Beaver Meadows Resort
Location |
Website |
100 Beaver Meadows Pl, Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545
This is a pretty easy drive up I-25 from Denver. I drove this route as my first experience camping with horses. We drove in the rain and hail for 2.5 hrs from Westminster and managed to get there without a problem. |
People accommodation reservations:
https://beavermeadows.com/ To make horse accommodation arrangements: http://beavermeadowsstables.com/ So you have to make reservations for your horse through the stables and reservations for yourself through the main resort. Apparently the resort leases out the horse corrals to the stable to maintain and schedule. This makes it a little unnecessarily complicated to make your reservation. |
Trail Map
Accommodations
Beaver Meadows is great because it has a wide variety of lodging. You can camp for really cheap or you can stay in a lodge room for 200-$300 a night or you can rent a large cabin for the whole family. So we went in June of 2019 the weekend we happened to get snow! My husband and I wanted to tent camp right next to the horse corral. I was so cold and wet from worrying over the horses and changing blankets. After the first night I was ready to call it quits. Luckily a camper cabin opened up and Joann convinced me to stay and ride in the snow! Joann stayed in a lodge room (with a shower and heating) while her beautiful Tb Bliss stayed in corral 17. We stayed in the Buckskin cabin (wood stove, no electricity or heat) which was about 20 feet from the horse corral. Originally my two horses were in corral 14, however with the snow corral 14 turned into mud soup. Luckily we were the only horses camping so I was able to move our horses to corral 18/19 which was on higher ground. It was still extremely muddy but at least the corral wasn't flooded!
You can also stay in a lodge room with electricity, a shower and heat. If you stay in the lodge then the closest place for your horse is the main stable. The main stable is pretty darn rustic. No shelter and the rough log-poles that make up the corrals. My main complaint would be the unsightliness of the main stable and the distance from the stable to the lodge rooms. Most of the resort's horses are out in a big pasture during the day.
You can also stay in a lodge room with electricity, a shower and heat. If you stay in the lodge then the closest place for your horse is the main stable. The main stable is pretty darn rustic. No shelter and the rough log-poles that make up the corrals. My main complaint would be the unsightliness of the main stable and the distance from the stable to the lodge rooms. Most of the resort's horses are out in a big pasture during the day.
Below: Muddy paddocks 17 and 18. They were really hard to muck after our visit. The owner of the stables is very strict about having all visitors clean their paddocks thoroughly. We hauled water from the creek about 25 feet away from the corrals. No water spigots. Sam and Bailey tend to bicker when there is a fence between them. The poles on the corral are not smooth, they are rough logs. Sam cut his face on the dividing logs during his dramatic fence wars with Bailey.
Trailer Parking
We originally parked our trailer right at our campsite and right next to the horse corral. When we changed sites there was plenty of room to park the horse trailer by the Buckskin cabin. Most of the people at the campsite had RVs, no electric hookups.
BathroomsPermanet porta-potties. Bring your own TP!! Joanne luckily thought about this! Also bring a lamp or head-lamp as it is really dark in the toilet area even during the day.
|
WaterThere is no water spigot at the Buckskin cabin campsite. There is running water if you stay at the lodge.
|
MountingI got on Sam using the picnic table at the campsites.
Horse HazardsThere are lots of bikers and hikers on the trails. We did not see much of anyone since no-one else was crazy enough to ride in the snow and rain.
Trail ExperienceWe had two really nice trail rides. Joanne was dressed for the cold and seemed fine. Everyone else was cold. I loved being so far removed from everything. It is really nice to ride private trails that are well marked and classified according to skill and difficulty. I mostly had no idea where we were riding and was lucky to just follow Joanne and Bliss. There were a few gates to open and I was very impressed to see Joanne have her horse ground-tie while opening gates.
Below: Eating grass behind the Buckskin cabin. It literally started raining as soon as we finished this trail-ride.
RatingAmazing!! And that rating is despite the cold and snow and rain! This is horse heaven on a beautiful summer day. You can ride for hours on beautiful trails and go on a new adventure each day. I highly recommend a living quarters trailer or a camper cabin. I really want to go back and write up more specific trails when the sun is shining!!
|
FootingModerately rocky. I recommend all 4 shoes. Most of the trail was free of snow and ice luckily.
Below: Amped up Sam and cold Janie riding in the snow.
|