I had a great time with my family at the ranch! I love the cabins, they are so cute and cozy! The food is really good and all the staff is very friendly. I loved being able to have a vacation away from everything and just relax and fish and see all the animals.
Pure wonder. Caught the ranch in the Fall and everything was so clear and filled with color. The staff was light but those we met were very friendly. The horses were well kept and the adventures in that neck of the mountains were perfect.
Just stopped in for breakfast while passing through. Wasn't anything actually bad, it just wasn't memorable.
Great get away for buddy's wedding. Awesome staff, food, location, amenities. All around top notch!
Found a wonderful guest ranch in the Rockies that doesn't take your pants off cost wise. It's maybe not as fancy as some of those slick Holywood types, but they have everything you would want in a mountain vacation. Cabins are of several kinds for two to nine persons. With wonderful locations along a beautiful mountain stream.. Great Horse program with trails high up into the forest to the tall and uncut. White water river rafting Heated pool with sauna and Hot tub, game room for kids and a week full of activities, like chuck wagon Bar B Q, Square Dance. A really lovely dining room that overlooks the river, meals are reasonably prices and delightful A Grand Buffet with wine you wouldn't believe. Fly Fishing I understand is Gold Metal and they guide. to teach and advise. This is really nice place for family vacations, reunions , weddings. Also it is nice that you don't have to book for a week and follow a set routine. You choose and select for everything!! Our family highly recommends Harmels
bed covers are disgusting, room and buildings are the same. Paid for a week, dreading staying 1 night. The store is a joke, restaurant, or lack of is the same. Save your money, and get a tent! Wish I could post current pictures!
It was ok! Nice grounds for hiking and photos. They said it was "like a hotel".... ok, so, yeah, it had beds, a shower, coffee maker and a fridge. But the fridge wasn't plugged in and there's a TV, but only with a DVD player. No channels or anything like that. Also, there was a heater but no thermostat or fans in the room. The heater was on the whole night and we were so hot!!! We couldn't open the window bc there was no screen!
This is a beautiful area with great wranglers to help you on the trails. Beginners on up are available for you to choose from. I totally recommend visiting this ranch for your horse riding!
Great family vacation last year and already have my reservations this year. Great food and fun activities.
We went horseback mountain trail riding. Great guide and the horses were well tended and trained. Had a great time.
Worst experience I've ever had for paying over $5000 to stay here. Terrible food, over run with mice and spiders.
12 years ago found Harmel s. Been a family outing each year since. Grandson was on first trip. Will be full time wrangler at corral this summer before college! Love fishing, biking, sittin on deck, cookouts. Doing 6 nights in July.
This was such an excellent place! My family of 4 went today and our guides were amazing!! My son has sensory processing and he asks lots of questions and needs to know at every minute what s happening, one of the guides was super helpful at answering all his questions and patient with him the whole time. We just loved it and will be back!!!
Out of the way with old west charm. Restaurant and bar are always good. Staff is friendly and accommodating.
An awesome ride with beautiful views! The entire experience was top notch. Worth the time.
I'm a current employee. Just went hiking on my day off and WOW! Very beautiful! The restaurant is off the chain. The guys in there make everyone wanting to come back for more.
I really wanted to go horseback riding but some issues in Crested Butte made it so I was late. I called the establishment to let them know of my delay and when I got there they told me I was too late and there was nothing I could do. The guy even called their phone person who confirmed I called and said I would be late and still refused and didnt offer anything. I had to ask if I could rereserve since he was apparently too busy cashing out to care. The fact that he just seemed so happy to refuse my reservation is what really got to me. This incident ruined my experience up here. Don't bother going here. Terrible customer service.
Rustic but homey. Extremely friendly staff. Beautiful scenery and awesome fishing.
Our family has been enjoying a trip to Harmel's each summer for about 30 years. Our kids have become fishermen on this stretch of the Taylor River. A few years ago our son was married in an outdoor ceremony then we entertained about 100 guests at the picnic grounds, for a delicious barbecue.
Many memories have been made here with good friends and family, stories have been told at countless campfires under the stars. We love the authentic experience here and the feel of the rustic cabins with vintage cowboy decor. Nights are cool with the never-ending sound of the river to lull you to sleep. The Taylor canyon is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Our favorite place is on the deck at the restaurant with a fire burning and a cold margarita. Brad and Steve as well as some of the long term staff members have become our friends over the years. We now have 4 grand children to bring to Harmel's the accommodations work well for our family of 10.
