We're not just a dude ranch. We're a Return to What Matters.

Current Job Openings

Lodge and Guest Experience
Lodge Manager | Head Of Hospitality - Year Round
$18.00 - $20.00 / hour + tips
Red Feather Lakes
This is a year-round role, living on-site in what we genuinely think is paradise.
And yes, we know every ranch says that.
But this place is different. Well I really think it is!

You’ll live on the ranch, away from the main guest lodge, in a home shared with our Ranch Ambassador, Sam. Close enough to be part of the rhythm. Far enough away that when you’re off duty, you can actually relax.
The views from this spot are spectacular. Morning coffee in the swing chair at sunrise is something special. Riding or hiking into the forest on your days off — that’s part of the package.

You’ll receive three meals a day when the kitchen is running, and staff eat the same food as guests. No sad staff pasta while guests get the good stuff. We sit with guests and enjoy connecting with them, and each other, over good quality food. We are working toward a food program that is non-GMO and organic wherever possible.
Your home also has a full kitchen, so when you want your own space, your own rhythm, or just a quiet night with something simple, you’ve got that too.
This is a year-round leadership position, not a short seasonal fling. You’ll help shape the lodge experience through summer dude ranch season, shoulder-season stays, retreats, events, and the quieter months when the ranch gets even more beautiful in a different way.
And because this role matters commercially, the package includes a performance incentive tied to ranch profitability.
Translation: when the ranch wins, you share in the upside.
Not in a vague “we’re all family here” kind of way. In a real, measurable, grown-up way.


WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THIS ROLE.
The moment guests step out of the car and realise they can finally exhale.
They’ve driven up from Denver, Fort Collins, flown from Texas, California, or somewhere else that has been running them hard. Kids are buzzing. Parents are tired. Bags are everywhere. Someone forgot a jacket. Someone is nervous about riding. Someone is already quietly hoping this week gives their family something they haven’t had in a while — space, connection, fresh air, and a reason to put the phone down.
And that first moment matters.
The Lodge Manager owns it.
You are the person who makes the lodge feel calm, cared for, ready, and personal. You make sure rooms feel welcoming, common spaces feel warm, arrivals feel hosted, and the team knows what needs to happen before a guest ever has to ask.
This is not just housekeeping. This is not just front desk. This is not standing behind a counter waiting for problems.
This is operational hospitality, ranch-style.
And let’s be clear: operational hospitality means you can roll up your sleeves and do the work too.
When the seasonal housekeepers go home, you don’t stand around wondering who is going to reset the rooms. You are able to clean cabins, strip beds, make beds properly, restock bathrooms, reset common areas, carry linens, wipe surfaces, notice smells, fix the small things, and set the standard with a smile.
Not because you are “just housekeeping.”
Because at STR, how a room feels when a guest walks in is part of the experience.
You lead the standard by being able to do the standard.
You’ll also support the kitchen when needed. That might mean helping with food prep, dishes, service flow, dining room reset, guest meals, prep support, or jumping in when the team needs another pair of capable hands.
No drama. No ego. No “that’s not my job.”
This is a ranch. Everyone helps make the experience work.


THE ROLE.
Year-round Lodge Manager at Colorado’s smallest dude ranch, with 24 guests max, tucked into 138 acres at 8,000 ft and surrounded by 800,000+ acres of Roosevelt National Forest.
You oversee the daily rhythm of the lodge — guest arrivals and departures, housekeeping standards, lodge presentation, supply management, staff coordination, guest communication, service recovery, and the thousand little details that decide whether a stay feels ordinary or unforgettable.
You work closely with me, Jade, (my partner in life and business Monty are the new owners), the Head Chef, Barn Boss, Ranch Ambassador, housekeeping team, activities team, and wider ranch crew. We are the new owners of Sundance Trail Ranch, and we are building this next chapter with care, high standards, and a deep respect for what guests already love about this place.

This is a senior leadership role. You are expected to see around corners, lead calmly, communicate clearly, and protect the guest experience without creating drama in the team.
There is no “back-of-house” here.
Guests feel everything.


