Budge’s Wilderness Lodge

About Us

Budge’s Wilderness Lodge sits in a remote corner of northwest Colorado, near the headwaters of the White River. With a history going back nearly 100 years, Budge’s has served as a comfortable wilderness outpost for fly fishing, horseback riding and elk hunting for generations of guests. The original 1920s log cabins provide cozy accommodations, while the main lodge houses our kitchen, dining room, and communal spaces. With a deck overlooking this remote river valley, it’s the perfect place to gather around the fire after a day of exploring the wilderness.

What we do

From late June through early October, we guide fly fishing adventures on horseback to remote wilderness waters. We enjoy fishing a roadless river valley that stretches for nearly 20 miles. We offer lodge-based trips, where we ride out on horseback to fish each day, and then ride back to the lodge and cabins for the evening. Additionally, we offer trips to even more remote camps, where we’ll load gear onto mules and strike out for a wall tent camp along an isolated stretch of the river. Whether staying in a log cabin or a tent camp, our guests have the opportunity to experience some of the best backcountry fishing and dry fly fishing anywhere in the west. In the fall, we enjoy guiding elk hunts both from the lodge and remote camps.

Where we do it

Budge’s Wilderness Lodge sits at the end of the road – literally. It’s very remote, and that’s a large part of what makes it special. Getting here requires 38 miles on dirt roads. The final 8 miles is only accessible to 4WD vehicles with good clearance. For many of our guests, that’s a fun part of the adventure. But for those who would rather not drive, we offer shuttle services. The road ends at the Flat Tops Wilderness boundary, and that’s where you’ll find us. The lodge is surrounded by designated Wilderness on three sides, where the only access is by foot or horseback. The Flat Tops is the second-largest wilderness area in Colorado, encompassing more than 235,000 acres of wild country and spectacular fish and wildlife habitat.

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