There are all inclusive resorts. I discovered a completely different level at Three Forks Ranch.

I felt like I was invited for a long weekend at a wealthy friend’s private ranch. A friend who hired a small army of competent, kind people, and told them not to accept a single tip.

Here’s what they offer:

• A maximum of 54 guests on the entire 280,000-acre property. That is a lot of land and very few guests. 
• Spa treatments included. Not a one-service-per-paid-night. As many treatments as you can fit in. 
• All meals, all activities, transfers and (almost) all drinks rolled into the stay.
• No tipping. 

My Stay

We stayed in one of the Tree House suites which were built for guests who want a bit more privacy and distance from the main buildings. Ours had a bedroom with two king beds, a private bath with his-and-hers sides flanking the shower, a separate sitting area with its own fireplace, and a large private balcony. The suite was stocked with snacks, coffee, tea and wine. 

You plan your trip with the team before arrival. We started with e-biking and the e-bikes turned out to be some of the most rugged I’ve seen…big fat tires built for the terrain. It made for a gorgeous, easy way to cover ground and see the land.

The horseback riding was supposed to be a small group outing, but everyone else opted to watch a World Cup match at the last minute instead, so it turned into just me and my guide. (Bjorn needed to put in a few hours of work.)  My riding experience tops out at Girl Scout camp, so we kept things sedate. However, if you come in with real horse skills, they have experiences built around practicing cattle work rather than just walking a trail.

I came back from riding and had a facial before dinner. Happy hour in the bar area afterward was relaxed. Dinner itself varied by night. One evening we ate in the formal restaurant; the next was pasta night in the culinary kitchen, which is also where they run cooking classes if you want to get hands-on rather than just eat the results.

The “Uber All-Inclusive” Breakdown

Every guided adventure on the property is included in your stay: fly fishing, e-biking, sporting clays, horseback riding, hiking, and – in winter – skiing and snowboarding on the ranch’s own mountain. 

Meals and drinks work the same way. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the bar are part of the package. The exceptions are narrow… think library-vintage Bordeaux, small-batch bourbons, and similarly collectible pours. Beyond that, what you’re paying out of pocket for during your stay is a short list: the gift shop, the Mayo Clinic wellness diagnostics and that occasional splurge bottle. That’s essentially it.

The Setting and a Little History

Three Forks sits on roughly 280,000 acres straddling the Colorado–Wyoming border, about 40 miles north of Steamboat Springs. It’s where the North, Middle, and South Forks of the Little Snake River come together, which is where the ranch gets its name. Owner David Pratt bought the property in 1997 and worked with experts to undertake what’s considered to be the largest privately funded river restoration project in U.S. history. It’s still a working cattle ranch today, which is part of what keeps the place feeling real rather than staged.

The Main Lodge is the architectural showpiece: 40-foot cathedral ceilings, hand-carved Russian pine paneling around the fireplaces, Axminster carpet, and Italian linens. It’s full of art. Western oil paintings sit alongside Native American pieces and Asian art and artifacts (a nod to the region’s history along the transcontinental railroad corridor, where Chinese laborers and Western settlers both left their mark on this part of the country.) And then, scattered through it all, the mounts – elk, deer, the occasional bear – watching over the great room like they, too, are just hanging around waiting for happy hour.

Skiing Without the Lift Line

Three Forks Ranch has its own ski hill. It has 23 runs, mostly greens and blues, with some tree skiing and a dedicated beginner bowl. There’s no chairlift. Instead, you ski down the hill and then heated snowcats ferry you up. No lines, no crowds, some days you may have the entire mountain to yourself and whoever you came with. 

One logistical note if you’re planning a winter trip: there’s no ski or snowboard rental on-site. If you don’t bring your own gear, the ranch will typically arrange for you to pick up gear at a shop in Steamboat Springs before you arrive. It’s not fun if you need to swap out for a different size, so do make sure everything fits well.

The Hunting Is the Draw for a Reason

If skiing is Three Forks’ winter signature, hunting is its fall one. September and October bring elk herds that swell into the thousands on the property, and the ranch operates under Colorado’s Ranching for Wildlife program, which allows guaranteed tags and fair-chase hunts without a public draw. The catch: demand has outpaced supply for years, and the hunting program runs almost entirely on a waitlist, with existing guests getting first right of refusal on their trip the following season. It’s one of the harder reservations to get in American hunting.

Decompressing After the Adventure

Whatever you did that day, the wellness center is where you end it. The centerpiece is a hydrotherapy pool circuit that includes an oxygenated pool, alongside a separate pool fitted with massage jets, plus steam rooms and a salt room. It’s the kind of setup you’d expect at a dedicated wellness retreat, not bolted onto a cattle ranch –  except here it is, open and included, no extra charge and no time limit.

Who is Staff, Who’s a Guest?

It’s hard to tell. Managers and guides eat dinner with guests most nights if you’re up for the company, and after a day or two you’ll find yourself swapping stories with someone across the table without being totally sure whether they work there or are staying in the room next to yours. That blurred line also helps this feel like a personal ranch and not a resort. 

Who Should Go

Three Forks requires a three night stay, and 3-4 nights is the sweet spot. I recommend it for:

• Extended family reunions – Different levels of adventure for everyone. They have the multi-bedroom Cardinal Lodge, with its own private chef and theater, which works very well. The Ranch works well for kids who are at least 8 years old. Note there is no kids club or babysitting available.
• Friend groups who like to adventure together – Especially for the ‘been there / done that’ crowd. 
• Small Corporate Retreats – Buyouts are available, but do reach out at least a year in advance.

Bottom line – this is a gorgeous, intimate Western ranch experience where you’re never reaching for your wallet.