WHAT YOU’LL ACTUALLY OWN.
– Leading, training, scheduling, and supporting lodge and housekeeping staff
 – Personally stepping into housekeeping, especially after seasonal housekeepers leave
 – Cleaning and resetting rooms, cabins, bathrooms, common spaces, and guest areas to the standard you expect from the team
 – Making sure every arrival feels warm, personal, and prepared
 – Managing departures so guests leave cared for, not processed
 – Holding high standards for cleanliness, room readiness, scent, presentation, comfort, and supplies
 – Coordinating with housekeeping, food and beverage, barn, activities, and maintenance so the guest experience feels seamless
 – Supporting the kitchen and dining room when needed, including dishes, service, reset, and guest flow
 – Handling guest feedback, complaints, special requests, and service recovery with calm ownership
 – Maintaining inventory for linens, amenities, cleaning supplies, lodge stock, guest items, and operational basics
 – Managing procurement and reorder rhythms so the lodge does not run on last-minute panic
 – Participating in leadership meetings, daily huddles, Manager on Duty rotations, and guest briefing rhythms
 – Supporting safety, compliance, property standards, emergency procedures, and guest care protocols
 – Noticing the details others miss — the crooked cushion, the empty coffee station, the guest looking lost, the room that technically passed but does not feel right
 – Bringing solutions, not just reporting problems
 – Doing other ranch duties as assigned, because this is a ranch and “that’s not my job” does not live here

THE PACKAGE.
– Year-round position, living on-site at the ranch
 – Private room in a shared home with our Ranch Ambassador, Samantha
 – Housing is away from the main guest lodge, giving you proper space to relax when you are off duty
 – Full kitchen in your home
 – Three meals a day when the kitchen is operating — the same food guests eat
 – Performance incentive tied to ranch profitability
 – $20/hour, full-time
 – Included in the tip pool
– HFWA paid sick leave, FAMLI
 – Full access to ranch life on days off — trails, horses, hiking, archery, hot tub, pool table
 – Real leadership development, coaching, feedback, and growth suppor

THE HONEST PITCH.
This is a big role in a small place.
You’ll have privacy, but you’ll still live on a ranch. That means weather, animals, guests, dirt, beauty, long days, odd jobs, early mornings, and the occasional plan that changes because a horse, a storm, a guest, or a pipe had other ideas.
You’ll get sunrise coffee in one of the most beautiful spots on the ranch.
You’ll also get days where you’re carrying linens, cleaning rooms, solving a guest issue, resetting a bathroom, helping in the kitchen, answering the same question three times, and still needing to show up warm at dinner.

That’s the deal.
If you want polished corporate hospitality, this is not it.
If you want real hospitality — raw, rustic, human, high-standard, hands-on, and deeply alive — this might be home.

Would you like to come join us?

