RanchSeeker Blog

RanchSeeker represents many great working guest ranches on our website. A working ranch is a ranch that has its own cattle operation with the herd managed by cowboys.

Most working ranches do not cater to guests, though some do offer guests the opportunity to see what a real working ranch is like and partake in horseback rides, cattle drives and other working ranch related activities. Other features offered by guest ranches could also be available. A working ranch vacation is a great way to live the life of a real cowboy if only for a week.

Cattle Drives at Burnt Well Guest Ranch

Burnt Well Guest Ranch is located in Rosewell, New Mexico and is primarily a working cattle and sheep ranch that takes in a few guests on the side as a supplement to their ranching income. A working ranch vacation with them means you can be as involved with the day to day ranch operations as you want or just work on your horseback riding skills….you decide!

Guest Hacienda at Burnt Well Guest Ranch

With no set schedules flexibility is the key word for a working ranch vacation at Burnt Well Guest Ranch. Get dirty, have some fun, then kick off your boots and relax a spell. They will fill your tummy with good, home-cooked country-style food and feed your soul with a sense of adventure, accomplishment, laughter and everlasting memories.

At Burnt Well Guest Ranch they are committed to the quality of your stay and not the quantity of people they can run through their place!! So for your next vacation consider a working ranch vacation!

Burnt Well-Working Guest Ranch Vacation

White Stallion Ranch, October 2012 What we now know as White Stallion Ranch began its life in 1900 as a cattle ranch. Today's main dining room and kitchen were once the main/ only ranch house. In 1940 when the Zimmerman's first turned the ranch into a Guest Ranch the main building became a dining room and kitchen plus one guest room.

The rooms that we now call the Sunrise and Sunset dining rooms were where Max and his wife lived. Then they later became guest rooms and in the past 15 years they have changed functions from being a gift shop, business office, and now dining rooms.

1964

In 1965 the Trues bought the ranch and took out the first guest room to make more dining space.

1967-2002

1967-2002

The main dining room was the first major renovation the Trues ever did and the space has been virtually untouched since.

2012

2012

2012

Oddly enough the dining room has been given an older look. The walls are darker, the ceiling is now Saguaro Ribs each one individually put up, brickwork has been removed in favour of an archway that is more consistent of the building's structure. The window in the west side of the building is gone and been replaced by a niche with a bronze.

And the smaller archway to the buffethas gone to make room for another table. The Sunset and Sunrise rooms have also been given a makeover. We love the new look and hope you will come and enjoy it with us!

RanchSeeker represents many great dude ranches on our website. A dude ranch vacation is a lot of fun and a great vacation alternative that can be shared with friends or family.  RanchSeeker features dude ranches in the US, Canada, Ecuador and Argentina! This month our Dude Ranch Photo of the Month goes to Lazy L & B Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming!

Wyoming’s nickname is the “Cowboy State,” and it’s no wonder. This beautiful region is filled with wilderness areas and a true Old West feel. Wyoming dude ranches live up to the Cowboy State name in every way imaginable. Lazy L & B Ranch is known for extensive riding through an unusual variety of terrain. You will enjoy quality time with family and friends while appreciating the simple life- style, spectacular country, great food and memories of a life time.

Lazy L & B Ranch

Lazy L&B Ranch is situated at 7200 feet in the Wind River's ‘East Fork Valley’ where you can explore some of the most diverse terrain imaginable. Guests enjoy   superb riding conditions, fishing, hiking, riflery and swimming in the river or their heated pool.  Younger kids love the tree house, the kid’s size log cabin and petting zoo.

At the Lazy L & B Ranch there is truly something for everyone to do! For your next vacation consider Lazy L & B Ranch!

