Welcome
ABOUT
The Fort Union Ranch in Watrous, New Mexico, about 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas, New Mexico, covers 95,315 acres of shortgrass prairie and forested mountains—it’s about 15 miles across! Its name comes from a military outpost that was built in 1851 at the convergence of two branches of the historic Santa Fe Trail.
STAY
In 1980, a year after construction was completed on the Marshall House (named for the first family members to manage the Fort Union Ranch on the ground), the Union Land and Grazing Company began inviting family members to officially rent the house for a week during the summer and enjoy wrangler-led horseback trail rides. Almost 40 years later, the summer family program is going strong—and evolving.
EXPERIENCE
Whether you want to relax and unplug or yearn to get your hands dirty, we look forward to helping you curate your stay. Choices range from trail rides to hands-on ranch participation and immersion and nature walks guided by local biologists. But we also look forward to letting you explore and make of the experience what you will, as is time-honored family tradition.