email me: jade@sundancetrail.com
Read more
Barn Team
Children's Wrangler
up to $15.16 / hour + tips
Red Feather Lakes
Summer Seasonal | Start by Mid-May through End September | Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
This isn't a job ad. It's a calling.
Something is broken in the way kids are growing up right now. They have screens before they have shoelaces. They've never been bored long enough to get curious. They've never built anything with their hands that they didn't see on YouTube first. They've never had a 1,000-pound animal trust them — and they've never been trusted with one. Their parents are exhausted, overstimulated, and terrified they're getting it wrong.
We're doing something about it.
Sundance Trail Ranch exists to help families remember who they are, reconnect with what matters, and reimagine life. We do that at 8,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, on 138 acres surrounded by 800,000+ acres of Roosevelt National Forest — through horses, mountains, campfires, and the kind of real human connection most families haven't felt in years. We call it The Great Reconnection.
And the kids are at the heart of it.
Here's what we believe: a kid who learns to catch a horse, brush him, saddle him, and ride him for the first time isn't just learning to ride. She's learning that she can do hard things. She's learning her body. She's learning to slow down. She's learning that when you ask gently and listen carefully, big animals — and big people — will trust you. That changes a kid. We've watched it happen every week, every season, for years.
We exist to give kids the real thing — and to give their parents back the version of their kid they remember from before screens took over. We're looking for the wrangler who's going to deliver it.
This isn't a babysitting job. This isn't a riding instructor job. This is the most magical, most demanding, most undersold role on the ranch.
If you just felt something reading that — keep going. If you're “just” looking for a summer gig — this isn't it.
---
YOUR MISSION (IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT)
To turn nervous nine-year-olds into beaming little cowboys and cowgirls by the end of the week.
As Children's Wrangler, you ARE the kids' program. You're the reason a family books STR over every other ranch in Colorado. You're the person whose name a kid will still remember twenty years from now.
You'll run our children's riding program. You'll lead arena lessons, take kids on trail, teach them to catch and groom and saddle. You'll build birdhouses. You'll run campfire cookouts. You'll tell stories that send them to bed too excited to sleep. You'll sleep in the tipi on Tuesday nights and wake up to the sound of giggles before sunrise.
You'll also be the parents' lifeline. The mom who hasn't had a kid-free meal in three years will come to dinner the first night, see her child in your hands, and exhale for the first time in months. That's the gift. That's the work.
Every guest at STR travels through an arc we call the 5 R's: Recover & Rejuvenate, Remember & Reconnect, and Reimagine Life. For families with kids, you are the engine of that arc.
That's your mission. And it's sacred work.
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HOW WE TEACH KIDS
Our philosophy is short, opinionated, and non-negotiable. Read it carefully. If you nod along, keep going. If you wince, this isn't your program.
01 — Every kid is a "yes." The shy one. The wild one. The screen-addicted one. The one who's "scared of horses." The one whose parents warned us they're "going through a phase." We don't write any of them off. We find the door in.
02 — Patience is not optional. A kid will ask the same question seven times. A kid will cry because she dropped her hat. A kid will tell you a 14-minute story about her hamster while you're trying to tack up. You meet all of it with warmth. Every time.
03 — Safety first. Always. Without exception. Helmets on. Horses checked. Riders matched to mounts based on weight and skill, not preference. You never trade a kid's safety for a cute moment. Ever.
04 — Confidence beats competence. A kid who finishes the week believing she can do hard things matters more than a kid who finishes the week with perfect equitation. We're not building riders. We're building humans.
05 — Read the kid, not the curriculum. One kid needs to ride more. One kid needs to brush a horse for an hour. One kid needs to sit on the fence and watch. You meet each kid where they are, not where the schedule says they should be.
06 — Parents matter too. Every conversation with a parent is a chance to make them feel seen, informed, and confident in your hands. You communicate clearly, warmly, and without ego. You celebrate their kid's wins. You handle the hard moments without drama.
07 — Mediocrity dies at the gate. This is the most magical role on the ranch — and the most demanding. The standard doesn't drop on Friday afternoon, on rainy days, or when you're tired. The kids deserve your best every single time.
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WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY DO
Run the children's riding program. Arena lessons in the morning. Trail rides on horseback when the kids are ready. You build the week — assess each kid Sunday, plan the arc, and deliver the moments that turn nervous into proud.
Catch, brush, saddle, ride. You teach the whole rhythm. Not just the riding. The relationship.
Wednesday and Friday lunch transport. You take the kids' lunch out to where the action is.
Birdhouses, scavenger hunts, lake afternoons, campfire cookouts. You build the program around horses, but the program is bigger than horses. You're running an immersive, week-long experience. Bring your creativity.
Communicate with parents. Sunday intake conversations. Daily check-ins at the dinner table. Friday celebration of every win. You translate the week back to the parents in a way that makes them proud and informed.
Ranch chores like everyone else. Wash dishes once a week. Pitch in at meals. Pick up hay twine. Be a wrangler first, kids' wrangler second. There's no back-of-house at STR.
---
WHO YOU ARE
You'll need:
• Confident, experienced rider comfortable teaching kids of all ages and abilities — beginners through intermediate

• Background in summer camp, youth development, teaching, coaching, or children's programming — ideal but not essential. The right character matters more than the resume.

• Patience that doesn't run out. Energy that doesn't quit. Creativity on tap.

• The instinct to read a kid — when to push, when to back off, when to sit on the fence and just talk

• Communication that wins parents over — warm, clear, ego-free, confident

• Solid horse handling — catching, grooming, saddling, basic equine first aid, riding well enough to teach without thinking about it

• Current First Aid / CPR / AED (or willingness to certify before your first day with kids)

• DRA Wrangler Safety Certification (or willingness to certify on-site)

