Located in Red River, New Mexico, Rio Colorado Lodge includes twenty cabins on five acres of land. The kitchens in each cabin contain basic necessities needed for cooking and eating meals, in addition to the grills and picnic tables outside the cabins. The lodges are surrounded by many trees, plus a pond for guests to fish in. The overall atmosphere of the property can be described as quiet and urban. Down the street from Rio Colorado Lodge are several restaurants, some of the owner's favorites being Bearly Awake Coffee and Noisy River Winery. The current managers, Brian and Tawnya Waltz, have owned and operated Rio Colorado Lodge for the last fifteen years. Their goal is to help their guests feel welcomed and comfortable during their stay.
Rio Colorado Cabins, located in the northern region of New Mexico, resides on five acres of land and features twenty individual cabins available for guests to rent. Each cabin has a woodland animal theme, for example, bears, fish, deer, or ducks, and they all include a front porch with patio chairs. Surrounding the property are many trees and flower gardens. There are also propane grills, a playground, a gazebo, and picnic tables in the front and back yards. Situated right in front of the cabins is a private fishing pond. Additionally, due to the area's vast range of woodlands, many animals, mainly deer, have been spotted several times near the property.
Each cabin is built up of dark wooden planks with windows on the front, providing a view of the pond and trees. Steps lead from each lodge's porch area into the front yard of the cabins. Located on some sides of the pond are benches and picnic tables for guests who want to fish or sit and rest. A short walk from the lodges is a bridge overlooking the Red River.
Inside the living rooms of each cabin, there are flat-screen TVs that offer Dish Network. A couple of the other amenities are property Wi-Fi, kitchens in each cabin. The cabins include fireplaces, some of which are gas fireplaces, while others are wood-burning fireplaces, in which case firewood is provided. Kitchen necessities such as pots, pans, dishes, dish soap, silverware and utensils, a microwave, toaster, refrigerator, stove, coffee filters, and a coffee pot are all provided in the kitchen setup.
The lodges are open year-round, offering various things to do during each season. Snowfall can occur often during the winter months, and located 3-6 blocks away from Rio Colorado Lodge is the Red River Ski Area, which provides activities such as skiing and snowboarding. The Red River Ski Area hosts The Winter Carnival in January, featuring snowmobile races, snowman building, ice sculpture carving, live music, and fireworks. Many miles of groomed trails surround the area, which may give visitors the opportunity to experience snowmobiling. During the summer season, the Red River Ski area includes activities such as summer tubing, chair lift rides, horseback riding, and a ropes course. Additionally, guests can have the opportunity to rent bicycles, ATVs, Go-Karts, Jeeps, and Surreys. The average high during the summer months is around 75 degrees, with the average low in the 50s during the nights.
In the fall season, Jeep tours are popular because of the leaves changing colors all around the area. The town hosts many events during this season, such as the annual Enchanted Circle Century Bicycle Tour, Bluegrass Festival, Oktoberfest, and the Aspencade Arts and Crafts event. Hiking and fishing tend to be generally more prevalent during this time of year when the average high temperature is in the 60s and the average low in the 30s.
Rio Colorado Lodge's environment strives to emanates a generally quiet, naturistic atmosphere. The property is situated in a small town with a fair amount of restaurants down the road. A few of the restaurants the owner recommends are the Sundance Restaurant, Bearly Awake Coffee, Noisy River Winery, and Texas Roadhouse. Every lodge, aside from cabins 6 and 14, is dog friendly, and the trails dotting the surrounding area are available to guests who want to walk their dogs. Many visitors stay at Rio Colorado Lodge to spend more time in the outdoors.
One guest mentioned in a review that the overall upkeep of the cabins was what they were looking for. They said, "Clean cabins with modern amenities but still maintains that rustic mountain feel. Great places for families with kids, couples, or just about anyone. Pond for fishing, hiking trails right off the property, and close to restaurants and shopping." During the summer, Rio Colorado Lodge receives more families, in contrast to the fall when they receive more couples.
With Rio Colorado Lodge being located right next to the Red River, plus the additional pond on the property, fishing is a popular activity within the area. The owners stock their pond with about three hundred pounds of rainbow trout each week from May to September. Another common fish, besides rainbow trout, that visitors could catch are anglers. Located at the far end of the fishing pond is a fish cleaning station. Guests can bring the fish they caught to the office porch, where staff can weigh and measure the fish. The limit of fish guests are able to catch is five per cabin and per day.
Mr. and Mrs. Booker, the very first owners, purchased Rio Colorado Lodge in the 1940s. The property began with ten cabins and several acres along the Red River. Allie Booker ran a fishing tackle shop out of the main two-story building that is now known as the lodge because trout fishing was a popular sport in the 1940s. Over the course of time, the lodges increased in number and were improved in structure. Beckie-Waltz Veach, the manager of the property from 1973-1985, is the direct descendent of Mr. and Mrs. Booker; more specifically she is Allie Booker's great-niece. Sid Griggs, the current president of the Rio Colorado Corporation, is the grandson of R.S. and Allie Booker.
Tawnya and Brian met at their church in Fort Collins and were eventually married there in 2001. As they both were searching to relocate, they heard that the Rio Colorado Lodge was looking for new managers. In November of 2003, they moved to Red River, New Mexico, and accepted the position. Brian and Tawnya Waltz have been the managers of Rio Colorado Lodge for the past fifteen years. As they've both operated the property, they have completed several projects in hopes of progressing the property's advancement, including remodeling almost every cabin. Brian and Tawnya have made it their goal to provide customers with exceptional service and to re-establish the Rio Colorado Cabins as a premier lodging facility.
515 East Main Street
Red River, New Mexico 87558
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Brian and Tawnya Waltz
Robert Sydney Booker and Allie Booker
