Arapaho Valley Ranch (AVR), a Grand County, Colo., glamping destination adjacent to Lake Granby and near the Grand County towns of Granby and Grand Lake, was featured in the Oct. 30 episode of “Hometowns,” a production of PBS Appalachia. Appearing on PBS channels throughout the United States, the episode dives into the history and stories of Arapaho Valley Ranch and other cherished Grand County places, according to a press release.
The episode is also available for viewing on YouTube.
The Hometowns crew stayed at the Gold Home and Cabin, the largest glamping accommodation at Arapaho Valley Ranch, during the production of the program. With a capacity for up to 18 guests, the Gold Home is a luxurious and convenient choice for small groups like the production crew, as well as for family weddings and retreats.
Originally focused on Appalachian hometowns in Virginia and elsewhere, PBS Hometowns has recently expanded its focus, and it now includes Western destinations like Grand County. The crew shot the footage of Arapaho Valley Ranch and other locations in early June, a particularly wildlife-rich time of the year in this rugged mountain destination.
In addition to featuring Arapaho Valley Ranch, the episode highlights popular Grand County places like YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch and Drowsy Water Ranch.
“This was a busy, highly focused group of professionals, and we were delighted to watch them enthusiastically hustle from one place to the next over a few days’ time,” said Hayden Hughes, ranch manager. “We had some terrific weather when they were here, and our free-roaming wildlife, like moose, seemed to know there were cameras, because they were not shy about wandering around the ranch while they were here.”
Hughes and AVR guest services manager Allie Rankin were interviewed for the episode behind the bar at AVR’s Red Dog Saloon. The cozy watering hole is known as “Colorado’s tiniest bar,” with only four stools. The bar is filled with memorabilia salvaged from throughout the region, including from ranches that are now underwater after the construction of the Granby Dam. Show host Josh Deel sipped on a drink in the 80 square-foot bar while chatting with Hughes and Rankin about the ranch and its history.
Arapaho Valley Ranch traces its roots to the late 1800s, when original owner Henry Lehman owned property and buildings along the South Fork of the Colorado River, which ran through the valley where Lake Granby is now located. Construction of the Granby Dam dictated that the ranch buildings – and many others – needed to be moved.
Arapaho Valley Ranch has been welcoming guests since 1945. Situated on what was once Arapaho and Cheyenne land, the ranch was originally a dude ranch. It later became a guest ranch owned by a musically inclined family who invited their friends to stay and play music together. The ranch then became a private home. In 2021, Arapaho Valley Ranch was purchased by the Tiehen Group, a commercial and property management company in the Kansas City area.
Arapaho Valley Ranch is open year-round and offers on-site seasonal activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice skating in the winter and hiking, mountain biking and fishing during the warmer months. Winter-season guests are accommodated in cabins and yurts.
