Every family is different and we have a range of options to suit different group sizes and needs – here are a few of our favorites and please get in touch to speak to a Destination Specialist about designing your own private family escape.

The Inn at Newport Ranch

Encompassing seven microclimates on 2,000 acres of land, 1.5 miles of rugged Mendocino coastline and 20 miles of trails, the Inn at Newport Ranch, is the perfect escape from the bustle of everyday life. The nine-room resort is spread throughout four buildings set high on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Sea Drum, the owners’ oceanside vacation home just a half mile down the road, is perfect for family buyouts. Secluded and intimate, many have said that Sea Drum’s ocean views are among the best on the coast. Offshore, there are huge rock formations with blow holes and when they are active, they sound like drums, thus the name: Sea Drum. With four bedrooms, including a king bed and a bunk room, there is room for up to ten people. 

The Inn at Newport Ranch offers endless outdoor activities in this magical corner of the Northern California coast: go on an epic ATV ride throughout the property’s seemingly endless 2,000 acres, plant a redwood seedling, forage for mushrooms, or even spot whales scrubbing barnacles off their backs on the Mendocino cliffs. 

Pairs well with: Sonoma and Mendocino: A Farm to Table Road Trip

Green Valley Ranch 

Ideal for large family reunions, Green Valley Ranch is a private homestead conveniently located just five miles west of Glacier National Park. The ranch was originally homesteaded by the George Green family when Glacier Park was newly created. In quintessential Montana fashion, the ranch was built in a rustic log style with a 6,000 square foot main lodge and a smaller family cabin, with the ability to accommodate up to 27 guests. 

All the wonders of an iconic national park at your fingertips is just the beginning when it comes to potential activities. The ranch itself also includes miles of open trails, an antique log barn, an open-air pole barn suitable for entertaining, a pond, a small lake, and a grass game court.

Pairs well with: Glacier National Park, Pack Trip and Luxury Ranch

Smith Fork Ranch

A pack trip leaves Smith Fork Ranch

The Smith Fork is a historic Rocky Mountain guest ranch, nestled in a serene river valley where the North and South Smith Forks of the Gunnison meet. All aspects of the stay are customized to your preference. Depending on what you’re looking for, that may include anything from gourmet food and spa treatments to curated pasture picnics and private fly fishing lessons. 

Accommodations include six residences with a total of 18 bedrooms and room for as many as 35 guests. Both cozy and luxurious, each space is thoughtfully designed. Guests can set off on their own to swim in the spring-fed pond or to explore the many miles of hiking trails that start on the ranch and lead to the National Forest. There are also several bespoke guided experiences to choose from, such as a leatherworking workshop, horseback riding, or even a private helicopter tour. 

Pairs well with: Luxury Family Adventure in Colorado

Bishop’s Lodge

Bishop’s Lodge just outside Santa Fe first opened as a resort in the 1920’s when the concept of the ‘great American road trip’ truly began. After being incorporated into the illustrious Auberge Resorts fold and a thoughtful restoration, Bishop’s Lodge reopened with a new look but the same beloved atmosphere. The resort’s decor and activities pay homage to the multicultural heritage of the area, with antique art and workshops led by local artisans.

The Bunkhouse is a standalone residence including twelve rooms with the capacity for 24 adults and up to 12 children. Bishop’s Lodge is perfect for multi-generational families, due to a wide range of activities. Family members can set out on individual adventures, like horseback riding, fly fishing or shopping for artisan goods, and reconvene for a private meal or stories by the fire each night. The property is 317 acres bordering the Santa Fe National Forest and just minutes from downtown, giving guests the option to revel in secluded privacy or dive right into the action. 

Pairs well with: Back to the Future in New Mexico

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All Roads North will answer all of your questions in your quest to find the ranch vacation that perfectly suits you.

Types of Ranch Trips

Are you looking to get your hands dirty helping out on a bona fide working ranch or are you hoping for a more luxury experience in a bucolic setting?

What is a Luxury Ranch?

Ranch at Rock Creek

Luxury ranch vacations are perfect for those looking to explore the American West in style and without leaving any creature comforts behind. Complete with typical ranching activities– such as horseback riding and fishing– luxury ranch resorts often blend further amenities into the experience, such as gourmet dining and indulgent spa treatments. At the very best of these ranches, you can expect the same levels of service you’ll find in an urban five-star property, but in the wilds of the West.

One of our favorite luxury ranches: Ranch at Rock Creek

What is a Dude Ranch?

Lone Mountain Ranch

Dude ranches have a long history of introducing folks to the Western way of life with a family-friendly atmosphere, a wide range of curated activities and warm, rustic hospitality. Sometimes offered as an all-inclusive experience, rodeo nights, shooting, horseback riding and barbeque nights are just a few items on the itinerary.

