ZAPATA RANCH - A Working Bison Ranch
The Zapata Ranch is owned by The Nature Conservancy and managed through a one-of-a-kind partnership with the Duke and Janet Phillips Family-- a third-generation ranching family. The ranch is a 103,000-acre bison and guest ranch located on the eastern wall of the San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado. It borders the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, the newest National Park in the United States. The high desert grasslands, alpine forests, wetlands, sand dunes, creeks and lush meadows offer one of the most scenic and ecologically diverse landscapes in the United States. The ranch and surrounding valley is a wildlife mecca and is home to thousands of elk, bison, deer, coyotes, birds and many other species.
LAND and LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT
The Zapata ranch manages a herd of 2,500 bison. We supply meat for commercial markets as well as for grass fed/finished markets. Our ranch management philosophy combines old ways of living and ranching on the land with new and innovative ideas in conservation and land management. We strive to manage the land in a way that mimics natural grazing patterns, which have existed for thousands of years in high desert grasslands.
RANCH VACATIONS
 Conde Nast Traveler Magazine: 1 of 3 Best Ranches in America for a Real, Working Ranch Vacation
Western Horseman Magazine: 1 of 15 Best Holidays and Riding Vacations to Book Today "...one of the world's most spectacular and diverse landscapes."
Conde Nast Traveler Magazine: The Best Ranch Lodging and Dining in Colorado
America's Heartland TV Show: Featured as an Unforgettable Experience in the World of Agriculture
Gourmet Live: 1 of 4 Ranch Vacations For Food Lovers "Seeing a herd of wild buffalo glide across the grasslands is an awe-inspiring experience, and probably the closest thing you'll find to a safari in North America."
Colorado Meetings & Events Magazine: Featured in the National Treasures Venue Report
CBS Denver News: Top 5 Ranches in Colorado (Also includes our sister ranch, Chico Basin, in Colorado Springs)
The guest services arm of Zapata Ranch offers an extensive program where guests can get an in depth and educational experience learning about ranching, horsemanship, and conservation practices, while also enjoying fine lodging and meals. Guests typically come to spend their days on horseback, moving and working bison, working on horse handling and riding skills and riding out to enjoy scenery. Our guests can also be integrated into the daily ranch work for "hands on" learning about ranch life and management. This includes work that needs to be done on the ground and on horseback. Guests also come and participate in our extensive nature programs, which include interpretive hikes, photography, bird and other wildlife watching and education on the geology and ecology of the San Luis Valley.
 "We believe that ranching today must lead the way in the stewardship of our western lands and living old ways of life that preserve not only the land, but human values that should not change through time, such as family, an honest days work and living in harmony with nature."
Duke Phillips, General Manager
*For our special weeks including our biggest annual branding, high mountain pack trip, horsemanship clinic, photography workshops, cowgirl week and more click here.
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