River Bend Ranch is a wedding and event venue nestled in the beautiful Animas Valley of Durango, Colorado. We are a ranch— and we like it that way. Our style is rustic and casual, and we appreciate the beauty of God’s creation which surrounds the valley. We want to partner with customers who recognize that beauty and appreciate the care that we pour into the venue to keep it that way. Our goal is to provide a fun and relaxing environment for you and your guests to experience an amazing day. Come, relax, and see for yourself!
An amazing place to gather with stunning scenery and room for just about any activity inside and outside the Event Barn. In addition to the beautiful banquet hall, catering kitchen, bar, and spacious bridal suite, we provide access to all kinds of fun outdoor activities. Whether you enjoy fly fishing at our stocked pond, pedal-boating on our private lake, a campfire under the cottonwoods, or playing your favorite yard games, your time here is sure to create lasting memories.
Mountain weddings are stunning, particularly here beside our private lake with Missionary Ridge painting the perfect backdrop! Not to be outdone, the sandstone cliffs to the west are equally breathtaking and help to create one of the most beautiful venues you’ll ever see. We love the scenery, and we are also proud to be Durango’s relaxed wedding venue! We don’t do stress here; in fact, our goal is to create a relaxed environment for your wedding and everything we do is designed to support that objective. You’ll take a deep breath of fresh mountain air knowing that your venue will take care of you.
Our Full Planning option provides management and assistance with everything from apple pies to zip ties. Our Planner will provide planning and design work which can include help with organization, budget, vendor selection, payments due, event timeline, etc. This package also includes setup, decoration, and coordinating of the event!
Willing to tackle all that planning yourself? You might want to explore our Wedding/Event Coordinating package so you can relax and enjoy your day! This package provides assistance with things like logistics, table layout, setup and decoration, timeline and schedule adjustments, vendor management, problem-solving, etc.
On-site lodging is a great choice for anyone attending an event at River Bend Ranch. We provide a recently remodeled 3-bedroom cabin (king, queen, twin bunks) as well as a kitchen, dining, and living space, a large covered deck and fishing pond steps from your door, and plenty of darkness to enjoy the star-filled Colorado sky.
The cabin sleeps eight.
I grew up in the area and always dreamed of a wedding in Durango and River Bend Ranch was the most perfect experience I could’ve dreamt of! Our wedding planner, Brittney Ahrens, was so helpful in every way possible starting a year out from our wedding day. She was on top of contacting all of our vendors and ensuring that every detail was mapped out. She has many connections in the area and flawlessly solved any and all problems that arose. If you are thinking about booking River Bend Ranch and/or Brittney, you will not be disappointed!
One word to describe it all— AMAZING! My husband and I will never forget the day we got married here and all the beautiful memories we had together with our families. Thank you so much Dan and his family for help making it happen!
We had our wedding at River Bend Ranch and I could not have asked for a more perfect day. Dan (the owner) made the entire planning process a breeze and had wonderful recommendations for us since we were planning our wedding from out of state. Dan and his team were incredibly helpful when the rain attempted to take over our day, but it just made it even more beautiful! The venue is absolutely breathtaking and we cannot wait to go back and stay at the cabin on site for our anniversary next year. We were able to have our rehearsal dinner at the cabin on site, our wedding on the lawn, our reception in the barn, and our morning after present opening breakfast at the cabin on site. We absolutely recommend booking this venue for any event you are considering!
I have never met nicer, kinder people in a time of heartache in my life. We had my brother’s memorial service at this absolutely wonderful, beautiful, beyond perfect place. I highly highly recommend this venue for ANY occasion. Truly. Amazing.
River Bend Ranch is Awesome!!!! Dan and his team are super easy to work with, and our wedding was absolutely magical. The venue is gorgeous, and requires very little of our own decorations thanks to preinstalled lighting and the beautiful setting. There was a small mix up on access time for the venue, but Dan was great and worked with us to get it all figured out. His team was there the whole time and helped make sure the vendors got all set up in the right place and that everything ran smoothly. We couldn’t have picked a better place to get married. My brothers even got to fish in the pond while they waited for me to get ready, and several of our guests enjoyed toodling around in the peddle boats. We would absolutely recommend this venue to anyone looking to have a large event.
As a photographer, I can say the River Bend Ranch is truly a wedding dream! It’s the perfect venue for a wedding! Not only is the venue absolutely stunning, but the staff excel in customer experience and taking care of their clients. They put so much care and time into the venue and every wedding or event that happens there. If you are searching for a venue with a rustic aesthetics, whimsical nature, and amazing staff, the River Bend Ranch is for you.
My wife and I highly recommend River Bend Ranch. It features beautiful views of mountains and forests in all directions, all surrounding a lovely river-fed pond. The attractive facilities are clean and comfortable. The location is easy to find, near town while maintaining a country feel. The friendly hosts are hospitable and professional. It is truly a breath of fresh air.
We are so grateful that Dan and his family allowed us to have our special day enjoying their breathtaking property. From the scenery to the reception everything was beautiful, their atmosphere is warm and inviting.
Stunning views, amazing photos and awesome staff! I am a wedding DJ based out of Albuquerque, NM. I worked with a couple who was married at River Bend Ranch and I was blown away with the venue. The photos came out amazing and the party was one of the best I have ever DJ’ed. The staff at River Bend Ranch is amazing and very helpful. I watched how they interacted with the couple and their guests, they are friendly and attentive. If you are looking for an amazing wedding venue, this should be at the top of your list!
I love going to events at River Bend. It’s a beautiful yet rustic setting, large pond with the mountains in the background. A fantastic barn for dining or dancing. We just went to the cowboy poetry fundraiser event there and it was a blast!
While we love having guests, we always recommend that you contact us before stopping by for a visit. Our venue tours typically last 45-60 minutes and we offer tours daily, by appointment.
27846 Highway 550
Durango, CO, 81301
You can search for us by name in your Maps application and drive right to us.
Or, if you are coming from Durango, head north on Highway 550. From the City Market at 32nd Street, go about four miles up the road. You’ll see a blue highway sign for River Bend Ranch, and then we are the next right turn.