Eight open roles. Real work. Real mountains. Real people.

About the place and the work

Sundance Trail Ranch is a small Colorado guest ranch at 8,000 feet in the Roosevelt National Forest. 138 acres of our own, 800,000+ acres of national forest at the gate. 35 working horses. 24 guests at full capacity. A team of up to 15 people who run the place together.

Ellen and Dan owned and ran this ranch for 26 years. In April 2026, Monty and Jade took over operations. We're carrying the soul forward, rebuilding the systems behind it and committing to leading a Return to What Matters... a reconnection to self, to loved ones and to nature.

What every role here looks like

• Small team, no hierarchy theatre. Everyone pitches in.

• All team eat the same food with guests in the dining room.

• Mountain living: 8,000 + feet, real weather, limited cell signal, stunning views.

• Honest work that matters. Guests remember the people, not the polish.

Live-in roles include

• On-site housing

• Three meals a day — the same food guests eat

• 2 consecutive days off whenever is feasible

• Some roles are available as year-round

Housekeeper

The cabin tells the truth before the host does.

The first thing a guest does when they walk into a cabin at the end of a long travel day is look around. What they see tells them whether we mean what we say. Your  work is the answer to that question.

What you'll actually do

• Turn cabins and lodge rooms between stays — beds, bathrooms, surfaces, floors

• Daily refresh during multi-night stays — top up amenities, light tidy, fresh towels

• Eyes on details guests notice and details they don't

• Restock supplies and keep the housekeeping cupboard ordered

• Flag maintenance issues fast so we fix them before the next guest sees them

• Keep the common areas spick and span at all times

Who you are

• You take pride in a room someone else will sleep in

• You move quickly without cutting corners

• You can work alone for hours, coordinate well with the other housekeepers and still be friendly when guests cross your path

• You don't mind altitude, stairs, or a full physical shift

• You're reliable. We can count on you being where you said you'd be.

The basics

Pay: $15.16 per hour + tip pool

Two configurations available: 

• Local hire: 40 hours across Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

• Live-in: full-time, on-site housing + 3 meals a day included

Reports to: Head of Hospitality

Start: ASAP

Dishwasher and Dining Room Assistant

Where one meal ends, the next one begins.

This is the engine room of the lodge. The kitchen runs because you do. The dining room turns because you do. You are the quiet reason every meal lands clean.

What you'll actually do

• Run dishes through service — plates, glassware, pots, prep equipment

• Reset the dining room between courses and between meals

• Bus tables, restock water, refill bread, keep the room moving

• Support the cook on light prep when dishes are caught up

• Clean down the kitchen and dining room at end of shift

Who you are

• Local to the Red Feather Lakes / Fort Collins area

• Fast hands. Steady pace. You don't fall behind.

• You see the next thing without being told

• You're friendly with guests when you pass through, but you don't need to be on stage

• You can stand and move for an 8-hour shift

• You know how to keep your head down when service is slammed

The basics

Schedule: 5 days per week, 12pm–8pm Mon–Fri (Thursday off) Saturday 7.30am -3.30pm

Pay: $15.16 per hour + tips

Local hire: You provide your own transport
* May consider a live-in position for the right team member

Reports to: Head Chef

Start: ASAP

Experienced Wrangler — Part-Time

For someone who's not done with horses. Just done with grinding seasons.

This is a part-time, as-needed role for a wrangler who already knows their way around a working dude string. You come in for busy weeks, special weeks, when we're a body short, or when the schedule calls for it.

What you'll actually do

• Help run trail rides at the level the lead string demands

• Tack up, untack, turn out

• Read guests fast and pair them to horses honestly

• Step in on barn chores when you're on site

• Mentor newer wranglers when the moment is there

Who you are

• Local to the area — Red Feather Lakes, Livermore, Fort Collins, or close enough to drive

• Years on a working string — dude ranch, outfitter, or equivalent

• You can ride a green one and lead a guest at the same time

• Calm with people, calmer with horses

• You don't bring drama

The basics

Schedule: Part-time, as needed — flexible

Pay: $15.16 per hour + tips

Local hire: You provide your own transport

Reports to: Barn Boss

Start: ASAP

Experienced Wrangler — Live In Full-Time

Bring your seasons of experience to a place that feels like home.

We're looking for an experienced wrangler ready to commit to a full season with our herd and our guests. This is a live-in role for someone who thrives in a ranch environment, loves connecting with horses and people, and is ready for the real mountain life.

What you'll actually do

• Lead daily trail rides, ensuring safety and an exceptional guest experience

• Assist with horse care, including feeding, grooming, tacking, and general herd health

• Participate in barn chores, fence checks, and pasture rotation as part of the team

• Help train and condition horses throughout the season

• Share knowledge and passion for horses and ranch life with guests

• Contribute to a positive and supportive team atmosphere

Who you are

• Minimum of two full seasons wrangling experience at a dude ranch or similar operation

• Proficient rider, comfortable with various horse temperaments and trail conditions

• Strong communication skills and a friendly, guest-focused demeanor

• Responsible, reliable, and capable of working independently and as part of a team

• Eager to live and work in a remote mountain setting with limited outside distractions

• Physically capable of demanding ranch work in all weather conditions

The basics

Schedule: Part-time, as needed — flexible

Pay: $15.16 per hour are a lead wrangler with exceptional herd health knowledge)  + room & meals + tips

Live-In hire: On-site lodging and meals

Reports to: Barn Boss

Start: ASAP

Experienced Wrangler — Part-Time

For someone who's not done with horses. Just done with grinding seasons.