• A clean background check. Working with kids isn't optional on this one — we run them on every Children's Wrangler.
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WHO ACTUALLY ENDS UP HERE
We hire across every stage of life. School teachers on summer break. Recreation therapists. Camp counselors who've levelled up. Equestrian coaches. Young horsewomen with summer-camp backgrounds. Empty-nesters who raised great kids and miss having little ones around. Twenty-somethings who are great with kids and great in the saddle.
Age isn't the filter here. Character is.
If you've got the patience, the heart, the horsemanship, and the actual love for kids — we've got a seat for you. The right human is the right human, full stop.
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THE CREW YOU'RE JOINING
STR is a small ranch. 24 guests max — but every single child in that group is a season-defining relationship for you. Every single person on this team matters. There's nowhere to hide. And there's no one who's "just" anything.
You report to our Barn Manager / Head Wrangler and you partner closely with the Lead Wrangler / 2IC, the Trail Wranglers, the Head of Hospitality, and the rest of the team. The kids' program is everyone's win — and it lives or dies on you.
We run on five pillars: Nature. Presence. Play. Challenge. Connection.
Most ranches have rules. We have principles. Rules tell people what to do. Principles tell people who to be — and then trust them to figure out the what. We run on 7, each with its own STRism:
01 — Flow First. "If it kills the vibe, kill it." You read a kid's energy faster than anyone on the ranch. You match the challenge to the skill. You protect their flow like it's sacred — because it is.
02 — Unreasonable Hospitality — To All. "One more thing. Mediocrity dies at the gate." The handwritten certificate at the closing campfire. The horseshoe with the kid's name on it. The braid you put in her horse's mane on the last morning. The "one more thing" lives in your program more than anywhere else on the ranch.
03 — How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything. "The tone you set is the standard you get." A kids' tack room that's tidy says we care. A whiteboard with every kid's name spelled right says we care.
04 — Own The Experience. "Ride for the brand." You're not running a program. You're an owner of every kid's week. You see the problem, you solve it. You bring solutions, not problems.
05 — Be The Ripple. "Be a better human. Be the ripple. Leave it better than you found it." The kid who goes home and is kinder to her little brother because of how you taught her — that's us. The ripple starts with the kids.
06 — Clear Is Kind. "Unclear is unkind. And bitching will not be tolerated." You say the thing — to teammates, to parents, to kids when they need it. Directly, warmly, and early.
07 — Cowboy Up. "Heels down, eyes up." The Tuesday campout when you've barely slept. The Friday afternoon when the parents are emotional and the kids are wild. The standard doesn't drop. Not because someone's checking. Because that's who we decided to be.
And above all of it — three obsessions that will make us legendary:
Obsession 1: Make every kid feel like the only kid. Not one of 8. The only one. Obsession 2: Build a kids' program they can't find anywhere else. Not better. A different category entirely. Obsession 3: Send them home changed. Not just entertained. Genuinely, measurably different.
Our identity lives in the dichotomy: Wild + Warm. Authentic + Elevated. Western + World-Class. Restorative + High-Performing. Human + Disciplined.
If that dichotomy excites you — you'll thrive here. If it confuses you — this probably isn't the place.
---
REAL TALK — THIS ISN'T FOR EVERYONE
Let's be direct, because clear is kind.
Every person on this ranch is either energizing or draining the culture. There is no neutral. We build for energizers. If you bring the energy, we'll match it tenfold.
This is the hardest job on the ranch and the most rewarding. Kids' programs eat people alive who aren't built for it. You're "on" from the moment the first kid finds you in the morning until the moment the last one goes to bed. You eat with them. You ride with them. You laugh with them. You handle their meltdowns. You celebrate their wins. You sleep in the tipi on Tuesdays.
This is not a 9–5. Long days. Variable hours. Some weeks have eight kids, some have two. Both require everything you've got.
This is a tobacco-free, drug-free environment. No smoking. No chewing. No marijuana. No exceptions. Random drug screening applies to all staff.
Background check is mandatory. Kids first. Always.
You'll wear western. Boots, hat with stampede strings, western shirts, jeans. No baseball caps. No t-shirts in guest areas. You're part of the show.
You'll live on-ranch. Bunkhouse-style housing — guys and gals in separate buildings, shared rooms, shared bathrooms, family-style meals. Rustic. Real. Part of the deal. Staff-only indoor and outdoor chillout zones for when you finally clock off.
You get first pick of horses for the kids' program. Because what you're doing matters that much.
If you just read that list and thought "Hell yes" — you're our kind of human. If you thought "That sounds like a lot" — it is. And it's worth every second.
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THE NUMBERS
• $15.16 hour + tips

• Seasonal position — start by mid-May, run through end of September

• On-site lodging and meals provided (per IRC §119)

• Full access to ranch amenities on days off — horses, trails, the whole place

• Real coaching and professional development from leadership obsessed with helping you grow
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YOUR LEADERS
You'll be working alongside owners who don't just run a business — they're building a movement. With backgrounds in leadership development, organizational culture, and high-performance team design, they're obsessed with helping every person on this ranch become the best version of themselves.
This isn't lip service. This is weekly development, real life and career coaching, honest feedback, and the kind of mentorship most camp staff never get.
You won't just grow as a wrangler. You'll grow as a human.
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HOW TO APPLY
Send the following to jade@sundancetrail.com:
1. Your resume

2. Three references (one peer, one boss, one horseperson who can vouch for your work in the saddle)

3. A short note — why this role, why now, why a ranch

4. 2 short videos — Tacking a horse and riding. The phone camera is fine. Not polished. Real.
   
