Choosing a Dude Ranch
by Candyce H. Stapen
Dude ranches have gone the way of coffee: plain ride ‘em places—the ranch equivalent of a 7-11 brew—still exist, but more and more ranches lure wannabe wranglers with experiences tailored to their specific tastes. And that’s a good thing because families thrive on choice. After all, it’s hard enough to get everyone to agree on a movie or a meal, let alone just how much time they want to spend in the saddle.
Resort Ranches
 At a resort ranch, you can hop on a horse for a trail ride or a lesson almost as easily as you can book a massage or a tennis workshop, go off-property for golf, fly fishing or rafting. Forget about creaky log cabins with slanted floors and field mice.
Accommodations range from comfortable to luxurious, and there’s a real chef in the kitchen instead of a college kid who cooks for his frat during the school year. Some resort ranches include riding in their rates and others use an a la carte system.
Travel & Leisure ranks the Bishop’s Lodge, Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a top hotel. More resort than dude ranch, the lodge, with 111 rooms, offers trail rides and sunset cookouts as well as pony rides for kids. The group outings are typically slow-paced walks; no trotting allowed. But most guests don’t come here for a daily diet of hoofing it through the high mountain desert. They indulge in massages and treatments at the top rated spa, golf at nearby courses and shop in trendy Santa Fe, whose plaza is just three miles away (800-419-0492; www.bishopslodge.com).
Part of the luxury of a stay at Vista Verde Ranch, Clark, Colorado, comes from its exclusiveness. The ranch during summer family weeks accommodates 40 people, including children, in nine cabins and three guest rooms. As a result, expect special attention and camaraderie with fellow riders. Kids ages six to 11 as well as teens 12 and older enjoy separate riding programs—an important consideration—as well as family rides. The younger group also tries gold panning, races boats in a creek and learns how to track animals. Teens also go rock climbing, tubing and hiking as can their parents. After a hard day in the saddle, soak sore muscles in your cabin’s private hot tub and enjoy a good dinner. Located in the Elk River Valley about 25 miles from Steamboat Springs, the ranch setting, ringed by high mountain peaks, is spectacular (800-526-RIDE; www.vistaverde.com).
For more than 60 years C Lazy U Ranch, Granby, Colorado, has turned tenderfoots into trail riders. Sprawled on more than 8,000 acres near the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, C Lazy U offers 40 comfortably casual accommodations from standard rooms to deluxe suites with fireplaces. Among the hotel-like touches: turn-down service, robes, wireless Internet as well as in-room coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Even youngsters three to five years old get a taste of the west on pony rides and fishing outings, part of the organized kid’s program. The wranglers help ages six to 12, and teens and adults progress through separate children and adult programs. Skilled riders can try trotting and loping across the meadows. All children ages 17 and under eat lunch and dinner with their counselors and peers, something many older teens dislike (970-887-3344; www.clazyu.com).
 At Echo Valley Ranch & Spa, near Clinton, British Columbia, the spa facilities are as important as the horses. More a retreat than a boisterous ranch, Echo Valley promotes well-being through riding as well as hiking, fishing, meditation, yoga, and spa treatments. Novices can opt for trail rides and experts can explore the surrounding valley and mountains on all-day outings. However, some guests never even go near a horse. They come for the Thai-themed rituals such as massage, facials, herbal steams, and other indulgences. The ranch also offers guided bird-watching walks and gold- panning lessons.
Families are welcome during Kids Weeks, July 15 to August 8, 2007. Little Buckaroos, ages three to five, ride ponies in the ring, do arts and crafts and go swimming. Little Wranglers, ages six to nine and Wranglers, ages ten to 13, go on trail rides twice daily. Echo Valley Ranch, rated four-and-a-half (out of five) stars by Canada Select, is a five-and-a-half- hour drive north of Vancouver, or an hour’s plane ride (250-459-2386; www.evranch.com).
How to select a Family Ranch
Pick the region of the country you want to experience and the time frame. Most family programs require a seven-day booking, but some allow three or four night stays. Do you want to stay on the ranch or also explore the nearby region? If the latter, then look for a ranch near a national park or not too far from a city.
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Great Places, Great Deals |
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-Family Golf Getaways, Canada:
 Enjoy the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu’s newly redesigned and expanded 27-hole golf course, part of the resort’s 200 acres in Quebec’s Charlevoix Region. The Tee-to-Sea Golf Package includes overnight accommodations, buffet breakfast and one round of golf for two (cart and access to driving range). Rates start from $429 CDN per night. For $25 CDN, junior golfers can join their parents for a round.
In St. Andrews by-the-Sea, swing through an oceanfront course at the Fairmont Algonquin. The family golf package includes one round of golf for four (two adults, two children), two power carts and a two-hour lesson, which you can split with your kids. Packages begin at $299 CDN but lodging is extra (800-441-1414; www.fairmont.com).
-Family Caribbean:
At Antigua’s Curtain Bluff, an upmarket property, the summer all-inclusive price covers lodging, three meals daily, drinks, and activities such as windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, and tennis. From June 1 through August 25, room rates start at $495 per couple. Kids under age five are free; five and older cost $125 per night. There is no organized children’s program (888-289-9898; www.curtainbluff.com).
Raffles Resort, Canouan Island, a luxury property in the Grenadines, offers a 50 percent discount off winter rates on rooms through December 15, 2007. At the complimentary Sugar Palm Kids Club, children enjoy games, arts and crafts, tennis lessons, and movie nights. The Teens Club has televisions, Play Stations and offers organized pool games, beach volleyball and soccer. Rooms from $335, including breakfast (866-589-2450; www.Raffles-CanouanIsland.com).
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*****
– Candyce H. Stapen is the author of
27 books, including National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family
Vacations.
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