This is a part-time, as-needed role for a wrangler who already knows their way around a working dude string. You come in for busy weeks, special weeks, when we're a body short, or when the schedule calls for it.

What you'll actually do

• Help run trail rides at the level the lead string demands

• Tack up, untack, turn out

• Read guests fast and pair them to horses honestly

• Step in on barn chores when you're on site

• Mentor newer wranglers when the moment is there

Who you are

• Local to the area — Red Feather Lakes, Livermore, Fort Collins, or close enough to drive

• Years on a working string — dude ranch, outfitter, or equivalent

• You can ride a green one and lead a guest at the same time

• Calm with people, calmer with horses

• You don't bring drama

The basics

Schedule: Part-time, as needed — flexible

Pay: $15.16 per hour + tips

Local hire: You provide your own transport

Reports to: Barn Boss

Start: ASAP

Ranch Ambassador

First voice of the ranch. First eye on the story. First touch of the guest.

Built for a sharp digital marketing student or early-career hospitality marketer who wants real responsibility — not coffee runs. You answer the phone. You convert the inquiry. You build the proposal. You capture the content. You hold the CRM. The ranch's front door is yours to keep open.

What you'll actually do

• Answer phones, emails, and inbound inquiries — speed to lead is everything here

• Take bookings, send confirmations, keep the calendar honest

• Build proposals in Gamma for weddings, retreats, and corporate inquiries

• Capture photo and video content around the ranch — true beats cinematic

• Manage the CRM — guest preferences, follow-ups, repeat guests, leads

• Greet arriving guests; light check-in and check-out support

Who you are

• A current or recent digital marketing student, or 1–3 years into a content or hospitality marketing career

• Comfortable on the phone with a stranger and on a tripod by yourself

• You can write a proposal that reads like a human wrote it

• Organized — you don't lose follow-ups in a tab somewhere

• Curious about ranch life, not allergic to it

The basics

Schedule: 5 days — Mon–Fri or Tue–Sat

Pay: $18–$20 per hour depending on experience + commission on large bookings

Three configurations available: 

• Live-in on the ranch (housing + 3 meals included)

• Local hire

• Part live-in / part remote

Reports to: Chief Ripple Creator

Start: ASAP

Year Round Head Chef

Year-round mountain kitchen. Yours to shape.

This is a rare ranch chef job: year-round, live-in, the kitchen is yours. Dude ranch family meals in summer. Lodge buyout events through the seasons. Mid-week special dinners. Public restaurant service in the off-season. High tea for day riders. The food range is wide because the year is.

What you'll actually do

• Plan and run the kitchen for dude ranch weeks — three meals a day, family-style, hot and on time

• Build menus for retreats, destination weddings, and lodge buyout events

• Source local where it makes sense, manage food cost honestly

• Lead a small kitchen team — Dishwasher/Dining Assistant plus Assistant Cook, Breakfast Cook or Sous Chef

Who you are

• A chef who has run a kitchen before — not a line cook ready for promotion

• You know how to feed 40 well and the occasional 70 well, and the difference matters to you

• You like variety and consistency equally. Our guests are with us up to 6 nights but the team is always here.

• You want to live where you cook (not literally in the kitchen 😂... but on location)

• You can hold standards without holding court

The basics

Schedule: Year-round, live-in

Pay: $25–$30 per hour depending on experience + tips

Live-in: On-site housing + 3 meals a day included

Reports to: Head of Hospitality

Start: ASAP

Sous Chef or Cook

Two ways into the kitchen. Pick the one that fits.

We're holding this role open in two shapes because the right human matters more than the box they fit in.

Option A — Sous Chef (live-in)

• Full-time, on-site housing + 3 meals a day included

• Second-in-command to the Head Chef across all service

• Right for: a developing chef who wants the kitchen and the mountain

Pay: $18–$25 per hour depending on experience

Option B — Breakfast Cook (local)

• Mon–Sat mornings, breakfast service for guests

• You own the first impression of the day

• Local hire — live near the ranch and drive in

• Right for: a strong cook who doesn't want a 14-hour day

Pay: $15.16–$20 per hour depending on experience

Who you are — either way

• You can cook breakfast like it matters (because to the guest who traveled all this way, it does)

• Clean, organized, on time and reliable

• You like a small team

• You handle pressure without making the rest of the kitchen feel it

• Hungry to learn — or hungry to teach

The basics

Reports to: Head Chef

Start: ASAP

Laundry

Clean linen is a love language.

Twice a week, the ranch's linen needs to leave the property, get washed properly, and come back ready to make beds. You're the person who runs that loop. Pickup, transport, wash, fold, return, restock all in one day. Done well, the cabins are always ready for the next guest because of you.

What you'll actually do

• Collect linen from cabins and the lodge — sheets, towels, table linen, kitchen cloths

• Drive the ranch laundry into town for washing

• Wash, dry, fold, and stack ready for restock

• Return clean linen to cabins and storage the same day

• Spot-treat stains, flag anything beyond repair

Who you are

• Local to the area

• You own a reliable vehicle 

• Valid driver's license, clean record

• Reliable. Wed and Sat. Every busy week.

• You like routine work done properly

• Pride in the unglamorous stuff

The basics

Schedule: 2 days per week, Wed and Sat

Pay: $150 per day

Vehicle: Your own vehicle required; ranch car used for town runs

Reports to: Head of Hospitality

Start: ASAP