Dude ranches got their start in the 1880’s as wealthy international and domestic visitors alike sought to escape the city and explore the unspoiled American West. To this day, dude ranches provide that same promise of escape. You may also see ranches in this category described as Guest Ranches, which tends to be used interchangeably but may indicate a more intimate, upscale experience.

One of our favorite dude ranches: Lone Mountain Ranch

What is a Working Ranch?

Zapata Ranch

A working ranch’s sole enterprise centers around livestock. This type of ranch experience will provide you with a bona fide look at ranching operations and allow you to get your hands dirty as well. For example, you won’t just be going on a horseback trail ride, you’ll saddle up to herd the cattle from the fields. Although more immersive, the hospitality of a working ranch can’t be beat, and you’ll have great food and cozy accommodations to look forward to at the end of the day. The very best in this category will give you a true insight into modern ranching practices and conservation.

One of our favorite working ranches: Zapata Ranch

What is a Private Ranch?

Chalk Draw Ranch

A private ranch is a property that you have exclusively to yourself to enjoy. All Roads North has access to some huge private ranches, typically not open to the public, giving you a behind-the-scenes view of incredible landscapes and a unique way of life. Private ranches are ideal for larger family gatherings or simply for those seeking a secluded getaway.

Check out our Private Ranch Road Trip in West Texas.

What ranch vacation is best for you?

Whether you’re traveling with a large group or hoping for a romantic setting with your partner, there’s sure to be a ranch that suits your preferences.

What is the best ranch for families?

Tanque Verde Ranch

Ranch vacations (especially dude ranches!) generally make for great family trips, considering the wide range of activities offered. However, some do stand out from the crowd with their excellent kids programs. For example, Tanque Verde Ranch offers a daily schedule of child-friendly activities that is complimentary to guests on an all-inclusive package. When considering a family ranch vacation, the age of your children is an important factor (see below), with more riding focused ranches typically being suitable for children eight and older.

What is the best ranch for couples?

Depending on the couple’s interests, any range of ranch trips from an immersive working ranch to an indulgent luxury ranch would make for a great couples trip. If you are looking for a romantic, acclaimed ranch destination, look no further than Triple Creek Ranch– an adults-only retreat in Montana.

What locations to consider for a ranch vacation?

Zapata Ranch

There are several different states in the U.S. with outstanding ranch trip destinations, and each region comes with its own distinctive flair. Many ranches in the Rocky Mountains– such as in Montana, Colorado and Wyoming– feature secluded getaways amongst the mountains and forest. If you envision a Western experience with cacti and tumbleweeds, ranches in the Southwest, such as Arizona and Texas, are your best bet. Even California, although not often pegged as a quintessential ranch vacation state, has some great properties to speak of.

More Ranch Vacation FAQs

Ranch at Rock Creek

How far in advance should I book my ranch trip?

Some ranch destinations host repeat family trips every year, so availability can fill up quickly. It’s always best to book as far in advance as possible and for the most in demand spots, we’d suggest planning a year in advance.

For children, what age is best for a ranch trip?

Depending on the ranch and activities offered, there will be a different age recommended. Some working ranches and luxury ranches may not offer kid-friendly activities, while most dude ranches offer programs for children as young as four year old. Typically, full riding programs are not offered to children under 8 but this does vary by property.

What level of horsemanship is required for a ranch trip?

Are you a beginner looking for a peaceful trail ride or a capable equestrian in search of some free rein? There are ranches to fit both of these riders and everyone in between. Even if you don’t wish to go anywhere near a horse, there are plenty of ranches with an abundance of alternative activities and options.

What time of year is best to go on a ranch vacation?

The most popular time to visit a ranch property is during the summer or spring. However, at many ranches, the colder months offer just as much snowy fun. It just depends if you want to go hiking or snow-shoeing? Trail riding or sleigh riding? Romp in the summer sun or watch the snow fall from the warmth of your cozy cabin window?

Lone Mountain Ranch, Photo by Donnie Sexton

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We caught up with Stuart Campbell, Blue Sky’s COO, to get the inside scoop on the project:

The important question first, when will Blue Sky Utah be opening? Is everything on track?

Yes, it is a big project but amazingly we’re mostly on track. Considering it is a twenty month build from start to finish, we’ve only slipped against the schedule by about three weeks, which is pretty amazing given the scale of the project and the tough conditions we’re working in here in Utah.

As far as opening to guests, rather than open over Christmas, we’re going to do some dry runs in January with friends and family, bring in the press and travel trade in February, working out any bugs as we go, with the idea of the first guests arriving in May 2019.

Great! I’m interested to know how The Lodge at Blue Sky came into being in the first place?

Well it has quite a history. Mike Phillips, the owner, bought the property about thirteen years ago and always had the idea of doing something with it other than just keeping it. He is based in Park City and he and his wife love horses, so the first thing they did was move them up here but always with the goal of doing something hospitality related. He had initial conversations with groups like Interstate, Marriott, and also Auberge before the recent changes, but they didn’t lead to anything at that stage.

