What makes a Dude Ranch a "Dude" Ranch? Apparently in the early 1900s the word "dude" had a bit of a different meaning than it does today. A “dude” was a city person. A dude ranch is where city people can go to learn about ranch life.

Colorado is full of beautiful land. It's no surprise there are "nearly 34,000 farms and ranches in Colorado encompassing 31.7 million acres" according to these Colorado Agriculture Fun Facts.

Turns out there are dude ranches all over our state. About 63 of them in fact. Recently one right here in Northern Colorado was given a pretty cool nod on Trips to Discover.

In an article, "12 Authentic Dude Ranches in the U.S. for a Cowboy-cation," Cherokee Park Ranch in Livermore was featured. It's just a little less than an hour northwest of Old Town. Their website totes daily horseback riding, a petting zoo, river rafting, cattle team penning, fly fishing, tubing on the Poudre River, rodeos, a fire pit, and square dancing as some of the fun activities you will enjoy.

The setting at Cherokee Park Ranch has all the western feels. Mountains, wildflowers, a river, a star-filled sky, and the sounds of true nature. There are tons of lodging options and it seems a lot of family reunions and honeymoons are popular at this dude ranch.

Imagine the city people who just got married and head to Colorado for a ranch experience. I love it!!

I imagine with the popularity of the wildly popular show Yellowstone, ranches everywhere have seen a boom in business. It's pretty cool to have such a great one for people to experience right here in our backyard

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