Welcome to Phipps La Garita Ranch.

In 2012 we are open for the rental of cabins, apartments and guest suites through VRBO exclusively. We are a 1,882-acre breath-taking jewel in Colorado’s mountain crown, cradled on three sides by the Rio Grande National Forest and the La Garita Wilderness Area 7 miles south of Creede, Colorado.

Purchased in 1908 by Senator Lawrence C. Phipps (a partner of Andrew Carnegie), the ranch has been a second home to five generations of our family. Guests at the ranch have included General “Black Jack” Pershing, President Dwight Eisenhower, (Pictured below with Graham and Tony Phipps in 1948) Walt Disney, and Supreme Court Justice Byron White. Since 1956 we have enjoyed enduring friendships with more than 90 families from all over the US and Europe who have returned generation after generation to enjoy our wonderful facilities and stunning scenery.

We are known for our superb trout fishing. We offer 2-1/2 private miles of blue-ribbon Rio Grande, 3-1/2 miles of Bellows Creek, 4 lakes, 3 ponds, Allan’s Alley and Senator’s Creek—all private, pristine trout habitat for testing your casting skills with or without the assistance of a professional guide.

By special arrangement with local wranglers, our guests can enjoy awesome horseback rides or hiking through lupin-laden forests of aspen, spruce and fir–trips likely to silence even the noisiest mind with spectacular views of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande valley far below. For the more adventuresome, all-day rides to the Wheeler Geologic Area 5-1/2 miles above the Ranch can be arranged.

We provide a diversity of outstanding accommodations that include the Phipps House (5 bedrooms, 4-1/2 baths); the Ritz and Biltmore Cabins, (each with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, living rooms, kitchens, fireplaces and decks); the Pierre and Plaza apartments (each with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, living rooms, kitchens, fireplaces and decks); 3 suite-type accommodations (with living rooms, but no kitchens), and five other luzury double bedrooms in the Lodge (each with its own bath). For details see www.vrbo.com/373663 and http://www.vrbo.com/385177.

In addition to fishing, riding, hiking and swimming, guests of all ages can find themselves in a friendly game of horseshoes, mountain biking up to Hansen Sawmill, photographing local wildlife, enduring a round-robin game of ping pong after dinner, going on a cattle drive with a local rancher, plunging down the Rio Grande in a raft, playing 18 holes of golf at the Rio Grande Club in South Fork, or jeeping up to the silver mines above Creede.

Phipps La Garita Ranch has hosted numerous special events—family reunions, weddings, art workshops, fishing clinics, corporate retreats, mother/daughter weekends, health and fitness weeks.—an endless palette of opportunities to paint memories, to learn the meaning of place, and to become more ourselves.

We are part of a dynamic community. Against the fabulous backdrop of its rowdy silver-mining past, the nearby town Creede thrives as an unpretentious blend of Old West and new with art galleries, the nationally known Creede Repertory Theater, the Underground Mining Museum, great restaurants, rafting companies, fishing supplies, jewelry stores, museums, jeep tours, mushroom forays, pack trips, mining competitions and numerous other events throughout the summer.

We are an intimate, friendly, family-oriented ranch celebrating our 104th year. We may be small and may not charge like the rest, but we will take the time to focus on the quality of your stay here, and make it an experience you will hardly forget.

PLEASE GIVE US A CALL at 303-619-3675 (winter) or 719-658-2239 summer; For Phipps House reservations Call 303-596-7447 Winter and/or Summer.