For even more info on us and the role you can read more here: https://gamma.app/docs/Sundance-Trail-Ranch-prphtm46iwnrbzz

Sundance Trail Ranch is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We hire on character, capability, and culture fit — full stop.

Successful applicants will be required to pass a background check before start date.
Read more
Barn Team
Lead Wrangler
$15.16 - $16.50 / hour + tips
Red Feather Lakes
Seasonal | Start ASAP through End September (potentially October) | Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
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This isn't a job ad. It's a calling.
Something is broken in the way people live right now. They sit all day. They scroll all night. They don't know what it feels like to have a 1,000-pound partner trust them with their life. They've forgotten they have bodies. Their kids are growing up without ever feeling the kind of confidence that only comes from telling a horse "easy" and having the horse believe them.
We're doing something about it.
Sundance Trail Ranch exists to help people remember who they are, reconnect with what matters, and reimagine life. We do that at 8,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, on 138 acres surrounded by 800,000+ acres of Roosevelt National Forest — through horses, mountains, campfires, and the kind of real human connection most people haven't felt in years. We call it The Great Reconnection. From numb, digital, disconnected living — to embodied, connected, adventurous lives.
And the horses are at the heart of it.
Here's what we believe: a horse will tell you the truth about yourself faster than any therapist alive. Kids who've never sat in a saddle will leave here with a kind of confidence they couldn't get from a screen, a sport, or a school. Adults who couldn't sit still for three minutes at home will spend an hour brushing a horse and not realize the time has passed. Families who haven't laughed together in a year will laugh until their ribs hurt because Dad's horse stopped to eat a bush, again.
We exist to give people the real thing. And we're looking for the wrangler who's going to lead the team that delivers it.
This is not a job for someone who's "good with horses." This is a job for a horseperson — someone who reads a herd, mentors a crew, runs a barn when the boss is off, and carries the standard when no one's watching.
If you just felt something reading that — keep going. If you're just looking for a summer gig — this isn't it.
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YOUR MISSION (IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT)
To run point on the trail program, mentor the wrangler crew, and step in as Barn Boss when our Barn Manager is off.
As Lead Wrangler / 2nd in Command, you're our Barn Boss's right hand. You're the person the rest of the team looks to when things get hectic. You read the herd in the morning and know who needs an easy day. You know which guest is about to get tossed before the horse knows. You set the standard, you hold the line, and you keep the barn running like a Swiss watch — calm, clean, kind, no drama.
Every guest at STR travels through an arc we call the 5 R's: Recover & Rejuvenate, Remember & Reconnect, and Reimagine Life. You make the horse part of that arc real — ride by ride, lesson by lesson, moment by moment.
That's your mission. And it's sacred work.
---
HOW WE RIDE
Our horsemanship philosophy is short, opinionated, and non-negotiable. Read it carefully. If you nod along, keep going. If you wince, this isn't your barn.
01 — Horses are partners, not tools. Every interaction reinforces that. The way we catch them. The way we tack them. The way we cool them out. We don't make horses do things. We ask, and we earn the answer.
02 — Safety hierarchy: Safety > Courtesy > Show > Efficiency. In that order. Always. We never skip a step to save time, and we never trade a guest's safety for a smoother shift.
03 — The herd is a system. You think about feed, water, hooves, teeth, ulcers, soreness, herd dynamics, paddock rotation, and saddle fit. Not just the horse you're riding today.
04 — The horse you're given is the horse you needed. We match horse to rider with care — by weight, skill, temperament, and what the guest needs to learn. We don't put guests on the horse they want. We put them on the horse that will serve them.
05 — Quiet beats loud, every time. The best horse people in the world are the quietest. Voice down. Energy steady. Hands soft. The horses know who's calm before the guests do.
06 — How you do one thing is how you do everything. A clean barn says we care. A tidy tack room says we care. A dropped lead rope says we don't. There is no back-of-house at STR. Every guest can see your barn.
07 — The standard holds when no one's watching. The last ride of the season gets the same standard as the first. Not because Gordy is checking. Because that's who we decided to be.
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WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY DO
Lead trail rides. Confidently, beautifully, safely. Through Roosevelt National Forest, at 8,000+ feet, on the kind of terrain that asks something of both rider and horse. You read the group, set the pace, manage the spread, and deliver an experience guests will be telling their friends about for years.
Mentor the crew. Trail wranglers, kids' wranglers, interns. You teach by example, correct with kindness, and hold standards without lecturing. The wranglers want to ride your shift because you make them better.
Step in as Barn Boss on Gordy's days off. Run the morning catch. Assign horses to guests based on the safety match. Run the wrangler shift. Handle the curveballs. Keep the operation moving without missing a beat.
Carry the herd's health. You're paying attention to the horse who looks off, the saddle that's slipping, the feet that need a touch-up, the one who's dropping weight. You bring it to Gordy before he has to ask.
Match horse to rider. This is the safety-critical decision of the day. Every day. You know the herd. You know the rider's weight, skill, and gut. You make the call.
Help guests fall in love with horses. Not just the riding. The catching. The brushing. The leaning into a warm shoulder at sunset. You read which guest needs which moment, and you give it to them.
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WHO YOU ARE
You'll need:
• Multiple seasons of real working ranch, outfit, or guide experience — not just "I grew up around horses." We need someone who's run rides, managed strings, and held the line under pressure.

