Summer Guest Ranch Adventures: From Chill to Thrill

Customized guest ranch vacations are better than ever,
with a mountain of high-country activities that honor Old West traditions
while adding a little spice of the New West.
Here’s just a sample of what’s waiting for you this summer:

Horseback Riding
From trail rides to guided overnight pack trips and rodeo games, it’s all about the horse. Bitterroot Ranch, 50 miles from Yellowstone National Park, near Dubois, Wyoming, is a working cattle ranch that offers a diverse array of horseback experiences, including riding lessons and clinics and a cross-country jumping course.

Cattle Drives
Round up a herd of yearlings using “low stress” methods of stockmanship at The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch, near Shell, Wyoming, which offers cattle work for beginning through advanced riders.

Equestrian Geo-caching
Grab your trusty horse and a GPS unit to search for hidden treasures at the High Lonesome Ranch on Colorado’s Western Slope.

Fishing
Three miles of the Elk River, a classic Rocky Mountain freestone river, meander through The Home Ranch, near Clark, Colorado, where guests can cast a line for wild rainbow, brook, brown and cutthroat trout.

Hiking
The Seven Lazy P, Deep Canyon Guest Ranch, near Choteau, Montana, is surrounded by hiking trails leading to Native American historical sites and scenic destinations such as Hidden Lake, the top of Mt. Wright and Headquarters Pass.

Mountain Biking
Jump into another kind of saddle at Vista Verde Ranch, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where they have a fresh fleet of bikes to tackle Forest Service roads or scenic singletrack, fitting the ride to the rider. They’ve even built their own terrain park for training cyclists.

Rock Climbing
Zion Mountain Ranch, at the East Gate of Utah’s Zion National Park, offers spectacular canyoneering and world-class rock climbing opportunities with experienced guides to show you the secrets of “body movement in the vertical realm.”

River Rafting
Blackwater Creek Ranch, near Cody, Wyoming, will send you whipping through the rapids of the Shoshone River on a whitewater raft outing.

Zip Lining / Climbing Walls
Hang out and hang on at the 8,500-acre C Lazy U Ranch, in Granby, Colorado, which offers a Ropes Course, Climbing Wall and Zip Line.

Baseball
Your very own “Field of Dreams” awaits you at Mancos, Colorado’s Majestic Dude Ranch, which boasts batting cages and “the only Major League baseball field on a dude ranch in the world.”

The Lazy U Spa, at the C Lazy U Ranch

And that’s not all. These days, guest ranches are also offering wine tastings, culinary demonstrations (and cooking lessons), trap shooting, archery, yoga, paintball, gold panning, big game hunting, dog training, bird watching, spa treatments and square dancing to boot. 

Mosey on over to the following websites for additional information and ideas: 
Guestranches.com
coloradoranch.com