Vacation at Tip Top Guest Ranch in Bellevue, Colorado

The Tip Top Guest Ranch is a great vacation destination if you want to be self-sufficient without camping out. It's a fantastic place to stay if you want clean, quaintly decorated cabins and don't mind using an outhouse. Here is where you get a real taste of cowboy charm with modern amenities not far away.

We lucked out by choosing the Hi-De-Ho cabin (pic #1) out of the three cabins available for rental at Tip Top. You can find pictures on the Tip Top Guest Ranch web site, but here you will find ones we took. The Hi-De-Ho started out as convenience store on the side of a road in Loveland, Colorado, before it started its new life as a vacation cabin. The furniture has seen use but it is clean (pic #2), the beds are comfortable, and the cool old stove in the kitchen works like a charm (pic #3). The Hi-De-Ho cabin has an overstuffed green couch that I defy you to stay awake when you lay down on it. There is no running water so the ranch staff brings water, in a big blue ten gallon container, whenever you need it.

Staying at any of the Tip Top cabins you have to be self-sufficient enough to bring your own food and cook your own meals. For a $5.00 a day fee they will supply you with a propane tank so you can grill. The Hi-De-Ho cabin has an outhouse a short walk from the back door. The other two cabins, the Ponderosa and White are a few steps from a brand new bathhouse. Rates are reasonable with the cabins $75.00 per night for two people and just $5.00 more per person.

The Hi-De-Ho sits on a ledge that overlooks the Mummy Mountain Range and the Colorado Front Range mountains. The view from the deck and the dining table is two hundred degrees of breath taking scenery (pic #4).

So other than sitting on the deck and ogling the scenery, what is there to do at Tip Top Ranch? Exploring the mountainside right outside the cabin door, rock hopping, checking out the profusion of wildflowers, and making friends with the horses. Oh yeah, they have horses. It is a ranch after all.

We highly recommend a trail ride at Tip Top Ranch. The all female staff of wranglers are friendly, knowledgeable and great teachers. Take that last as truth from someone who took their first trail ride at Tip Top Ranch (that is me on Dakota in pic #5). Nothing but kudos to the Miranda, Christina, Chelsea and Miley, who are all professional wranglers that deliver excellent customer service. The two hour trail ride is $40.00 per person and a bargain. We saw beautiful scenery, rode some steep trails, saw wildlife and wildflowers with our guide, Christina giving us a running commentary on the history of the area.

Looking for a great Colorado vacation experience the Tip Top Guest Ranch has a lot to offer. Unique cabins to stay in, friendly staff, and all the outdoor experiences you could want at great prices. If it is a peaceful, relaxing vacation you want then it has that to offer too. Sit on the deck, sip a cold one and watch nature in all its glory.