RanchSeeker represents many guest ranches and working ranches found in the USA, Canada, and South America. In our upcoming blogs we will be posting some photos that our guest ranches and working ranches picked out to share with you. We asked them to choose one of their favourite photos and tell us why they like it so much and what it represents to them:

Our first guest ranch, Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, in Sandpoint Idaho sent us the following photo and description:

  “It is a favorite, because it shows one of my favorite activities at the ranch.  There is nothing like a good old fashioned bon fire with the guests and staff gathered around enjoying the fresh air and the new friendships that have been made over their visit to the ranch.   It doesn’t matter if you are just a child, a Mom and Dad, or Grandma and Grandpa, everyone goes away with fond memories of their evenings warming by the fire, enjoying the stars, and listening to some good campfire music.---Janice”

Western Pleasure Guest Ranch is a fourth generation family owned and operated ranch, located on 1100 acres, where you will discover true western hospitality while surrounded by the scenic beauty of North Idaho. At Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, you will find their accommodations very comfortable, their hearty ranch style food fresh and satisfying, and their many activities entertaining and fun.  

The Hills Health & Guest Ranch in 108 Mile Ranch, British Columbia had this to say about their photo:

“We have a guest that spoils our horses. They feed her peppermints. Now every time the horse sees the guest coming she greets her with a big smile.-Len” 

 The Hills Health & Guest Ranch offers guests a refuge of renewal and rejuvenation while being surrounded by peaceful countryside reflecting the true Canadian west. From Horseback riding to great wilderness hiking, you can enjoy it all!  

Our next photo was sent in by Vista Verde Ranch in Steamboat, Colorado.

“A guest took this amazing photo a couple weeks ago during our 4th of July stampede.  I just love the photo.  It was edited with a really neat look, captures to action and power of what we call the “star spangled stampede” and I can’t stop looking at it! –Stephanie”

Vista Verde Ranch, nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, is a truly unique ranch experience for all seasons. You’ll enjoy the comforts of their luxurious cabins and spacious lodge rooms. Their Culinary Institute trained chefs will wow you with gourmet meals. And they’ll keep you as busy as you’d like to be with a wide variety of outdoor adventures, summer and winter.  

Marble Mountain Ranch in Somes Bar, California sent us a collage for their entry:

"The collage is a favorite picture of mine because of its an over-view of nature.  We have some difficulty projecting the variety of Western activities available at Marble Mountain Ranch, which distinguishes us from typical dude ranches.  This image does a fair job of showing who we are.  It shows our signature vacation, which blends horses, rafting, fishing, shooting, and a family orientation.-Doug" 

Marble Mountain Ranch offers all inclusive ranch holidays centered on a Western Trail Riding theme. We combine our equestrian program with thrilling guest ranch activities such as rafting, fly fishing, sporting clays, and traditional ranch events.   Our last photo for this series comes from Estancia Ranquilco, in El Huecu, Argentina.

 “The mate' is a very intrinsic part of the Argentine Gaucho culture  and it represents their way of life. It is a culture that values some of the things that we may have lost sight of in the modern world; community, open space, clean air and water, and giving time to sit together and share stories and thoughts. Their way of life is inseparable from horses--in fact for most of them horses are their only means of transportation. Their culture is very much the heart of Ranquilco, and visitors get a chance to step into a different time when horses and the people that ride them have created a deep tie between humans, horses and the landscape.-T.A.”

Estancia Ranquilco is a remote family-owned 100,000 acre horse and cattle ranch nestled in the foothills of the Andes. It is a vast expanse of land in Patagonia, stretching across leagues of high steppes, river valleys, grazing meadows, and jagged cliffs, into the very heart of the Argentine cordillera.

Summer is almost upon us and time to book a fun-filled family or friend’s getaway vacation. Why not consider booking a guest ranch vacation this year? Guest ranch vacations are an ideal way to digitally disconnect and reconnect with friends and family. There are always lots of activities to choose from like horseback riding, archery, swimming, hiking, photography, and campfire sing-alongs. Some guest ranches even offer spa services to help you unwind on your guest ranch vacation. There is no better time to book a guest ranch vacation than now as many of RanchSeeker’s guest ranches are offering Summer Specials:

Echo Valley Ranch & Spa, Clinton, British Columbia:

Special Offer: Family Ranch Vacation Family guest ranch vacations at Echo Valley Ranch and Spa are for families seeking an original Canadian ranch experience - equal parts wilderness adventure destination and world-class spa retreat. The Family Ranch Vacation package provides something for everyone, while encouraging quality family time. Kids and teens can experience fun and stimulating learning activities, from catching trout to roasting s'mores around a fire.

