
Canyon Madness Ranch in Roy, N.M. will be launched on 14,000 acres as an “outdoor adventure paradise” with a special emphasis on a non-traditional shooting and firearms program (including a military-style experience, firing from the bed of a Humvee used in the Iraq War) and equestrian activities. Culinary offerings will focus on farm-to-table preparations, including fresh eggs from an on-site ostrich farm.
Canyon Madness Ranch in Roy, N.M.—a two-hour drive from Santa Fe and five hours from Denver—will be launched in April 2021 as a luxury ranch set on 14,000 acres of “outdoor adventure paradise amongst the geographic majesty of northeastern New Mexico.”
Opening to guests for the first time in April 2021, the ranch will provide equestrian pursuits, firearm-related sports, and a range of wilderness activities, from archery to hiking to river kayaking and more. Food-and-beverage service will focus on farm-to-table offerings, including fresh eggs from ostriches kept on site.
An intimate property welcoming just sixteen guests, Canyon Madness Ranch’s extensive land holdings encompass Enciero Canyon, a box canyon with seas of red clay interrupted by giant twenty-foot-deep crevices. Views look out to the red sandstone cliffs of the Canadian River Canyon (the river is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River, rising from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains).
The main house at Canyon Madness Ranch, known as Teepee Lodge, is brand new and was designed by Mexican Baja architect Alejandro Uribe, who is well-known for luxury and resort residences in Cabo San Lucas. Nearly architecturally impossible to complete, the lodge features twin teepee-shaped peaks over an 18,000-sq. ft. structure of indoor lodging and two levels of massive metal-alloy decks. Sitting on hard rock in a remote area, the structure’s two balconies are cantilevered over the edge of the river eight hundred feet below.
The design concept involves two teepee-shaped structures connected by a great room of immense size, suitable for living and dining, relaxation and entertainment. The second-floor deck offers a pool table, foosball table, air-hockey tables, and expansive lounging areas.
Eight contemporary styled suites offer private living rooms, ensuite baths, king beds, and sliding doors that access the balcony and the incomparable river canyon view. Each suite features its own eclectic interior design elements. All common areas are large, user-friendly and face the majestic canyon as well.
Other amenities in the lodge include the owner’s private gun and art collection with paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from international artists, a large remote-controlled outdoor jacuzzi, an expansive commercial kitchen, and a menu featuring ranch-raised meats and farm vegetables.
The two main categories of outdoor activities offered at Canyon Madness Ranch are based around the non-traditional firearms range and equestrian activities. Guest support is provided through certified or professionally trained guides and instructors.
Canyon Madness Ranch’s firearms program is designed to appeal to a full range of amateur and hobby users as well as professional or expert firearms enthusiasts. The gun ranges include a pistol range, a rifle range providing a wide range of weaponry, long-range shooting (including scoped rifles to a maximum range of 2 miles), a championship Sporting Clay course and a Trap course.
For a unique shooting experience, the ranch offers a military-style firearms experience that includes firing a large-caliber Barrett M82-A1 (50 cal.) from the bed of a Humvee that was a veteran of the Iraq War.
The ranch’s twelve-station championship quality sporting clay course was designed by Pete Blakeley, a pre-eminent course designer in the United States. At the end of the course is an installation, called the “Covey Rise,” where five clay-throwing machines eject a myriad of clays randomly and in multiples, suitable and fun for many shooters engaged in shooting these “birds” at one time. In close proximity, there is also an independent trap shooting course for those interested in another dimension of sport shooting.
For horse and equestrian activities, guests can set out on sunrise or sunset trail rides around the canyon edges to the canyon river, or add excursions to old nineteenth-century Indian and homestead sites. The ranch also boasts a large, covered arena for focused training and lessons in disciplines including English cross-country trails and jumping, Western-style reining, cutting, cow herding or barrel-racing for beginners through expert-level riders.
Canyon Madness Ranch offers guests much more than the common “nose-to-tail” teams of trail riding horses; the ranch houses more than thirty high-quality and well-trained horses, including quarter-horses, paints, Gypsy Vanners and Gypsy Crosses, to give guests a range of riding experiences.
The size and nature of the terrain also allows the ranch to showcase some of the most adventurous hikes and ATV/UTV rides. Rides can range from scenic to truly thrilling, as the trails wind up and down and around the canyon edge. More challenging trails even feature opportunities for rock-crawling and bouldering.
For those interested in nineteenth-century American history, remnants of old homesteads abound together with artifacts such as arrowheads and pottery remnants. Seasonally, depending on runoff in the Canadian River, the ranch offers river activities such as kayaking or canoeing.
Guests can fish for small fishes or crayfish in the waters, but significant trout fishing is not available. The topography of both the canyons also provide memorable photographic opportunities.
Guests that are expert climbers are welcome to enjoy the mountains and sandstone cliff faces at their own discretion. Adjacent to the firearms ranges and at a safe distance is a full archery range. Equipment is available and can be enjoyed by men, women, and teenage children. The ranch is blessed with a plethora of wildlife and has not put much effort into developing a hunting program. For now, the ranch promotes “shooting animals with cameras, rather than bullets.”
The Canyon Madness Ranch kitchen will focus on presenting a culinary experience with an emphasis on a farm-to-table bounty, and the chefs’ focus on healthy, organic, farm-raised, and more exotic meats, including buffalo and ostrich, spices and tastes. The ranch will house an ostrich farm with two adults producing fresh eggs for the menu.
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