Guest Testimonial of the Week

Western Pleasure Guest Ranch
"We just got back from 4 days at the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch and the pleasure was all ours. What a wonderful place. Janice and Roley are gracious hosts, as are their two talented children. The lodge and cabin were beautiful and the food was terrific. The riding was outstanding. The wranglers led us through beautiful terrain on well-trained horses. We even got to try herding a few errant cows. My only complaint was that our stay was too short. We received the royal treatment and I can't wait to get back." -Beth

Wilderness Trails Ranch Video

Guest Testimonial of the Week

We have just returned from our ninth visit to the Flying E Ranch where Ande and Steve Taylor work so successfully to provide the authentic western experience for all guests. We are now a party of over 25 American and English friends and family spread over three generations (aged from 80 to 2 years) who return each year to renew friendships in a true western setting; a perfect destination for the whole western experience. The riding is at all levels and always properly supervised. Herding and penning cattle are great fun for all ages especially in competitions with children against parents. Breakfast, lunch, and evening meals are sometimes taken out in the desert, and after dinner activities such as games and cowboy singing wind up a genuine western day. The atmosphere is established by Ande and Steve Taylor and their committed staff for whom nothing is too much trouble. They put their stamp of dedication to the guests's good time on everything. You arrive at first as a guest but leave as a firm friend. Big smiles, warm hearts, western sunsets, great food, friends and activities combine to make this as always an enjoyable experience worth crossing the world for. The best advert for their success is the continual return of old satisfied customers. This ranch and the managers' dedicated service is the best example of authentic western hospitality. We can't wait to return next year.
Michael and Felicity Byrne, Rainhill Merseyside England

See the Laramie River Ranch

The DRA Featured on "Trip on a Deal"

The Dude Ranchers' Association was featured on this week's episode of "Trip on a Deal"! Chelsea, the associate producer of the travel webcast stated "We found your blogs, reviews,listings, and adventures a great resource for any family who's looking to travel!" To view the show click here!

Why Take a Dude Ranch Vacation

Imagine a place where your teenager can't have a cell phone, a video game, or a television, and yet has such a good time they weep when it's time to leave, and beg you to come back. There really are such places. They're called Dude Ranches. “Of all the things we’ve done... and we’ve done, I think, some nice things with our daughters... England and France and things like that ... this is it!,” says Clyde Wetzel of Washington state, “This is the best vacation... and we’re coming back next year.”

We met Wetzel and his family at the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch, a gorgeous, rustic and historic property set in a picturesque mountain valley that features a world class trout stream. Horses are the center of this traditional Montana dude ranch, with horseback rides tailored to the age and ability of the rider. Don’t ride? Don’t worry! There’s no better place to learn than at a dude ranch. And the view from the back of a horse is the perfect way to explore the vast and pristine wilderness of this ranch and its adjoining National Forests, just outside Yellowstone National Park.

Once you’re back at the ranch, you’re still away from the world. Like most dude ranches, there are no telephones or TV's in the cabins. There is internet access in the rustic main lodge, but you'll have a better time if you take a break from the computer screen, and gaze instead at a crackling fire in the huge stone fireplace of a lodge built back in the 1920's. Or, step outside in the evening and rediscover the stars, that shine brighter is this pure clean air than you’ve ever seen before.

Some guests still fly in on the grass landing strip. Dinners are served family style. An evening softball game of kids and parents in a grassy meadow hearkens back to a simpler time. This very well maintained property looks much the same as it did 50 years ago. But that's a big part of its appeal that keeps families coming back for generations. “This place is kinda like a time warp,” says Chicago architect Michael Graham, here for the third year in a row with his wife and three daughters. “I think people like it because it doesn’t change at all. I mean, its completely family centered.”

The Nine Quarter Circle is one of the more than 100 member ranches of the Dude Ranchers' Association (DRA). Located from Arkansas to California, British Columbia to Arizona, these properties are located in and help preserve some of the most beautiful areas of North America. Each one is different, with its own unique history, and spectacular scenery.
Many are family oriented. Others cater more to adults, with some featuring
special weeks targeted toward women, singles or even quilters. Prices, programs and activities can vary. But they all offer a chance to step away from the hectic world of schedules, blackberries and telephones, and get a taste of the authenticity of the American West. It's an opportunity to discover the peace and majestic beauty of the land, to learn to ride and appreciate horses, and get reacquainted with your family. And once you check in, you can leave your wallet in the room. Dude Ranch rates typically include all your lodging, food, horseback riding and other activities.

Plus, a ranch visit doesn't include standing in long lines on hot asphalt, traffic jams, or worries about strangers at a hotel. Dude ranches are safe places, where children can run free without fear. Many offer comprehensive children's programs that can keep the kids busy and happy all day long, so parents can have a vacation too!