Offer valid: July 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012

Special Offer: Girls Getaway Calling all 'wannabe' cowgirls! If you've ever wanted to ride the range and throw a lasso, yet still like a little luxury at the end of the day, then the Echo Valley Ranch Girls Getaway will get your spurs jingling and your spirits soaring. Round up a gang of girlfriends, or rope your sister or mom and head up to Echo Valley where you'll leave behind your city blues and discover the magic of ranch life.

Offer valid: May 14th, 2012 through October 31, 2012

 Sundance Guest Ranch, Ashcroft, British Columbia:

Special Offer: Kids Summer Special

During the month of July, all Children and Youth rates are 20% off!

Offer valid: July 1st through July 31, 2012

Special Offer: Back to School Special

One last chance to get in your summer holidays - stay with us August 26-31 and receive 50% off Children and Youth rates.

Offer valid: August 26-31^st   

 Coffee Creek Ranch, Trinity Center, California:

Special Offer: Memorial Day Weekend

All Veterans honored at half-mast and 50% off the rates.

Offer valid: May 25, 2012 through May 28, 2012

Special Offer: Cowboy & Cowgirl up Singles Week

Cowgirl up week…June 2nd …for $995.00 we will teach you to rope, take care of your horse, make cowboy coffee, barrel race and more! The cowboys get to come too as it is a singles week! If not enough adults book, everyone is welcome.

Offer valid: June 2, 2012 through June 8, 2012

Special Offer: Cowboy & Cowgirl-UP Adults Only Week

$995 for the week If not enough interest week will be open to everyone

Offer valid: August 19, 2012 through August 25, 2012

Special Offer: "Red Hot" Special

$995 for any age for the week. This offer cannot be combined with other special offers.

Offer valid: June 30, 2012 through July 6, 2012

Special Offer: Special Kids' Weeks all Summer!

We lower all our children rates for the summer so everyone can get back in the saddle again! This offer cannot be combined with other special offers.

Offer valid: June 9, 2012 through August 25, 2012

Special Offer: Armed Forces Any Week!

ALL Active Military personnel and their immediate family receive 50% off our regular pricing!! It's our way of saying THANK YOU! This offer cannot be combined with other special offers.

Offer valid: May 1, 2012 through November 25, 2012    

Crystal Waters Guest Ranch, Bridge Lake, British Columbia:

Special Offer: Stay 7 Pay 6

Stay a whole week and pay only 6 days (restrictions apply)

Offer valid: January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012

Special Offer: Camp'n'Ranch

You are travelling through B.C. with an RV or a camper? You don't want an all-inclusive deal but you'd love to stay at the ranch and occasionally hit the trails? Then book a camp spot and join us just for the trail rides! Camp spots are $30 per night/up to 4 people; this includes the use of the washhouse, power and firewood. Trail rides are $55 per person for a 2hour ride. All prices plus taxes.

Offer valid: January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012    

There are so many great guest ranch vacation specials available right now on RanchSeeker that we had to divide this blog post into two parts. Check back next week for more guest ranch specials.

RanchSeeker would like to greet another new working guest ranch to our website this time located in Ohio. Guest ranches in Ohio take advantage of the lowland and plateau geography and its rich history to attract visitors.

KD Ranch is a small working guest ranch located in Adamsville where you can experience the western dude ranch lifestyle in the East.

 Dave and Kari Burkley, owners of the KD Ranch, met while working on a guest ranch as operation’s manager and head wrangler. After getting married they decided to move back to Kari's family farm in Ohio and build their own guest ranch from the ground up.  They have been in operation for 5 years and really enjoy meeting new people and sharing their passion for agriculture. The guest ranch vision or motto is "Bringin' the West to the East!"  And they are very happy to be able to provide a western vacation for families, couples and groups in Ohio. 

