Dude Ranches For Vacations - Experience the West

Are you ready for the horseback riding trip of a lifetime? Do you want to experience the relaxed and friendly culture, spectacular scenery, and superb horses of the west? Have you considered dude ranches for vacations?

Dude Ranches offer their guests:

·        A chance to experience life’s simple pleasures in a relaxed and peaceful setting.

·        Escape from the pressures of everyday life and a break from the stresses of urban dwelling.   

·        Horseback riding and outdoor activities in scenic and unspoiled locations.

A Dude Ranch trip can be the vacation of a lifetime- but be careful!

A dude ranch vacation can be a nightmare as well as a dream if you pick the wrong one.  Dude ranches are as contrasting in character and philosophy as the individualistic types who run them and in order to find a holiday destination to match your personal needs a number of factors must be carefully considered:

 1. Location and Terrain:    Ranches are dispersed across the west and your vacation experience will be considerably effected by the setting of your destination. Some ranches are completely isolated from civilization and are hours from the nearest town. Others are located only a few minuets from a town center, and the accompanying shopping and eating opportunities. There are superbly beautiful dude ranch locations in remote mountain valleys with steep and rocky trails that provide spectacular scenery but severely limit the pace and variety of horseback rides and other ranch activities. There are ranches with opportunities to ride at any pace and a great variety of surrounding terrain from mountains and forest to alpine meadows and sagebrush plains. Others are very limited by development, highways and no trespass neighbors but provide a multitude of activities such as tennis, swimming, and hay rides. Given the vast spectrum of choices it is important to identify your priorities and choose a place with appropriate attributes.

2. Focus and Activities: The "Dude Ranch" title encompasses an enormous variety of destinations from extremely luxurious resorts with five star accommodations and food and a variety of activities including golf, swimming, and tennis to authentic working cattle ranches with long days of independent riding, sleeping outdoors or in tents, and bacon and beans for dinner. Be sure to identify your own interests before booking and find a destination with an appropriate selection of activities.

3. Size and Clientele:  Do you want an intimate and informal setting in which you get to know the hosts personally or would you prefer a bigger place with more organized activities and a larger group of guests? Will you be traveling alone or with children or your spouse? These questions are important to ask because ranches cater to specific clientele and you may be unhappy if you find yourself out of place with your fellow guests.  

4. Reputation: You don't just have to take a rancher's word for it! Do some checking after you have narrowed down your choices a little and see what other people are saying. Ask friends that have visited a ranch for their advice. If you are researching on the internet see if the ranches offer a testimonials page of comments from former clients. Many managers are also happy to put you in touch with guests that can give you a more unbiased perspective.

5. Horseback riding program: A ranch holiday can provide a magical chance to experience the joys of riding a fine horse in magnificent and unspoiled country and if this opportunity is appealing to you, be sure that the place you choose has a strong horseback riding program. Many offer only limited opportunities to ride and you might be disappointed if you choose the wrong one. Before deciding, check that your choice emphasizes its horseback riding program, if you plan on doing some serious riding during your vacation.

Best of luck with your search for the perfect holiday.

Copyright©2004 Bitterroot