The historic guest stay program on Colorado's shortgrass prairie, where visitors worked alongside the Phillips family to manage an 87,000-acre cattle ranch before its closure in late 2024.
Ranchlands at Chico Basin Ranch was a pioneering guest stay program on an 87,000-acre working cattle ranch in the shortgrass prairie of southeastern Colorado, operating from 1999 until its closure in late 2024. Managed by Duke Phillips III and the Phillips family under a 25-year lease with the Colorado State Land Board, the ranch was widely celebrated for its progressive conservation-minded agriculture and immersive visitor experiences. Unlike typical dude ranches that focused on leisurely trail rides and resort amenities, Chico Basin offered a true working-ranch immersion. Guests stayed directly on the property, rolling up their sleeves to work alongside seasoned wranglers and ranch hands on daily operations. This included moving herds of grass-fed Beefmaster cattle, checking miles of fencing, repairing tack in the saddle room, and participating in the intense spring branding season.
The accommodations at Chico Basin were intentionally simple and deeply integrated into the daily life of the ranch crew. Guests stayed in a modest guesthouse with two bedrooms, a shared bathroom, and a fully stocked kitchen where they prepared their own breakfasts and lunches. Evenings were a communal affair, with guests joining the ranch staff and the Phillips family in their personal homes for home-cooked dinners and conversations about land stewardship. The ranch's open-gate philosophy aimed to bridge the cultural divide between urban visitors and rural agriculturalists, offering an authentic glimpse into the realities of modern western ranching. Beyond cattle work, the property was a vital ecological haven, featuring five spring-fed lakes stocked with bass and crappie, as well as a major migratory bird banding station operated in partnership with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.
In late 2023, the Colorado State Land Board voted not to renew Ranchlands' lease, accepting a higher financial bid from another operator, the Flying Diamond Ranch, which took over agricultural management of the land in January 2025. This decision brought an end to a quarter-century of stewardship by the Phillips family at Chico Basin, with the final calf brandings taking place in June 2024. While guest stays are no longer available on this historic Colorado shortgrass prairie, the legacy of Ranchlands continues. The Phillips family relocated their operations, including their conservation-focused guest programs and horse-packing expeditions, to new landscapes such as the Paintrock Canyon Ranch in Wyoming and the MP Ranch in New Mexico. Today, the memories of Chico Basin remain a benchmark for authentic, conservation-first ranch hospitality in the American West.
While Chico Basin Ranch no longer hosts guest stays under the Ranchlands banner, you can experience the Phillips family's signature conservation-first hospitality and rugged trail rides at their new locations, including Paintrock Canyon Ranch in Wyoming and the MP Ranch in New Mexico.
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