From their activities to the cabins their guests are amazed at their authentic western way of life while being within driving distance to many major cities. KD Ranch offers plenty of trail riding over the hills of south eastern Ohio, team penning, a dude rodeo, and a stocked pond with paddle boats, canoes, swimming, and an overnight horse trip to the rustic back cabin.

Kari and Dave feel that their guests come to the ranch as strangers and leave as part of their family.  They are a small guest ranch that usually takes between 8-10 guests per week to give everyone a chance to relax and get to know each other while enjoying a western vacation. So round up the family and head on over to the KD Ranch in the beautiful rolling, wooded hills of Ohio for your next guest ranch vacation!

RanchSeeker would like to welcome another new guest ranch to its website this time located in Tennessee! Guest ranches in Tennessee attract visitors using the natural wonders of the region including the range of valleys, mountain ranges, plains, and caves.

A Tennessee Guest Ranch is located in Dunlap.

 A Tennessee Guest Ranch is family owned and operated by Chris & Tammy Young, a southern gentleman and a southern belle who have been married for over two decades, along with their two sons Brant and Bryce. Tammy’s lifelong love of horses turned into a ranching career that the entire family shares. A Tennessee Guest Ranch is a special guest ranch that features down home Southern Christian Hospitality, and Cowboy atmosphere. Upon arrival each family receives their own wrangler and their very own guest ranch horses for their stay. And don’t forget to pack your saddle bags with their “Cowboy Bibles for the trail” to learn what God has to say about horses in the Bible! Oh yes, and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to be at the ranch when Cowboy Church is held once a month so you can see a mounted sermon and catch the country barn dance afterwards!

 You can count on days full of horse-related activities. But that’s not all there are also cowboy campfires under the stars, carriage rides, hay rides, nature and hiking trails, roping lessons, swimming in the river and in a pool overlooking the gorgeous Sequatchie Valley. So round up the family and gallop on over to the Tennessee Guest Ranch in the beautiful foothills of Tennessee for your next guest ranch vacation!

  Happy Trails!

Most of us at some time or another have taken a vacation and most probably it has either been to a ski resort, the beach, or camping in the woods. These are all great places to spend time with friends and family; however, don’t forget about visiting a guest ranch. A guest ranch vacation is a wonderful way to get back to the basics, spend time outdoors, and re-connect with loved ones. There is always a lot to do and if you want you can learn new skills as well.

 Never ridden a horse before? That’s okay most guest ranches provide horseback riding lessons for beginners and if you want to fine tune your riding skills there are opportunities to do that too. Do you want to help cowboys herd cattle or partake in a Rodeo? Then a working ranch vacation is perfect for you. Or how about learning to shoot a bow and arrow or skeet shooting? You can learn to do that on a guest ranch as well. Always wanted to go river rafting, kayaking or canoeing? You are in luck as many guest ranches are situated near rivers and lakes so don’t forget to pack your bathing suit for your next guest ranch vacation. If all these activities have you feeling weary book a spa appointment at one of the many top notch spas found in guest ranches around the world today.

How does a Thai or Deep Tissue massage, or a rejuvenating facial followed by a manicure and pedicure sound? Pretty good, right? Or you can unwind by a roaring campfire and sing old cowboy songs while you roast marshmallows. If you feel like kickin’ up your heels many guest ranches offer country-western dancing too.

 If you are vacationing with your children guest ranches often have exciting kid’s programs with qualified people running them so you don’t have to worry if you want to do separate activities once in a while. On a guest ranch vacation you can do as many activities as you want or as little as you want surrounded by breathtaking scenery and wide open spaces.

 Feeling hungry?

Nowadays, at a guest ranch, you will either find simple, delicious, home-style cooked food or gourmet meals prepared by the resident chef and often the vegetables and even beef are grown and raised right there on the homestead. With all these exciting activities and more why wouldn’t you consider a guest ranch for your next vacation?

