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Hestar Ranch on San Juan River

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· Pagosa Springs, Archuleta, Colorado

112 acres hosted by Monika M.

Hestar Ranch is located on the San Juan River and home to Monika from Switzerland with her crew of 10 Icelandic horses and 1 Mustang, some chickens and a great Pyrenean dog. She is living here since 20 years. The ranch has 1/4 mile both sides of San Juan River with two camping spots that are available for camping next to the river, and one in a hiking valley going up north of C.R. 500. Also the Carson Nat. Forest is here, and it has an access road from the ranch for horseback riding, biking or hiking... but no motorized vehicles, it is Wilderness, but there are the roads from the gas industry to serve the wells. There is a smaller Farmhouse and a barn with a rustic guest room in the loft, and the old buildings from the original homesteaders of the older days. The old-timer buildings are still standing today with some new roofing and are shelter for animals and hay barns. The train went by the ranch, right in front of the houses and barns, and there was a divide here too, so that one train was waiting here for the passing train that would go by. Once in a while, I can still find old railroad objects buried in the ground. I had an old neighbor named Frank, and he used to come see me for a cup of coffee, and we sit together on the porch, and he told me the stories about this place and the beautiful valley in the olden days. He always mentions how hard the winters were compared to now! He told me that there was snow almost up to his hip and the nights and days have been very cold. They had no electricity or water at the house by then when he was a kid, and he had to herd the sheep and stay up in the hills with them during the summer. This land here used to be sheep country before all the farmers changed their stock to cows. The people in this valley were Spanish settlers and built a little church that is still standing in Pagosa Junction. It is a pretty little church and the community is still taking care of it. You can go visit the ghost town Pagosa Junction and see the remaining's of the old times. The scenic and historic Byway *Tracks Across Borders* is leading all the way to Dulce and you can follow it if the weather is nice, it is a beautiful drive! See: https://www.colorado.com/byways/tracks-across-borders Our ranch is on this road called Trujillo Road in between Arboles, CO and Pagosa Junction, Pagosa Springs, CO

Activities

Biking

Boating

Fishing

Hiking

Natural features

Desert

Forest

Hot spring

Lake

Not currently accepting bookings

More camping spots nearby

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5 ratings · 4 reviews

Mikkel L.recommends

June 17, 2019

Our Barn-Loft Cabin

Great stay in June

My girlfriend and i had a great stay. Monica the host was extremely nice to us. The nature on the ranch is truly beautiful. We were there for a couple of nights and the cabin we stayed in was really clean and comfortable. Recommended in every way.

Holly W.recommends

April 30, 2019

River Camp on San Juan River

A truly magical place!

We spent two nights at Hestar Ranch and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. What a beautiful place! Monika the host was very welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed. She showed us to the amazing spot along the river and even helped us get our trailer backed in. The site had rustic benches and a rock-lined fire pit. But the real highlight was getting to take a tour of her ranch, visit the chickens, and meet the Icelandic Horses. Oh, the chickens are Icelandic too. That part of Archileta County is so pretty. There is the historic Pagosa Junction in one direction, which is a neat ghost town, and driving down the other direction on Trujillo Road you’ll encounter the flats of Navajo Lake. Monika works tirelessly to keep Hestar Ranch such a wonderful place. It’s truly a magical destination. I highly recommend camping at Hestar Ranch.

Diane D.recommends

October 20, 2018

Our Barn-Loft Cabin

Monika's ranch was just what we needed. Clean, attractuve accommodations in a dude ranch atmosphere. We loved the privacy, being surrounded by her beautiful horses and the gorgeous sky filled with stars at night. Monika was a caring hostess and put a lot of work into making sure we got what we wanted-a memorable stay. We already plan another stay next year!

Anne K.recommends

July 3, 2018

River Camp on San Juan River

This was an amazing experience and an honor to be able to take part in this special slice of Colorado. Her stretch of the San Juan river is gorgeous. We caught catfish and crawdads and saw enormous carp (although the big ones weren't biting). The kids had a blast catching catfish and crawdads and the river was friendly enough in high summer to wade all the way across and play in all day. Monika is a fabulous camp host and human being - welcoming, charming and very helpful and accommodating.

Location

Pagosa Springs, Archuleta, Colorado, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Diné Bikéyah, Pueblos, and Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Hosted by Monika M.Joined in May 2018

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Hestar Ranch on San Juan River

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