Had a great time at this resort. It's clear and the people are nice. Very secluded. If you're looking for a nice place to relax this is it. The service is slow and food took long but other than that a good experience.
Fine resort. Good rooms. Fishing, horse back riding, full service fly shop, guide service, small grocery
Great experience, good hospitality. Food ok.
Rustic cabin, good mountain air.
This was the best vacation yet. The staff was incredible. They went out of their way daily to ensure our stay was the best. Even provided a campfire Birthday cake for a few of our family celebrating birthdays. Great location for things do and see! Awesome!!
I called on June 9th to go horseback riding for later that day. Knowing that it was early in the season and there could possibly be availability for 3 riders for an afternoon ride. I was met on the other end of the phone by a rude female employee that stated... you need to call a day in advance . Any good customer service employee might have mentioned that she was sorry they don t take same day reservations due to not having wranglers on staff or not having enough horses saddled up. She just stated her one rude line so I said ok and hung up. That is too bad, we ve ridden with you twice before and we will never be back. You know what they say.....one bad experience and I ll tell several of my friends. One good experience and it may never be shared.
I called another ranch in the area and they were happy to accommodate my party same day. Customer service can ruin your business.
It is a quaint and pleasant resort with comfortable rooms and a great atmosphere. The rooms do not have WiFi or cable but the rec center is open 24 hours and has a pool, ping pong, and fooseball table. The rec center as well as restaurant have wifi. The staff are very hospitable and I highly recommend this resort for a fun time away from the city
This is a hidden Colorado treasure for camping and outdoor adventure. The Taylor River area is great for rafting, and the guides are the best. The restaurant has had its ups and downs. This last visit I thought the food and service was the best it's ever been. The waitress brought water for my doggie. Much appreciate any place that is pet friendly.
Had a great trip... dont expect great water pressure or hot water
Great place! Cozy cabins on the river. Right next to a lot of activities or if you just want to relax.
Affordable.
Food is expensive. River is great. Rooms are well priced and clean.
Very pretty area! Cabins are VERY rustic and furniture is outdated but that's apart of the charm I guess. However the cleanliness is border lined and very few amenities. We where disappointed in the service from the front counter, very rude and unfriendly, almost like we bothered him walking in the door. Got into an intense argument about over charging for extra nights. Restaurant had good food but under experienced staff. Over all Its an OK place to stay but over priced for what you get and I won't be back do to the inhospitable staff at office. (the young guy with long bushy hair)
We went on a lovely two hour horseback ride. Our horses were well behaved and the scenery was gorgeous! Would definitely recommend for people looking for a relaxing activity in beautiful Colorado.
Food was absolutely horrible and they were out of everything on the menu. Beautiful place to stay but not to eat.
I have had a wonderful time at Hamel's many times! My family loves The horseback riding and fishing! The staff is really nice and the food is great! Can't wait for our next trip! We are going to try the whitewater rafting!
Our family recently met at Harmel's for the second time for a family reunion, July 2014. Everyone had the time of our lives as we enjoyed horseback riding in the mountains, river rafting, fishing on the Taylor River, hiking, and relaxing. And we won't forget about the excellent food and superb service. There are so many people to thank for our stay, and all are to be commended, with the staff ready to go above and beyond the expected to ensure the customer is 110% satisfied, and without being asked to do so. The team spirit is easily seen in the daily efforts of all the staff, and the friendly people are what makes Harmel's a unique place, not just somewhere to rent a cabin. The housekeeping staff is fantastic, and cares about every detail. The restaurant food is abundant and always fresh, the wait staff goes out or their way to provide good service, and the dishes are always clean. The nights are quite relaxing with the cool Colorado weather, and if you are a stargazer, the view is incredible. Thank you so much to Steve, Brad, Amy, Bode, and all the wait staff for turning our vacation into a lifetime of memories. We want to return soon.
A secluded hideaway with a view. The fishing, scenic views and atmosphere is worth the drive!
I had a great all day guided trail ride. My guide and horse were top notch and the packed lunch was as amazing as the views.
I've been here about 6 years total, most recently 2 years ago in the summer of 2014. It's still a great place to vacation. Beautiful Taylor River noise. Great fishing. Excellent location for a small family reunion
Couldnt find any breakfast sausage but overall good
Pretty cool rustic place. Aspen was fun to train as a bar tender
Okay, so I've stopped in here a few times over the years. It's a nice place, but I've never stayed; just bought food, fished, etc. As with all my other reviews, I base my rating on how likely I am to return.
