Please review the information below before applying for positions on the ranch team. If Sundance Trail Guest Ranch feels like a good fit, check out these current job openings:

Dude Ranch Jobs

Before you read on, be aware that our ranch is value driven, not dollar driven – if you are driven more by money than making magic this is not a good fit for you.

Please read Employment Policies and Expectations before you complete an application to work on the ranch to be sure this will be a good fit for you.

All interested applicants are required to complete this Online Employment Application in order to be considered for a position at Sundance Trail Guest Ranch.

You think you may want ranch employment with guests at a Colorado Dude Ranch or Guest Ranch? Most of us dreamed of this kind of work for years before we were hired here – we know exactly how you feel!

Don’t believe that a Dude Ranch job is like a vacation at summer camp. It sounds hokey, but we truly believe that our mission is not about maximizing profit. Our mission is to maximize joy: our guests, yours, and our own.

This is very physical labor; hard work with long hours. We hire folks who are:

• mature
• well rounded
• happy
• “people – friendly”
• have initiative
• self directed and take ownership
• and who have the stamina and endurance required by ranch life.

We create magic for our guests by:

• washing dishes (plan on it!),
• housekeeping (likewise!),
• picking up trash (constantly – including cigarette butts and other disgusting stuff),
• shoveling manure (horse, goat, kitten, whatever…), spreading manure (tons of it),
• and clearing trail in the high country (finally something that sounds fun!).

^Please read this paragraph again!^

1. We are interested in candidates who can quickly and easily become part of a team.
2. We can no longer consider applications that come in pairs.

In Return, we offer you:

1. Base Pay (varies by job) PLUS Room (& linen & laundry) & Board (open kitchen). Value of R & B adds about $10/hour (tax free as you are the ranch “fire department”).
2. Any personal tips that may be given to you by delighted guests, plus tips that are divided by all staff. (During the summer months, tips are often greater than pay!)
3. The opportunity to interact with “venture angels” who are looking for investment opportunities (you!).
4. On your free time, access to all guest activities (recreation room, jacuzzi, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, shooting, etc.).
5. The opportunity to make lifelong friends.
6. The opportunity to collect new skills & training of marketable skills.
7. Build your resume.
8. Work-play balance (in God’s playground).
9. Working as a team member on a team of professionals.
10. Everyone enjoys clear simple rules: to be happy here.

If you are interested in working for us, please:

1. Study the Dude Ranch Job Descriptions below. If there is an immediate opening, you’ll see a link to more information about that position. If there is no link, you are encouraged to complete an application stating what position(s) you are interested in and we’ll hold your application until those roles become available.
2. Visit the page that lists our Expectations.
3. Submit your Application.

Dude Ranch Job Descriptions

The Lodge & Kitchen

Some of the most important memories that we want to create for our guests are meal memories.

We eat in the dining room, in the back yard, and on the trail. We serve “hearty western fare family style,” which can include lots of vegetables and salads as well as meat and potatoes. Because Ellen and Dan are both RN’s we see many guests who have therapeutic diets or allergies.

The kitchen staff is a group of people who have high energy and good humor.

Kitchen Staff responsibilities include:

• Preparing hearty western meals for 20-25 hungry guests and 10 – 16 hungry staff (about 40 total).
• Serving meals family style; in dining room, on front porch, at picnic tables, and on the trail.
• Baking enormous amounts of desserts and cookies daily.
• Preparing therapeutic and/or special diets (with management support) as needed.
• Managing and maintains food and supplies inventories (shops for groceries).
• Regularly reviewing and assuring compliance with all Health Department Safety Standards and rules.
• Maintaining a spotless clean kitchen, including washing dishes, pots, and pans.
• Helping little kids get eggs from the hen-house.
• Helping wranglers, maintenance persons, and managers do whatever needs to get done to provide guests with a safe and delightful ranch experience.
• Telling endless jokes and humorous stories.

Dude Ranch Jobs in the Barn

Some of the most important memories that we want to create for our guests are from horseback.

Good candidates for barn positions will have both horse & people sense. This is NOT a horse job, it’s a people job that includes horses. You must be safety-conscious, hospitality-minded, and not one to cut corners.

Barn positions require long hours in the elements working at high elevation. You’ll want to be physically fit and prepared to work one of the hardest summers of your life – but also the most fun summer you’ve ever had!

Marketing & Events Manager (this role is currently filled)

• Summer Dude Ranch Vacations
• Fall/Winter/Spring Country Inn and B&B get-aways
• Year-round Weddings and Events (including retreats, family reunions, disc golf tournaments, etc.)
• Year-round “day-trip” Trail Rides

Fill Out an Application