• Confident leading rides in mountain terrain at 8,000+ feet — terrain reading, pacing, group management, weather awareness

• Deep horse-management knowledge — nutrition, basic equine first aid, hoof and tack, herd dynamics, soundness assessment

• Leadership presence — calm under pressure, clear communicator, sets the pace without raising your voice

• The ability to match horse to rider — by weight, skill, and temperament — and the judgment to make the call without second-guessing

• DRA Wrangler Safety Certification (or willingness to certify on-site at the start of the season)

• Current First Aid / CPR / AED (or willingness to certify before your first ride out)

• The lived-in standard of "horses are partners, not tools" — visible in how you catch, tack, ride, and put away


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WHO ACTUALLY ENDS UP HERE
We hire across every stage of life. Second-career cowboys who finally said "enough" to the desk. Rodeo queens stepping up into their first wrangler season. Seasoned outfitters between jobs. Empty-nesters who've waited twenty years for this. Twenty-somethings who grew up in the saddle and want a season that means something. Retired ag teachers, ex-military, working students.
Age isn't the filter here. Character is.
If you've got the work ethic, the humility, the heart, and the horse skills — we've got a seat in the saddle. We've seen 22-year-olds out-lead people twice their age. We've seen 60-year-olds bring more energy than the whole bunkhouse combined. The right human is the right human, full stop.


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THE CREW YOU'RE JOINING
STR is a small ranch. 24 guests max. That means every single person on this team matters. There's nowhere to hide. And there's no one who's "just" anything.
You report to our Barn Boss / Head Wrangler and you partner with the Head of Hospitality, the Ranch Ambassador, the Brand & Operations Integrator, and the Head Chef. You sit at the table — not in the back of the barn.
We run on five pillars: Nature. Presence. Play. Challenge. Connection.
Most ranches have rules. We have principles. Rules tell people what to do. Principles tell people who to be — and then trust them to figure out the what. We run on 7, each with its own STRism:
01 — Flow First. "If it kills the vibe, kill it." We are a Flow Facility — every experience is engineered to create the conditions for human beings to enter their highest state. A wrangler reads flow before anyone else does.
02 — Unreasonable Hospitality — To All. "One more thing. Mediocrity dies at the gate." The wrangler who notices the kid is scared and walks alongside her horse the whole first ride. The wrangler who pulls a fresh horse out of the paddock for the guest who fell in love with that one. The "one more thing" lives in the barn as much as anywhere.
03 — How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything. "The tone you set is the standard you get." A hose left on the ground says we don't care. A resort-clean barn at 4pm says we do.
04 — Own The Experience. "Ride for the brand." You're not running a program. You're an owner of the experience. You see the problem, you solve it. You bring solutions, not problems.
05 — Be The Ripple. "Be a better human. Be the ripple. Leave it better than you found it." The kid who goes home and treats their dog with the same patience you taught them with their horse — that's us.
06 — Clear Is Kind. "Unclear is unkind. And bitching will not be tolerated." We say the thing. Directly, warmly, and early. Especially in a barn.
07 — Cowboy Up. "Heels down, eyes up." Long days. Big seasons. The horses don't care if you're tired. The guests don't care if you're tired. The last ride of the season gets the same standard as the first. Not because Gordy is checking. Because that's who we decided to be.
And above all of it — three obsessions that will make us legendary:
Obsession 1: Make every guest feel like the only guest. Not one of 24. The only one. 
Obsession 2: Build something they can't find anywhere else. Not better. A different category entirely. 
Obsession 3: Send them home changed. Not just rested. Genuinely, measurably different.
Our identity lives in the dichotomy: Wild + Warm. Authentic + Elevated. Western + World-Class. Restorative + High-Performing. Human + Disciplined.
If that dichotomy excites you — you'll thrive here. If it confuses you — this probably isn't the place.
---
REAL TALK — THIS ISN'T FOR EVERYONE
Let's be direct, because clear is kind.
Every person on this ranch is either energizing or draining the culture. There is no neutral. We build for energizers. If you bring the energy, we'll match it tenfold.
This is hard work. You'll catch in the dark. You'll shovel manure. You'll fix fences. You'll pick up every piece of hay twine you see, even if it's not yours. You'll wash dishes 2x a week. You'll do it all with a smile because that's who you are, not because someone told you to.
This is not a 9–5. Some days start early. Some nights end late. You'll eat meals with guests. You'll sit at campfires. You'll be "on" more than you're used to.
This is a tobacco-free, drug-free environment. No smoking. No chewing. No marijuana smoking. No exceptions. Random drug screening applies to all staff.
You'll wear western. Boots, hat with stampede strings, western shirts, jeans. No baseball caps. No t-shirts in guest areas. You're part of the show.
You'll live on-ranch. Bunkhouse-style staff housing — guys and gals in separate buildings, shared rooms, shared bathrooms, family-style meals. Rustic. Real. Part of the deal. Staff-only indoor and outdoor chillout zones (the outdoor one has hammocks, mountain views, and stars that'll change how you sleep).
If you just read that list and thought "Hell yes" — you're our kind of human. If you thought "That sounds like a lot" — it is. And it's worth every second.
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THE NUMBERS
• $15.16 - $16.50/hour (dependant on experience) + tips