For your next guest ranch vacation use RanchSeeker’s Dude Ranch Finder to find the ideal guest ranch for you.

Happy Trails!

As I mentioned in my previous blog a picture can be worth a thousand words.So to continue on with that theme below are some more photos of some of the guest ranches that can be found on RanchSeeker.

The guest ranch experience is something that can be shared with family or friends over special holidays or just to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It's a great way to digitally detox and reconnect with nature and your loved ones. With all the many varied activities that you can find on a guest ranch you can be as busy as you like or choose to just relax surrounded by some of the most breathtaking scenery in North America.

Drowsy Water Ranch Granby,Colorado

Drowsy Water Ranch has developed a reputation for quality Dude Ranch vacations. The guest ranch has programs for children from infants to teenagers with plenty of activities for parents and grandparents alike.

 Chezacut Wilderness Adventures Redstone, British Columbia

Enjoy an authentic western guest ranch vacation and a unique horseback riding retreat as you become part of our bio-dynamic working cattle ranch!

 Spotted Horse Ranch Jackson, Wyoming

Our guest ranch is located near Jackson Hole, Wyoming and provides many opportunities for horseback riding, fly fishing or just relaxing in a land that remains much the same as when explorer John Colter first set his eyes on Yellowstone and the Tetons in 1807

 Wilson H2 Ranch Woodville, Ontario

At Wilson H2 Ranch you can live the cowboy life for a week or just a weekend. Saddle up a horse, work some cattle, rope a calf, go for a trail ride or kick back on the front porch and watch the sun set on rolling farmer’s fields with a coffee in hand.

Red Reflet Guest Ranch Ten Sleep, Wyoming

Red Reflet Ranch is a working horse and cattle ranch, utilizing well over 24,000 acres that range in elevation from 4200’ to 8300’.

There is always lots of ranch work underway.

 Colorado Trails Guest Ranch Durango, Colorado

Fun, adventure and breathtaking scenery at Colorado Trails Ranch, in the San Juan Mountains outside historic Durango, Colorado include horseback riding on scenic trails, fly-fishing, rafting, shooting sports and hiking.

 For your next guest ranch vacation use RanchSeeker's Dude Ranch Finder to find the ideal guest ranch for you.

Happy Trails!              

When we think about taking a mini-break for some well-deserved spa pampering, a guest or dude ranch doesn’t usually spring to mind and that’s a pity, because many modern day guest ranches have invested a lot of time and effort into their spa facilities.  So much so, that some ranch resort and spas are regularly featured in travel articles and even make the 10 best spa resort list! 

 Guest  ranches can offer so much more than merely parking yourself in a spa for a few days, especially at this lovely time of year of sunny days and crisp fall nights.  Even if you hadn’t considered a guest ranch or ranch resort for your spa getaway, how does soaking in a hot tub at night on a timbered deck gazing up at a star-filled sky with a glass of something cold close by sound to you? Or getting to experience some of the newest and most innovative spa trends in the ultra-modern facilities of a  guest ranch resort spa? After a day of being pampered, cosseted and soothed by the friendly and skilled staff at your guest ranch spa, what better way to relax than to mix and mingle with the other guests in front of a roaring log fire, before sitting down to an exquisite dinner prepared by the resident chef. 

 As a change of pace from indulging in the decadent delights of your guest ranch spa, a leisurely horseback ride among spectacular surroundings or a gentle hike along verdant trails far removed from the stresses of city life, will refresh and rejuvenate the inner self.  Some guest ranches even boast an indoor heated pool or are situated close to mineral springs for invigorating bathing sessions. Having a mini-vacation at a guest ranch at this time of year means you can take advantage of the many end-of-season specials that ranches offer between their busy summer season and the approach of winter.  Three or four night getaways are typical ranch resort and spa packages and along with comfortable accommodation and satisfying meals, may also include a choice of spa treatments. 

 No one size fits all. RanchSeeker features many guest ranches that are ideal for a guest ranch spa getaway. Use our simple Dude Ranch Finder to find your next guest ranch vacation. Happy Trails!