My friends and I were camping along the Taylor and stopped in here for dinner after it took us longer to get to our campground than we had originally planned. The food was good and the server was excellent (very polite and attentive). So, definitely nothing wrong there. That definitely earns a great rating. The food wasn't even overly priced. We also stopped in for groceries and firewood during that trip. A fine experience.
I then went back this last year just to fish. Why? Well, I was wanting to fish the Taylor and knew that Harmel's stocked some pretty awesome trout including palomino rainbows. I got pretty excited about this. I'm usually not one to fish for stocked trout, but hey . . .
When I got there that morning, I was told that the price went up because they had just stocked a number of trophy trout including the aforementioned palominos. I was slightly irked, but oddly I still didn't balk too much at the $100+ (my credit card statement shows $150 on the dot which sounds right from what I remember), just for the day. Way too expensive? Not really. A bit overpriced for sure, but when you think about what you're fishing for, that guides are $300-$400 for the day, and even just fishing on a private lake can cost you $200, I wasn't too worried.
So why the lost star? It was actually their in-house guides. While I was on the river, two guides were out with clients. I've fished with and around guides several times. These guides, although they seemed friendly enough, would pretty much walk into right where I was fishing. I know they're trying to put their clients on fish and I know that this is the guide's livelihood. It is because of those facts that I would never encroach on a guide, and in fact give them way more space than they need; their meal ticket supersedes my hobby. However, when they literally walked right up next to where I am, as in 15' away or less, and have their client start casting where I'm casting. That's different. They approached me. One of their guides was substantially worse than the other. One just got a little close; meaning that I could easily hear their entire conversation. He seemed nice enough though.
The other was just trying to put an elderly man on fish. I get it, but I paid to be there too and I was in that spot first. This is just common courtesy. In fact, the man who sold rang me out for my fishing day even told me where the guides were, so I literally headed the other direction. The guide also kind of became a fish creeper . . . when I started catching fish, he moved down to me. It's just unprofessional and silly.
So, the food is good. The store and restaurant are nice and what you'd expect for a well-maintained cabin resort. The staff was friendly. The fishing was pretty decent (I landed 11 including a palomino in a few hours) although I did better elsewhere on my trip (not on the Taylor). The guides lost them a star. Also, remember that this is not to rate the cabins - they did seem pretty nice though and the guests seemed happy as I walked by them.
We just stopped in to check availability and pricing. Staff was super helpful and place looked to be nice.
This ranch is amazing. The staff were all so friendly and helpful. Went fishing for the first time and the guides were so patient with us! Wonderful little ranch to spend a few days in!
Horrible. No maintenance at all in 20 years it seems. Everything is dirty, broken, and/or not maintained. The food was hideous. I couldn't even cut the pork chop with a steak knife it was so tough. the glasses left on the tables were so dirty...and the tables were not wiped down. Not to mention the broken jagged window in the front of the dining hall that no one bothered to cover up or repair. No coffee maker in room..huge mold and mildew under kitchen sink. Gross. Oh, and the toilets will back up and overflow if you even put one piece of toilet paper in it. Leaning floors (don't bring grandma and her walker). The whole place is horrible. No one cares about this place. The nightly charge of $220 would be comparable to a very nice hotel. The only thing this place has going for it is the beautiful nature. But for the price, you could stay in Crested Butte and be treated with respect.
Sad to say this once wonderful place is now full of disappointment. We've stayed here before and had a great experience. This time I'm not sure what's changed... If there's new ownership or management but it was one thing after another. Even checking in the staff had no idea when the meals were being served(you pay a lot extra for the meal plan) Screen doors hanging off the hinges, rooms smell, bathrooms weren't clean in the rooms or the restaurant. Bugs in the beds! Under the sheets.. Not just on top... Dead beetles under the tables. I'm not sure if they hold any cleaning standards anymore. But the price you pay is charging for a higher standard. We paid for the meal packages and the chefs would leave early leaving the food empty for breakfast. Like an hour before breakfast was over! The hot tub hadn't been cleaned in weeks and the water was green and the sides covered in scum. We weren't ever able to take a hot shower as there wasn't hot water... Cold to slightly lukewarm water was all that was ever available. Extremely disappointed and will now never return to a place that was so fun prior. It seems every possible corner was cut.. Every short cut was taken... There isn't a standard in place.
