4 Eagle Ranch now offers overnight stays

Tom’s Tent provides unique camping experience
in breathtaking Rocky Mountain setting

For the past 16 years, visitors to the historic 4 Eagle Ranch in the heart of the Vail Valley have left the 1,000-acre spread with plenty of lasting memories but wishing they could stay awhile longer. This summer, for the first time, they can.

The valley’s best-kept secret, 4 Eagle Ranch, proudly announces Tom’s Tent, the newest addition to the ranch providing an overnight opportunity for guests, as well as a more intimate venue for smaller groups or parties.

Offering the valley’s premier authentic western setting for corporate events, weddings, reunions, and a host of daytime and evening activities for families, couples, and friends, it would be imprecise to call 4 Eagle just a dude ranch. Similarly, it would be an understatement to call Tom’s Tent a mere campsite.

“Our family has a special connection to the streamside setting for Tom’s Tent; it has always been our favorite place to camp on the entire ranch,” says 4 Eagle owner and founder Tom Backhus. “We’re so happy we can share the site with friends and guests as our first-ever overnight offering.”

Tom’s Tent comes equipped with all the amenities to ensure even the most novice camper a memorable, comfortable stay at 4 Eagle Ranch. A camp kitchen, outdoor grills, a wood-burning stove, picnic tables, plenty of comfortable seating, two king-sized air mattresses and a full-size futon all create a cozy ambiance inside the beautiful oversized tent.

Outside, the campsite is bisected by a babbling brook and shaded by massive cottonwood trees. Picnic tables, a private “outhouse Port-O-Potty”, steerhead roping, hammock, fire pit and long-range, down-valley views provide guests of Tom’s Tent with true feelings of comfort, inspiration and seclusion.

And yet Tom’s Tent isn’t all that far from civilization. Just a mile and a half down a U.S. Forest Service road from State Highway 131, two and half miles from the main ranch complex and only four miles from Interstate 70 and all the hustle and recreational bustle of the Vail Valley, Tom’s Tent is easily accessible but still a world apart.

Guests of Tom’s Tent are encouraged to ride horses from 4 Eagle’s main buildings - including an 1885 Carriage House and the circa-1890 Nelson Cabin - out to the campsite on a jaunt that can range anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the adventurous spirit and desire of the guests.

But the road access means Tom’s Tent is just as easily reached by vehicle - a perfect alternative for those guests who prefer not to “rough it” too much. And the road and trail access also makes Tom’s Tent a great destination for mountain bikers in the summer or snowmobilers in the winter.

To reserve Tom’s Tent overnight, the cost is $350 for one to four people, and $50 per extra person up to six people. Campers are welcome to bring their own food to cook on one of two outdoor Weber grills or the indoor Coleman stove, or 4 Eagle Ranch will provide meals for an additional fee. Smaller corporate groups or parties of up to 20 may reserve Tom’s Tent for a fee determined by the size of the group and meal requirements.

For more information, go to www.4eagleranch.com or call 970.926.3372.