Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa

The honest review

Devil's Thumb Ranch sits at about 8,700 feet elevation in Tabernash, roughly 10 minutes north of Winter Park town, on a property that sprawls across 6,500 acres at the foot of the Continental Divide. For families, that scale matters: there is simply no running out of things to do here, and the activities are grounded in authentic ranch life rather than manufactured resort amusement.

The standout kid offering is Cowpoke Kids' Camp, a half-day structured program for ages 5 to 12. Groups are kept tiny — a maximum of four children — so this is far more attentive than a typical resort kids' club. Campers do real things: feeding and grooming horses, barn chores, visits with the petting zoo animals (goats, chickens, miniature horses), and arts and crafts with a ranch theme. It runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday during summer and fall (Memorial Day through October, weather dependent), which gives parents meaningful half-days for the spa, fly fishing, or a long horseback ride without toddler accompaniment. Note that the camp does not operate during ski season, which is an honest limitation to flag for winter trips.

In winter, the ranch's 40 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails are genuinely exceptional — among the best Nordic offerings anywhere in Colorado — and young kids who are not yet ready for the downhill chaos at Winter Park Resort can absolutely learn to ski here first. Guided snowshoe tours and fat-tire biking on snow keep older kids and teens busy as well.

Lodging ranges from individual lodge rooms (comfortable, not enormous, with patio or balcony options) to one- to four-bedroom cabins scattered through the pines. The cabins are a better fit for families: full kitchens, fireplaces, soaking tubs in some, multiple bathrooms, and genuine separation from the main lodge foot traffic. For larger groups or multi-generational travel, The Big Chill Guest House has three master-suite bedrooms plus a bunkroom and books as a single unit.

The pool setup — both indoor and outdoor, both heated — is a practical win with young children. Hot tubs are available year-round. The spa is full-service and well-regarded; parents consistently note that it functions as a genuine recovery option rather than a perfunctory amenity.

Pricing is on the higher end for the Grand County area, and the resort does not have the kind of ski-in/ski-out convenience that Winter Park Resort slopeside properties offer. Families who want to ski Winter Park Resort daily will need to drive or arrange shuttle transport. That's the main tradeoff: you gain atmosphere, space, and curated ranch programming, but you lose proximity to the lifts. For families where at least one parent (or a grandparent) would rather not ski all day, or for trips that intentionally mix skiing with other mountain activities, the ranch experience is genuinely hard to beat in this region.