The Mustang Mountain Coaster Experience!
The Newest Alpine Coaster in Colorado
Established in 2020
The Mustang Mountain Coaster came to life as a way the Walker family could share the ranch with the visiting public in a new, fun, and more modern way while saving the ranch, keeping the land in the family, and help with the changing economics of ranching. It is the newest alpine coaster in Colorado! It’s the only alpine coaster that is near Denver, near Ft. Collins, and near Boulder.
“Since 1959 guests have taken horses and wagons on tours of our historic ranch. Much has changed in Colorado. The public’s love to do things in the great outdoors, and the relentless demand and financial gain to put up yet more condos, put me to the task to find a way for my kids to “always have to work but never be out of a job.” The resources included breathtaking views, western hospitality, and a family committed to fun.
I wanted a way to share the ranch with people that don’t want to or can’t ride a horse. I needed to give the next generation of my family a way to keep the land from becoming yet more homes. Many unsavory characters demanded that it be used to build more homes or condos but the Walker family persevered and developed what is, in reality, a “horseless trail ride.” A wild thrilling fast trail ride but still a horseless trail ride.
The path to building this amazing activity was what can only be called a “roller coaster” ride in itself. The fight to defend property rights in Colorado has never been easy, but the Walkers stuck to the truth, believed in their rights, took everything with grace, and never gave up. Many have reached out and said how inspiring this journey has been.
We enjoyed the ups, smiled through the downs, kept a steady hand on the brake and our eyes focused forward and brought the public this thrilling, trip through Sombrero ranch, called the Mustang Mountain Coaster, the newest alpine coaster in Colorado!
We look forward to you enjoying “The Experience”!
Cody Rex Walker
Mission
Share our beautiful family mountain ranch experience in a new and exhilarating way
Vision
Create one of the most exciting and spectacular alpine coaster experiences in Colorado and America
Values
- Share our mountain ranch in another way so more can enjoy "The Experience"
- Combine exhilarating speed within safe guidelines for the whole family
- Continuing our philosophy of providing families with unique mountain experiences that create lifetime memories
Meet Cody Walker | coaster cowboy politician By Nominate Someone: ShoutOutColorado
We had the good fortune of connecting with Cody Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Cody, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
There is something to be said about seeking council but at the end of the day the risk is yours. If you don’t own the risk from the beginning you will be setting yourself up for failure with 100 excuses to fail instead of 100 advisors. There has always been a lot of noise around me as I risk everything. The risks I have taken in my life have generated so much noise from people that just wanted to see me fail, so they can say “I told you so,” or that are jealous of the success my family continues to have because we risk it all and outwork them and stick to the vision. This has shaped my life where I can see a person that is a producer and I can see a drag on my business. Minimize the risk by getting negative people out of your life. I dont forget those that were around me during any of the battles but I keep God and family first. There really isn’t really anytime you feel as alive as you do as when you lose it or gain it. The end goal is never as good as the fight and as you move through the next project I have learned that when things are good I enjoy the minutes and when things are bad I brace to build and test my character. I believe without a great marriage there is no way success would be part of my life. Marriage is one of the most rewarding partnerships a person can have in their life.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others.
Today I operate the biggest tourist attraction that has come to the Estes Park area in the last 40 years as well as one of the longest-running attractions in Estes Park. The Mustang Mountain Coaster and the Sombrero Stables. My love of the ranch helped set me apart from those that would sell out and just allow condos to cover the valley. Lesson one let your customers inspire you. The families that come are my favorite and inspire me as I see them make time to be together they get me through the down days. The coaster project wasn’t easy. the folks that don’t want to share the Estes valley with others turned this project into personal attacks against my kids and even my pets. (they even unsuccessfully poisoned a pet) Our family overcame by sticking with the vision, doing everything by the book, and not letting negative people overcome our vision. I picked my immediate family for our team day one and that was the difference. I didn’t face a single day worried about the support of the team. Lesson two: Don’t try to do something like this alone. The financial cost of the project was everything that I owned, and those that were against it used a strategy to try and outlast my resources, destroy what they thought were connections I needed and attack that which I loved the most. By the time they had dragged me in front of 5 boards, taken me from one court to the next and finally to the Colorado supreme court funds were close to depleted. I never lost a hearing yet they carried on. The second lesson is always to make sure you have the resources to finish the project this one was a close one. At the time of this project, I was becoming a successful politician on the city council and even though this project was in the county those that opposed me ran a successful campaign to remove me from my seat with a recall. Lesson number three be prepared for the unexpected. People will be vindictive, the recall was just a way to inflict distraction and pain and had zero relation to the project. It was terrible but I was prepared. The final lesson is to be willing to lose it all or don’t even start. The good stuff is always the hardest journey, if it is easy you probably won’t want the fruit it produces anyway.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This shout-out is dedicated to the Walker 5. The 3 hardest working, versatile kids and wife a man could ask for in life. We stuck together. sometimes having to fight back to back, never lost faith in each other and always made sure we took the losses and the gains together. The inspiration and the reason for success. Hard work, vision, and love in the Walker 5.
