Maybell, Colorado
Community Legacy
Situated in the northwestern corner of Colorado, where the placid waters of the Yampa River flow by, Maybell is just 30 miles downstream from the town of Craig. The population, including the surrounding area, is around 100 community members.
This small ranching community is surrounded by rugged land covered with hearty sage, juniper, pinyon and ponderosa pines. Canyons carve the landscape and you are just as likely to see elk and eagles as you are another human.
Maybell’s remoteness and proximity to three state borders attracted the Wild Bunch outlaws in the 1860s. Today, a less “wild bunch” of bird watchers trace the outlaws’ tracks to Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge.
Did you know that you can still experience the “Cowboy Way” every Spring in Maybell?
Every spring when Sombrero Ranch trails nearly 700 head of horses from their winter pastures to their ranch West of Craig, they travel right through the middle of town. Sleepy little Maybell comes alive with the excitement of the pop of the cowboy’s whip and the sound of hooves pounding the pavement. You can catch all of the action from just inside the border fences of Maybell Park. When you visit Maybell you will be walking the same trails as outlaws and characters such as Butch Cassidy, Isom Dart, Tom Horn, Ora Haley, Annie Bassett, Tom Emerson, Charlie Mantle, and A.G. and Augusta Wallihan.
Did you know that the town of Maybell is the last stop on the way to the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Herd Management Area?
West of Maybell on Hwy 318 is a well kept secret. The Sand Wash Basin wild horse herd still roams free on the high desert. Take the Wild Horse Loop through the rocky, sage covered basin to see these wild herds. Beyond the Sand Wash Basin you will find the hidden treasure of Vermillion Falls and then Irish Canyon. Spectacular views from the fire tower on Zenobia Peak are breathtaking, red stone and petroglyphs intriguing; and wildlife in the Browns Park Wildlife Refuge is plentiful.
Maybell is also the last stop on the way to ride the wild twists, turns, and rapids of the last undammed river in the Colorado River system until it spills into the Green River at beautiful Echo Park.
DIRECTIONS
From Denver:
- Travel west on I-70 to Exit 205 Dillon/Silverthorne.
- Proceed north on Route 9 to Kremmling and then take Route 40 northwest to Steamboat Springs.
- From Steamboat continue on Route 40 to Craig (approximately 42 miles).
Alternate Route:
- From I-70 exit at Rifle and proceed north on Route 13 through Meeker (38 miles) and then to Craig (51 miles).
- In Craig, proceed west on Route 40 approx. 30 miles to Maybell.
CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE
CANYONS & RIVERS JOURNEYS
- Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway
- Brown’s Park Journey
- Irish Canyon Journey
- 65 Million Years in 65 Miles
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