A Family Mountain Adventure at El Rancho Pinoso

Tucked away in the rugged mountains near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the ranch is almost as remote as it gets. Coming straight from the frantic pace of normal life, that level of deep, absolute isolation took a minute to adjust to. At first, the silence and stillness felt almost unfamiliar. But as the days went on, that unease completely melted away. We realized we were in a rare kind of safe, peaceful sanctuary where we could completely unplug. Our home base was the cozy “Cowboy House,” which has a massive porch for morning coffee and hot cocoa and plenty of open lawn for the kids to run wild.
The highlight of the trip was the water. We spent a day fishing the Rio Blanco right on the ranch, with an entire private stretch of perfect pool-drop water completely to ourselves. It was there that our oldest son hooked and landed his very first trout in moving water—seeing his excitement is a memory I’ll keep forever. While Sonja and I did get to fish, this trip was really all about him. The next day, we ventured out to a sister property in the Weminuche Valley, getting even further into the backcountry. Fishing out there, with nobody else around for miles, brought an incredible sense of calm. It genuinely felt like we’d discovered our own private corner of the world.

Our evenings were just as laid-back. We could have gone into town, but the ranch was simply too good to leave. Having a full kitchen made it easy to whip up family dinners and keep the kids’ routines on track. That said, future guests can also choose to have the entire experience catered by a fantastic local chef. Afterward, we’d head outside into the cool mountain air to hang out on the porch, play games, and watch the sunset give way to an insane amount of bright, clear stars. Leaving the mountains was tough, but we headed home with full hearts, a packed camera roll, and a newfound appreciation for the quiet magic that is El Rancho Pinoso.

A massive thank you to the ranch manager, Dave Leibson, for hosting us, guiding us, and making the whole experience seamless. Thank you, Dave!