Located among Colorado’s eastern-plains farming communities, Rocky Ford is home to some of the juiciest watermelons in the world — and when you slice into the bright-pink center, the sticky juices will already be flowing in refreshing rivulets. Milliron Lodge is an ideal basecamp for trips to taste-test local produce, watch people hold on for their lives at local rodeos and learn about the region’s rich past (hint: it goes way back to the dinosaurs).
If you’ve ever had fantasies about throwing your phone away, hopping in a pickup truck and driving toward solitude, Milliron is your place. Prop your feet up on the veranda of this ochre-colored cabin, surrounded by farmland, with a plate of freshly sliced cantaloupe and watch the clouds pass by, taking your troubles with them as they go. Head inside to original wooden floors and a comfy bed (there are five bedrooms to choose from) covered in a custom quilt.
You’ll feel a sense of peace settle over you when you stay at the lodge. Go for long walks along the farm-to-market roads and spot grazing cows, chirping birds, hardworking farmers and bright-green tractors. The splendid isolation will help you get in touch with America’s breadbasket.
Everything about this place screams Colorado’s Canyons & Plains. Take a stroll out to the pond, sit yourself in an Adirondack chair and watch bullfrogs jumpin’ and geese swimmin’ for that easy-livin’ feeling.
All the fresh air you’re getting will have you crawling into bed reasonably early so you can rise with the sun. When the neighbor’s rooster starts crowing, you’ll stumble onto the porch and witness ribbons of bubblegum-pink and marigold-orange colors brush across the sky.
“Such a beautiful location. I catered a class reunion here in August. Perfect for any occasion, large or small. The property and the house are kept very clean and tidy at all times and it's affordable!” — Caitlin H., Facebook
A six-minute drive into Rocky Ford means you can get the good seats at the annual Arkansas Valley Fair (August) to see thrilling horse races and an epic carnival. Or pop into the Rocky Ford Museum for a look back at the area’s history from 1878 to present. Grab lunch at Christine’s — located in an adorable, converted church — and get a slice of homemade pie for the road.
Fifteen minutes east lies La Junta, a junction for settlers as they made their way west. Learn about early plains life from interpreters dressed in period clothing at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (the kiddos can become Junior Rangers).
Or go back further in time to Picketwire Canyonlands, which houses North America’s largest dinosaur track site. More than 1,900 prints extend across a quarter mile of the bedrock deep in the Comanche National Grassland. While there explore 440,000 acres of petroglyphs and abandoned homesteads.
Want even more Old West history? See how the railroad influenced daily life at Otero Museum, watch traditional Native American dances at Koshare Indian Museum or hop on America’s first internationally famous highway, the Santa Fe Trail.
Here’s more ideas for the Canyons & Plains region (plus, activities for the little ones)
Photos courtesy of Milliron Lodge
