Merely a month old, there’s no gleam in Sirloin’s eye of whether his name portends his future. For now, the miniature cow born in August at Flathat Ranch in Divide is content to nurse while relaxing in a scenic mountain pasture with his mom and other bovines.

The herd of friendly miniature cows with fun names that also include Cardi Beef, Nicki Moonaj and Queen LaBeefah is a big draw for guests of the ranch, in its role as one of 5,500 Harvest Hosts across the United States.

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“The majority say they picked us over other Harvest Hosts because of the miniature cows,” said Raissa Wilkes, who owns and runs the working ranch with her boyfriend, Joel Aguilar, a professional horse trainer and rescuer. “People have never seen them before.”

Harvest Hosts’ simple yet innovative business model offers a detour for recreational vehicle campers.

Instead of lining up in a campground like sardines in a tin, Harvest Hosts’ RVers can park overnight at their choice of farms and ranches, vineyards and breweries, golf courses, outdoor museums, drive-in movie theater lots, trading posts and other unusual and picturesque spots around the nation.

“Guests say they like the setting — it’s quieter and more private than campgrounds,” Wilkes said of Flathat Ranch. “It’s a happy medium between fighting for a place in a national forest or parking at a KOA.” The latter is the world’s largest system of privately owned campgrounds.

Harvest Hosts has grown exponentially since Vail resident Joel Holland and his wife, Mary Ashley, acquired the company in 2018. A couple from Arizona owned it then, and it was small, Holland said, with 600 host locations and 6,000 member RVers.

Today, more than a quarter million people have memberships that cost roughly $100 a year. Members camp overnight for free at their choice of host sites, many of which sell products they make.

“This year, guests will spend over $50 million directly with the small-business hosts,” Holland said, “buying local produce, wine, beer, souvenirs.”

On average, guests shell out $50 a night purchasing products from the hosts, which adds up to an average of $15,000 a year in earnings for hosts, he said.

Hosts who do not generate a transportable product may ask for a donation. For example, Flathat Ranch’s owners tell guests if they’d like, they can contribute to paying for a dinner of hay for the animals.

While headquartered in Vail, Harvest Hosts operates remotely and employs 80 staff in 27 states. The company expanded in July with the purchase of Escapees RV Club.

Harvest Hosts’ growth happened quickly, doubling during the COVID-19 pandemic, Holland said, as RV sales ballooned with cabin fever descending and people wanting to get away safely. In the post-pandemic world, interest in road travel has remained elevated.

“I don’t see signs of it slowing, either,” Holland said. “People fell in love with the great American road trip; there’s a lot of interesting stuff to see, and it feels like people have this nostalgic interest in road travel.

“Guests really get wholesome experiences, and that’s what a lot of RVers are searching for — stories and memorable experiences.”

Campers also tout the uniqueness of the idea. From wineries in Palisade on Colorado’s Western Slope to an alpaca farm in Arkansas, travelers can take tours of hosts’ properties and learn about the machinations of the daily grind and the lifestyles of owners.

“When you stay and meet proprietors who are proud of what they make and do, their passion is infectious and rubs off on you,” Holland said.

Colorado has more than 200 host sites, including 17 around the Colorado Springs area, he said.

Farms are the most popular destination nationwide, according to Holland. Choices include pumpkin patches, Christmas tree farms, orchards, and produce and livestock farms. The second most sought-after category is wineries and breweries.

Most Harvest Host settings are boondocking only, meaning there are no RV hookups for electricity, water or sewer services.

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“It would have cost-prohibitive for us if we did that,” said Wilkes. “This way, it’s easy for us; we’re basically providing a parking spot.”

RVs are designed to go off-road for days at a time, Holland said, and staying at Harvest Hosts can be a complimentary diversion to stopovers at traditional campgrounds.

The company does not charge hosts any fees, he said, as revenue comes from the annual membership fee guests pay.

Amenities vary by location, and each host sets the house rules, conditions and schedule of when they will accept guests and for how many nights.

Guests at Flathat Ranch — named for Aguilar’s penchant for buckaroo-style cowboy hats with flat brims and crowns — have included Coloradans on a state jaunt, retirees traveling cross-country and international adventurers who rent an RV.

Goats, rescue horses, dogs and the mini cows greet new arrivals. Sometimes the cows — which stand about 3½ feet tall and are pettable — are allowed to free-range and can be seen peeking in windows of the house on the property where Wilkes and Aguilar live.

To form corrals and pastures, Aguilar built natural wood log fences made of standing dead trees on the ranch’s 54 acres of land, which the couple acquired in June 2023.

Remnants of an old cabin and a wagon from the family that originally homesteaded the land create an historic look and feel.

A steady stream of RVers has dropped by since the ranch joined the host list more than a year ago, the couple said.

“Some people book further in advance, some people book last minute,” Wilkes said. “We send them instructions and directions and give them a tour of the ranch and space by the horse arena where they can park.

“The people who do this are fun and nice, and they love the animals and the views.”

Wilkerson Pass in the Pike National Forest and the Collegiate Peaks in the Rockies’ Sawatch Range can be seen across the expanse to the West.

For leaf peepers, fall colors are showing off in Colorado and beginning in New England as well, Holland notes.

Information on becoming a guest or a host is available at https://www.harvesthosts.com/.

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