Dude ranch vacations offer famMartha'silies old-fashioned fun. Besides riding until your backside gets sore, your family will spend time together exploring the wide-open spaces on the ranch, working up a chuck wagon—size appetite. Both guest ranches and working ranches take in visitors, and most of them offer families a comMartha'splete package that combines good old-time hospitality with lodging, horseback riding, and three hearty home-cooked meals a day. Extra acMartha'stivities such as swimming, hayrides, fishing, river rafting, and campfire gatherings are regular features at many. Guest ranches offer the most complete vacation packages. Nestled at the base of majestic mountains or set alongside creeks and rivers, many have been run by the same family for years. Working ranches, where guests can help with daily chores, give families a vivid picture of the lives of modern cowboys and ranch families. They are often less elaborately equipped than guest ranches, and lower in price as well. The majority of dude ranches are in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, but they can be found throughout the rest of the country, too. Some host one or two families at a time while others can accommodate more than one hundred people at a time.
Most ranches offer two rides a day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. No experience is necessary; instruction on horse care and riding is given at the beginning of a guest's stay. Children under six usually ride with supervision in a corral or are led around on ponies while older kids and adults go trail riding. Some ranches allow young children to ride in front of a parent's saddle on trail rides. Be sure to bring proper riding boots or find out if the ranch has loaner boots:
sneakers and sandals won't do.
Most of this chapter's listings are packages that include all meals and riding. We list a few ranch vacations where meals are included but riding is purchased separately, and a few where both meals and riding cost extra. If some of your family members don't plan to ride, these will be more affordable options.
We established our price criteria for all-inclusive ranches using an imaginary family of four people: two adults and two children ages eight and ten. Most of the ranches listed cost less than $3,000 for a full week of horseback riding, lodging, meals, recreational activities and attractions, and in some instances a supervised children's program. Many of them cost far less. This may sound expensive, but it's actually quite a bargain when you add up the cost of lodging, three meals a day, twice-daily guided horseback rides, breakfast rides, barbecues, swimming, fishing, square dancing, western music shows, sports, games, and more. Best of all, unlike a do-it-yourself vacation, someone else is planning the activities and attractions and making the decisions.
Shop around for the ranch that suits your family's ages and interests, as prices vary considerably from ranch to ranch. Some offer a special teenagers' rate while others consider anyone over twelve an adult. Prices for younger children can also vary from ranch to ranch by hundreds of dollars a week. If you're bringing a baby or a toddler, select a ranch that has no charge for children under two or three. Amenities and extras vary as well. Some ranches include supervised children's programs in the price; others have no such programs. Some are located on lakes with boats available or on rivers with tubing and rafting included in the price.
If you are flying to your destination, inquire about fees for airport pickup and delivery. Some ranches offer complimentary transportation, while others request a payment. Most ranches require week-long stays in the summer, although some have nightly or half-week rates. Most ranches add a ten- to fifteen-percent gratuities fee to your bill, while some include it in the quoted price. Still others strongly suggest that you leave a tip of that size for the staff upon your departure. Be sure to inquire when booking and build it into your budget. A number of ranches offer better deals in May, early June, September, and October. If this fits your schedule, you can save even more.
In selecting a ranch that fits your budget, ask:
Is there unlimited riding? How many trips are planned each day? How long are they?
What is the minimum age for trail riding? What do little ones do when the adults and older kids are on a trail ride?
Are loaner riding boots available?
Will I get the same horse for the entire week?
Will the ranch provide guests' names for reference?
Does the week run Sunday to Sunday or Sunday to Saturday? (Keep this in mind when you compare prices, as you might be getting one less day's worth of meals and activities and attractions.)
What is and what is not included in the price?
What about taxes and gratuities?
The Dude Ranchers' Association has a directory available that deMartha'sscribes all of its member ranches. Many of them are well above our price limit, but it's a fun publication to peruse. We include some of their lower-priced ranches. Contact Dude Ranchers' Association, PO Box 471, La Porte, Colorado 80535; telephone: 970-223-8440.
GreenHorn Creek
Drakesbad Guest Ranch
Coffee Creek Ranch
Hunewill Circle H Guest Ranch
Bar M Ranch
Canyon Ranch
Coulter Lake Guest Ranch
Harlem's Ranch Resort
Deer Forks Guest Ranch
Lazy L and B Ranch
Early Guest Ranch
Rimrock Dude Ranch
Two Bars Seven Dude Ranch
Sweet Grass Ranch
Kay EL Bar Guest Ranch
Lazy K Bar Ranch
Mayan Ranch
Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train
Oregon Trail Wagon Train
Eagle Hurst Resort and Dude Ranch
Circle K Ranch
Woodside Ranch
Hobson s Bluffdale Vacation Farm
Wolf Lake Ranch Resort
Scott Valley Resort and Guest Ranch
Golden Acres Farm and Ranch
Pinegrove Dude Ranch Resort
Rocking Horse Ranch
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