• Seasonal position — start ASAP, run through end of September, possibly into October depending on bookings and your fit

• On-site lodging and meals provided (per IRC §119)

• Full access to ranch amenities on days off — horses, trails, the whole place

• Real coaching and professional development from leadership obsessed with helping you grow
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YOUR LEADERS
You'll be working alongside owners who don't just run a business — they're building a movement. With backgrounds in leadership development, organizational culture, and high-performance team design, they're obsessed with helping every person on this ranch become the best version of themselves.
This isn't lip service. This is weekly development, real life and career coaching, honest feedback, and the kind of mentorship most wranglers never get.
You won't just grow as a horseperson. You'll grow as a human.
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HOW TO APPLY
Send the following to jade@sundancetrail.com:
1. Your resume

2. Three references (one peer, one boss, one horseperson who can vouch for your work in the saddle)

3. A short note — why this role, why now, why a ranch

4. 2 short videos — Tacking a horse and riding. The phone camera is fine. Not polished. Real.
Sundance Trail Ranch is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We hire on character, capability, and culture fit — full stop.
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Culinary | Kitchen
Head Chef
$18.00 - $20.00 / hour + tips
Red Feather Lakes
Head Chef | Year Round | A Return To What Matters
What you'll love about this role.
The way guests light up when the food hits the table.
Most of them haven't eaten a real meal in months. They've been ordering, scrolling, reheating, and grabbing things on the way to the next thing. They sit down at our family-style table — kids present (in the moment), adults chuckling, mountain through the window — and within three days the gratitude is palpable.
The mom who cried a little on Wednesday because she didn't have to plan a meal, cook it, clean it up, or think about what's in it. The dad who ate a salad without complaining. The kid who tried a beet. The grandparents who said it was the best week of their year.
That's what this kitchen does. And nobody on the team takes that for granted.
You'll cook for everyone the same way.
Staff eat what guests eat, every meal. No back-of-house pasta while the dining room gets the good stuff. Every human on this ranch is equal at the table — that's a core part of who we are.
You'll get to build a brand for the way we cook.
Whole food. From scratch. Clean. The kind of cooking that's actually a return to what matters — and one of the strongest expressions of the 5 R's our guests come here to experience: Recover & Rejuvenate, Remember & Reconnect, Reimagine Life. Food is one of the loudest ways we deliver that arc.
And you'll get to co-create the off-season.
This is where it gets fun. Off-season, we're focused on shorter Ranch Stays for road-trippers, the short-drivecation crowd from Fort Collins and Denver and those looking for short stays in nature. We want to become the kind of destination dining and ranch stay that people block out a weekend for for. The food program hasn't been built yet. You'd be the chef who builds it with us.
The role, plainly.
Year-round Head Chef at a 24-guest boutique ranch in the Colorado Rockies. New ownership, building intentionally.
Dude ranch season is the heart of the work. Family-style breakfasts that fuel a day on horseback. Trail lunches that hold up at the top of a ridge. Dinners that bring 24 guests around one big table — plus up to 15 staff eating the same food. One plated adult-only dinner mid-week — the night the parents booked the trip for. Built around a weekly arc, not a static menu.
Off-season is where you get to build something rare. Ranch days attached to destination dinners for the drivecation crowd from Fort Collins and Denver. Afternoon tea for day riders coming off the mountain. The kitchen that helps build our reputation as THE place you get away to if you want to Recover & Rejuvenate, Remember & Reconnect, and Reimagine Life.
The year we are also focused on full-ranch buyouts for destination weddings, company retreats and small group bookings where you and the Head of Hospitality co-design the food story for the events.
