Ask a Vista Verde guest to name the single moment that stuck with them longest, and there’s a good chance it isn’t a horseback ride or a morning fishing on the Elk River. It’s dinner specifically, the one served at the end of a trail, with the Zirkel Wilderness turning gold in the last light. Vista Verde calls it the Steak Ride, and after a summer of guests describing it as the highlight of their week, it’s earned the reputation as one of the most talked-about meals at any guest ranch in Colorado.
What Actually Happens on a Steak Ride
The evening starts the way most great Vista Verde stories do: on horseback. Guests ride out through the Ranch’s backcountry, winding through meadows and forests as the trail climbs toward one of the most dramatic dining locations on the property. You don’t have to be an experienced rider to go; walking and motorized transportation options are available too, so everyone gets the same view and the same meal regardless of how they get there.
Arrival is its own reward. With the peaks of the Zirkel Wilderness spread across an endless Colorado sky, guests are greeted with drinks and appetizers while the unmistakable smell of dinner cooking over an open fire drifts across the site. There’s no rush to sit down. Part of the point of Steak Ride is lingering for a while first, drink in hand, watching the light change to an “alpenglow” over the mountains.
The Meal Itself
When dinner is ready, it’s simple in the best way: filet mignon and steelhead trout, both cooked over an open flame. It’s not a tasting menu or a plated formal dinner. It’s a fire-cooked, backcountry meal and the setting does as much work as the menu. Guests gather at long tables and talk about the day’s rides while the sky over the Zirkel Wilderness shifts from blue to gold.
Why It’s More Than Just Dinner
Steak Ride works well because it combines three things that define a Vista Verde stay into a single evening: horseback riding, mountain scenery, and a team of chefs that take food seriously even a few miles from the Main Lodge. It’s a fully realized dining experience that happens to take place outdoors, led by Chef de Cuisine Ben Barnas.
For many guests, it becomes the story they tell first when someone asks, “So what’s it actually like at a dude ranch?” Western tradition, a horseback adventure, real backcountry scenery, and a meal worth the ride is a rare combination that is hard to find anywhere else in Colorado. It’s a big part of why Steak Ride shows up in Vista Verde guests reviews more than almost anything else that takes place on the property.
When to Expect It
Steak Ride is a seasonal, warm-weather experience running during the summer riding season when the backcountry trails and dining site are accessible on horseback. If a Steak Ride evening is a priority for your stay, it’s worth confirming timing when you book.
The People Behind the Food
Vista Verde’s kitchen is led by Executive Chef & Food and Wine Director Jonathon Gillespie, trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and at the Ranch for more than two decades, building menus around Colorado West ingredients and partnerships with local farmers, ranchers, and producers. Chef de Cuisine Ben Barnas, whose résumé includes the James Beard-recognized Lone Pine Steakhouse in Indianapolis, brings refined technique and bold flavor to the day-to-day menu. Between the two of them (plus Chef Melissa on pastry), the kitchen has the range to run a casual waterside lunch and a candlelit five-course dinner in the same 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Filet mignon and steelhead trout, our famed artichoke dip, and bacon-wrapped scallops, cooked over an open flame at the site, served alongside drinks and appetizers on arrival.
No. Most guests ride out on horseback, but walking and motorized transportation options are also available. Everyone enjoys the same setting, food, and atmosphere regardless of how they get there.
At a backcountry dining site on the Ranch’s property with views of the Zirkel Wilderness, reached by riding through meadows and forested trails from the Main Lodge.
Yes. As with all dining at Vista Verde, the Steak Ride is included as part of an all-inclusive stay, no separate ticket or upcharge.
No. It’s a summer dude ranch season experience, run when the backcountry site is accessible. Confirm timing with the Ranch when booking if it’s a must-do for your family.
Vista Verde’s culinary team led by Chef de Cuisine Ben Barnas.
Read more about Vista Verde’s Food & Wine program, explore the horseback riding program that gets you to the Steak Ride, or see what’s included in an all-inclusive stay.
Author Bio
Erin Brosterhous leads the marketing efforts at Vista Verde Ranch and brings more than 20 years of experience working with creative teams in the hospitality, outdoor, and travel industries. A fourth-generation Colorado native, Erin is passionate about sharing stories of outdoor adventure, authentic ranch experiences, and mountain living all the while raising her husband and two kids in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.