Took our 3 generation family group on the 2 hour intermediate ride. Great choice of horses for all of us, challenging ride and beautiful scenery!
We loved staying here and would totally come back next time we re in the area. We stayed in the Hitching Post which was an excellent price and comfortable accommodations. Contrary to some reviews I had seen on here, the place was well maintained, clean and very comfortable. The rooms have character and charm and I really enjoyed it. Also, check-in after hours was simple and convenient. If we had more time I totally would have utilized the game room! Looks like a good place to bring your kids. (:
We felt like family here. Jermaine, Sade and Aspen took great care of us! Maintenance guy(don t know his name) took everything to care. We are going again July 4th with the family. Cannot wait. Don t expect everything open., however, if you give them your time they give you everything back! Considering to see if my kids might want to work here for summers.
Stayed here for three nights. Room had leftover food in the fridge, empty whiskey bottle on the cabinet. We had poor service the whole time we stayed here. Restaurant was not great and continued the theme of no Service. Would not stay here.
lovely location, pleasant staff, great fishing, rustic
Beautiful location.
However, on this trip a total breakdown on service.
Double occupancy cabin was not setup to accommodate 2 people.
Checked in at 5pm.
Entered cabin at 5:15pm Discovered zero linens for 2nd bed.
2nd bed was a foldout couch. Unacceptable amenities for a "Resort".
Called office. No answer, left message.
Called Office again at 9pm.
No answer, again left message.
Zero Night Management. Zero response.
Zero Responsibility taken. Zero action taken
But the room charge was billed with zero problems.
Save your time and effort with this lodging. Many more responsible professionals are available on the Taylor River.
I love this place. The spot on the Taylor river is unique and private. Alittle pricey.
The area is fantastic. My favorite place in Colorado.
Harmels is a shell of what it used to be. I was going to Harmels in the 70s when I was a kid. It was the cat's meow then. In the early 80s, it was booming. Beautiful women all over the place. Fabulous rooms. I saw some Hollywood celebs there in the 80s. A chef in the restaurant. Prime rib and fresh fish for dinner. Three great meals a day. No reason to leave for anything. The store had everything you needed. Fishing guides. Rafting. Horse riding.
Over the years, I have watched a steady decline in service, quality, offerings, etc. from Harmels. It is very sad. I wish the owners would turn it around, but I also know it is a tough business. They rely on college kids for help which is not easy anymore with this generation. Sorry, but it is true. Harmels can only open 2-3 months per year, but yet they don't do even capitalize on that. Last year, I walked into the restaurant for lunch on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. "Oh, we are closed". Closed on Labor Day weekend?!?! That would be the biggest weekend of the year.
They have been trying to sell it years. The best way to sell it is demonstrate revenue, but you have to provide service and be open to accomplish that. The Owner wants a premium price while simultaneously running the business and operation into the ground. Man, that wont work.
The cabins are in need of work. I hear they are doing that this winter. If they want to sell it, they need to have the operation running at full capacity to justify the price.
We had an amazing experience horseback riding! The guides we're awesome and very helpful and friendly! We can't wait to go back
This review is in reference to their stables and riding tours. My friend and were camping in Almont in late September and had a free morning. She called around and spoke to the staff at Harmel's, and they were able to accommodate us for a morning ride. I hadn't been on a horse in 35 years, so I was nervous, but excited.
Nikki was our guide and she got the horses set up for us quickly and gave me a quick tutorial on handling the horse RV, a (ahem) very large animal. She was great at keeping an eye on us and answering questions as the ride progressed. Pretty soon I was feeling much more comfortable and we enjoyed a ~10 mile loop with some fairly aggressive switchbacks. The scenery was absolutely stunning and Nikki was terrific company for the trip. As our ride came to a close (3-4 hours total) I found I was sad to have it end so soon. I can't compliment Nikki enough on her capability and demeanor. Furthermore, the prices for the ride were very reasonable. I'll definitely be visiting again!
We highly reccomend this cabin resort for great family fun white water rafting, fishing, and it is pet friendly! Beautifully located on the Taylor River.
Had a great time here. Tons of activities to enjoy a week in the Rockies.Great fishing and horseback trails
Expensive food except for the bar menu. Store mngr. Not very knowledgeable.
harmels.com