You report to the Head of Hospitality and sit at the leadership table — not in the back of the kitchen. You own menu, ordering, food cost, and your kitchen team. Stocks from bones, bread from flour, the land sets the menu. We don't open bags here.
The package.
$20/hr + tips, year-round, hourly
Private room on-ranch, year-round (shared apartment off-season, 2 housemates max)
Three family-style meals a day, provided — the same meals every human on the ranch eats
Lodging and meals provided per IRC §119 — almost every dollar you earn is yours to keep
HFWA paid sick leave, FAMLI, paid time off
Full ranch access on days off — riding, hiking, jacuzzi, disc golf, shooting range, miles of forest out the back gate
The place.
138 acres at 8,000 ft, surrounded by 800,000+ acres of Roosevelt National Forest. An hour from Fort Collins, two from Denver. Across the road from the University of Denver's mountain campus. WiFi limited, cell service patchy — by design. Tobacco-free, drug-free, random screening. Chef whites in the kitchen, western when you step out. Uniform provided.
You'll thrive here if:
• 3+ years leading a kitchen, or a strong senior sous ready to step up

• Calm under pressure, generous with your team, ruthless on standards — the holy trinity

• Confident across modes — family-style, plated, casual restaurant, tea, occasional event

• Real ownership of food cost, ordering, and inventory — you run the kitchen as a P&L, not a hobby

• You believe whole food, scratch cooking, and clean eating actually matter

• You actually want to live in the mountains. This isn't a job you commute to.
You won't if:
• You think hospitality is performance instead of care

• You need a 25-cook brigade to feel like a chef

• You want to run a kitchen from behind a desk

• "From scratch" means defrosting it yourself

• The dishroom on a Tuesday night feels beneath you

• You think staff eat differently than guests
Who you'll work with.
We're Jade and Monty — partners in life, in business, and in this ranch. We bought Sundance Trail Ranch because our shared love of nature, adventure, and what land does to a human soul finally pulled us here for good. We left other industries we loved to come build this on purpose.
Monty has spent 25 years in the ski industry, working with some of the most iconic mountain resorts in North America. These days, he is a remote P/T CFO of boutique destination, cat, and heli-skiing operations — mainly across British Columbia and Colorado, including Silverton Mountain. He chose to step out of the corporate rat race and the craziness of commercialism to live a life more connected to nature than to noise. The bar he holds for guest experience is high, and the standards he's brought to STR have raised everything. Stalk away: [Monty's LinkedIn]
Jade has spent two decades in business consulting and people strategy — building high-performance, human-centred organisations across Australia, the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Her massive transformational purpose is to create spaciousness to unlock human potential — to help people drop into flow state and reimagine what work, life, and being human can actually feel like. STR is the most direct expression of that purpose she's ever built. She wants this to be the ripple — the kind of place that changes how guests live, how the team grows, and how the industry sees what's possible. Stalk away: [Jade's LinkedIn]
The result for you: life and career coaching, real feedback, and the kind of mentorship most chefs never get. You'll be developed on purpose. You won't just grow as a chef. You'll grow as a human.
Read the full role, our food philosophy, and what life here actually looks like:
👉 Deep Dive Job Ad
Then send to jade@sundancetrail.com:
1. Your resume
2. Three references (one peer, one report, one boss)
3. A short note — why this, why now, why a ranch
We're looking for the right person to start as soon as possible. Don't delay. Strong fits get a call within 5 business days. The right human comes to the ranch for a half-day working interview — that's where the hire actually gets made.
Sundance Trail Ranch is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We hire on character, capability, and culture fit — full stop.
Read more