appreciate the wilderness, oneshould stroll along, pause, sit down for awhile and just absorb what there is to see, tohear, to smell. The world of the high countryis one of rare beauty, so lovely, lonely, andwonderful a place. Be kind to it.

Louis L’Amour, Frontier

The Roberts family and our staffare committed to providing an extraordinaryvacation for our guests. Wilderness is an integralpart of that commitment. We invite you to shareour passion … a legacy of western living.

Since 1970, The Roberts family

WILDERNESS TRAILS RANCH

Ablend of the past…and the present.

Local cowboys, circa 1890’s.

Bordering the Piedra Wilderness Area in the San Juan National Forest(35 miles northeast of Durango, Colorado)

23486 County Road 501Bayfield, Colorado 81122 (summer)

1766 County Road 302Durango, Colorado 81301 (winter)

An American Plan Guest Ranch offering week long stays.www.wildernesstrails.com

E-MAIL: info@wildernesstrails.com1-800-527-2624 or 970-247-0722

FAX: 970-247-1006PHOTO CREDITS: Mike Hallacy, Christopher Marona,

Mary C. Woolverton, Robert L. Venuti, Gunnar Conrad,Gary Budke, Ed McKinney

ARTISTS: Tim Cox (The Watering Hole), Lee Kromschroeder and Wild Wings, Inc. (Eagle)

HISTORIC PHOTOS: Ft. Lewis College Center for Southwest Studies and Animas Museum

DIGITAL PREPRESS: Paula Seay©Wilderness Trails Ranch, 1997

Printed on Recycled Paper

Pine River Post Office, circa 1890’s.

Established 1948