And what a vacation it can be! Some dude ranches can take you on a multi-day pack trip high into the wildest corners of the Rocky Mountains. You’ll photograph places few people will ever set foot in, and be amazed at the kind of back-country cuisine your experienced guides can provide. Other ranches offer white water rafting on the scenic rivers that flow right through their property. Dude ranches are paradise for those who love to fish. Many offer fishing guides, instructors, and even the equipment to help a novice learn the finer points of casting. Come fall some ranches morph into hunting outfitters. And in winter, DRA ranches offer excellent cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and other winter activities, and even a chance to horseback ride in the snow.

Looking for a winter escape from the cold? Head for the dude ranches of the Southwest, where you can experience summer like conditions in January, as you ride through the picturesque desert of Arizona. Mix in a game of golf, a dip in the pool, a nature hike, or even a mountain bike ride. And we haven’t even mentioned all the new friendships you’ll make that can last a lifetime.

Whatever ranch you choose at whatever time of year, they’re all tough to leave. There are often tears in the driveway when it’s time to go home, even among the adults. Once you’ve had a taste of a dude ranch, you may never want to go anywhere else again on vacation.

Invest in ‘REAL’ Value ~ Come Stay Where Cowboys Play

Return to the simple way of life, all inclusive ranch offers more for your dollar. A week now, memories forever.

Let’s face it, these last few years haven’t been the easiest of times. On days when things seem especially rough, think about what it must have been like out on the open range, it is time to “Cowboy Up”!
Getting back to the basic’s, the Cowboy way, a handshake was a deal…no papers involved, your dollar bought you food for a month not a candy bar and your word was true, more so than a signature.
Now is the time to step back and recapture your spirit of the west! This code of ethics is still found at North Fork Ranch & Fishing Lodge in Shawnee, Colorado, an easy one hour drive from Denver. A small family owned & operated ranch has taken great pride in welcoming in guests who have become ‘friends’ for over twenty four years. A traditional dude ranch in the summer months finds activities for the young at heart and adventurous alike. Enjoy a day out on the trail exploring the Rocky Mountains upon horseback, making the catch of a lifetime fly fishing in over two miles of private, pristine water, hike into the Alpine Wilderness or simply sit back, relax and rejuvenate counting the stars in the wide open skies.
Enjoy Colorado’s newest Orvis Endorsed Lodge year round. Resting on the banks of the North Fork of the South Platte River, thousands of pounds of teeming trout are awaiting. Fireside dining with a gourmet flare & intimate accommodations are far from a night of beans and the cold ground.
A handshake & a fair deal is the Cowboy way. An all inclusive rate ensures that you will receive more for your dollar than ever before and there’s not even an extra charge for the memories you take home for a lifetime. It takes Real courage to Invest, it’s a promise.

Guest Testimonial of The Week

If you are a couple, friends or family, you will have the time of your life at Elk Mountain. The place is made even more special by the owners, Tom and Sue, and their professional, friendly and hardworking staff who cannot do enough for you. The cabins were spotlessly clean and the food plentiful, freshly prepared and excellent quality. The scenery was breathtaking both at the ranch and on the rides. We rode most days, but there are also activities for non riders or if you like a break, such as white water raft trips or trips to the hot springs. There is always something to do in the evening too. You are encouraged to do as little or as much as you like . . . we only sat down to eat! We truly enjoyed every minute of our week and will definitely return to enjoy the amazing hospitality again. R Carter and M Herbert, United Kingdom


More Guest Testimonials are available on each ranch's more information page. Check out The Dude Ranchers' Association website for more!

DUDE RANCHES HELP FAMILIES KNOW THEIR KIDS

Folks who are seeking to reconnect with their kids or who are seeking to strengthen family bonds are turning to a special type of vacation that fosters close family ties, a dude ranch vacation. Like previous generations, today’s families are learning about the wonderful hidden value of the simpler, caring way of life found on a dude ranch. They are learning that dude ranches are extra friendly places for kids and families to re-discover each other. Out on the ranch folks are cut off from their usual distractions of TV, phones, computers and electronic games. No car pools, no housework, no evening business meetings. Removed from their usual activities, families find new ways to relate. We have repeatedly seen families doing such novel things as taking an evening walk and talking to each other or playing old-time children’s games on the lawn in front of the lodge. These days it is a rare treat to see such joy and laughter on the faces of an entire family as we do on dude ranches. The new adventures and exciting experiences that fill dude ranch days are the positive types of shared experiences that build healthy family bonds and a sense of togetherness that enable us all to weather the more difficult times in life. To watch a father and son gain new respect for each other as they ride the trails together can warm the heart of the toughest ranch hand.

At the same time, the gurgle of a mountain stream and the cheerful song of a Meadow Lark do much to heal the soul and calm nerves frazzled by the demanding ring of a telephone or the current uneasiness in the day’s news. Returning to nature and a hundred year old, simple, honest way of life seems to wash away those unsavory layers of stress that have become an almost accepted part of modern life. A natural process of unwinding that helps guests to slow down and begin to discover the wonders around them and those within themselves and their families starts when they first set foot on a dude ranch.

Moving as one with your horses through a mountain meadow touched by the morning dew and alive with the brilliance of spring wildflowers seems to lift the spirits and heal the wounds of modern life like no amount of psychotherapy can. Sharing stories of the day’s activities in the warmth of a fading sunset, while awaiting the dinner bell on the lodge porch, somehow fosters friendships and family ties that last through the years. Quiet talks on evening walks through the meadow help to bring families closer together than they have been for years.

The Dude Ranchers' Association Educational Trust Schoalarship Deadline for the 2009-2010 Educational Trust Scholarships is MARCH 15, 2009.

Downloadable Application forms are available online at www.duderanchhistory.com.

General Purpose Statement:
Our goal is to support Dude Ranching and the future of Dude Ranching by providing financial assistance and encouragement to students pursuing an educational program that will lead to a career of benefit to them and the Dude Ranch industry.

VALUE CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS SADDLE UP FOR RANCH VACATIONS

Falling stock portfolios and uncertainty about the economy have spooked some consumers and added to the worry level of many others. More families are now looking for the best bang for their vacation buck. Value conscious vacationers are discovering that not only is a dude ranch vacation a good economic value but also that it is one vacation that is a natural therapy for those very day to day worries that seem to load us down. When you couple these benefits with the fun, adventure and relaxation found on a typical dude ranch, you get a hint of the underlying value offered by ranch vacations.

Many ranch vacationers find they very much appreciate the all-inclusive American plan offered by most ranches. Typical ranch vacations include your room or cabin, three meals per day, horseback riding, basic riding instruction, hiking, fishing, children’s’ programs, cookouts, hayrides, line dancing and most other on ranch activities. This removes the financial uncertainty of many vacations and allows the budget conscious family to know the total cost of their ranch vacation before they go. The Dude Ranchers’ Association requires full disclosure of all costs by its members. Executive Director, Colleen Hodson, states: “There should be no surprises or hidden costs. Ranch guests should know upfront the cost of their ranch vacation.” She points out that when any optional off-ranch activity such as raft trips, scenic vehicle tours, or visits to nearby rodeos is not included in the basic package, extra charges should be well publicized in advance.

Ranch vacations vary in price by the level of accommodations and meals as well as by the scope and variety of activities offered. Weeklong Ranch vacations range from under $1,000 per adult for more modest ranches to over $2,000 per adult for more luxurious ranches offering the widest variety of amenities and activities. Be sure to ask about children’s discounts and early and late season discounts. Check out this current list of ranch specials!

FIND RENEWAL IN THE WIDE OPEN SPACES

During these turbulent times are you looking for a safe but fun family vacation far from the worries of today? If so you may want to consider a domestic family vacation that has been enjoyed by countless thousands of families for more than 100 years.

Western dude ranches are typically located in rural areas far from the events of today. For over a century weary city-dwellers have been seeking to escape the pressures of urban life and to find spiritual relief in the beauty and simplicity of the American West. Returning to nature and a 100 year old, simple, honest ranch way of life seems to wash away those unsavory layers of stress that have become an accepted part of modern life. A natural process of unwinding starts when guests first set foot on a dude ranch. It helps them to slow down and to begin discovering the wonders around them and even within themselves.

Moving as one with your horse through a mountain meadow touched by the morning dew and alive with the brilliance of spring wildflowers seems to lift the spirits and heal the wounds of modern life like no amount of psychotherapy can. Sharing stories of the day’s activities in the warmth of a fading sunset as you await the dinner bell on the lodge porch somehow provides a perspective that is comforting and reassuring. Quiet talks on evening walks through the meadow help to bring families closer together than they have been for years.

Today’s dude ranches offer comfortable accommodations ranging from rustic to upscale, excellent food, great horses, riding instructions for beginners through experts, good fishing, superb hiking and spectacular settings. Most include cookouts, hayrides, ranch dances, and excellent children’s programs. Many offer raft trips, cattle drives, rodeos, swimming pools, tennis and optional overnight pack trips. Home-baked breads and desserts accompany scrumptious ranch meals that satisfy hearty outdoor appetites. Enjoy nature and revive your spirit in an exciting but relaxed setting while making lasting friendships. Dude ranches offer a safe, homey atmosphere and are great for families, singles and couples. It is the vacation with something for everyone. Find your dude ranch vacation!