In the interim, Mike met Dave Perkins, founder of High West Distillery, who were planning to expand their operations in Western Salt Lake City. Mike invited Dave up for a ride on the property and it was clear that the two brands were really well aligned, both with the American West at their heart. The beautiful new distillery opened at Blue Sky Utah in 2015 and it’s been a huge success.

So how did you end up getting involved?

In 2014 I was based up in Jackson Hole as the GM of Amangani and I had just been made the MD of Europe and Africa, and was all set to move to Montenegro. After some mutual friends put Mike and I in touch, I agreed to fly down to share my thoughts but I was still very much moving to Europe. We got in truck and drove over the property and I gave him my views on what I thought it could become. We totally hit it off and it turned out that we were both speaking exactly the same language. Within three weeks I’d resigned from Aman and we were off.

The next two years were spent pulling it all together in our minds, working out exactly how it should look, feel and fit into the landscape. We got an architect on board as we started to concept the resort and we started working with a great design group out of Santa Monica. We found our contractor and then last March, together with Mark Harmon from Auberge, we all got together, did a ground breaking, and started to dig a big hole!

Today the project looks fantastic. I’m onsite two to three times a week; looking at view corridors, standing in the rooms as the steel and concrete is going up, and it’s just beautifully designed and the landscape is stunning. What’s more it has the huge advantage of being forty-five minutes from an international airport. Places like Amangiri, The Ranch at Rock Creek, and Paws Up do such a great job but one of the drawbacks is that it can take two flights and a long drive just to get there. We feel we have what they offer but within a short drive of Salt Lake City.

You mention these other great places, some of which you obviously know first hand, and I’m assuming they’re in your mind when you were developing the vision of Blue Sky Utah…

This is one of the most important questions and everyone has their ‘thing’. Aman has these incredible designs and stunning locations; I think Amangiri is one of the most beautiful resorts in the county. When you walk into the lobby of an Aman there is such a distinct feel and you know immediately that it is an Aman. Some of the ranches on the other hand evoke so strongly the Western lifestyle, beautiful mountains and rivers, large pieces of land, all of the things that people are looking to experience more of today. If you could put Amangani in Rock Creek’s location and have an international airport nearby you’d have the perfect combination; that’s what we’ve done here.

I don’t like the term but we can offer the ‘dude ranch’ experience, with the horses, cattle and fly-fishing, we have all of that spread over 4,000 acres but then you come back to a lodge that has a similar design, style and feel to an Aman. At Blue Sky you won’t be surrounded by elk antlers and woven rugs; these are great but in a kitsch Western-style rather than being very design focused and clean. We have been careful to take elements of the local area rather than trying to copy it.

I know staffing some of these remoter properties can be a challenge. What’s your approach on this front?

The best answer to that question is the 25 years of experience that leads you to the point that you can do something like this. My previous postings have been in Jackson, Macao, Bhutan, Sun Valley, and the Cook Islands, all places where it is impossible to get people but somehow we managed. Over a career you develop relationships with people and you keep in touch to see when you might be able to work together again, I have ten names in my back pocket right now who want to come and be involved in the management here and they then have relationships with people below them. It will be difficult, it always is, but there is a real focus on education here in Utah with three great colleges near us and I think we can draft people out of those schools. I think we will also be able to tempt across some people working in the resort town properties who are fed up with traffic jams and can have the same commute as before but be in the wilderness rather than jammed in a resort town.

So once you’ve got the staff in place, how do you keep things personal and avoid the temptation of things becoming too much of an operation?

The bottom line is being able to look after guests on an individual basis and one of the big decisions we made was to have no more than 50 rooms, we have 46. In my experience around the 40-50 mark two things happen, you’re big enough to make enough money to survive but you’re small enough to still able to know every employee and speak to every guest that walks through the door, this is critical. I did the maths after I left Amangani and I’d handwritten over 25,000 welcome cards! You can never stop being a good hotelier and the moment you do it is time to get out.

Before I let you go, what do you think that defining Blue Sky Utah moment might be for guests?

We’ve spent a lot of time making sure that the arrival experience is really special. From the moment you drive up to the hotel you’re looking through the building across to the mountains beyond; we’ve designed the building with an opening so that you’re not just pulling up to a closed door. You’ll be taken to your room where you can sit on the deck listening to the creek, hear horses in the background and see a herd of elk on the hill. All of this is a forty-five minute drive after a direct flight. It is that rapid transformation from New York, the Pacific Palisades or wherever, whereby everything has happened so quickly and beautifully that you can’t believe that this morning you were sitting in your apartment and now you’re outside in the Rocky Mountains watching it all happen.

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By sheer chance, my visit to Zapata Ranch coincided with branding day. This is really the only time that ranch workers interfere with the cattle – the rest of the time the herds are free to roam and graze on the grasslands and the only job is to move them from pasture to pasture – so I was extremely lucky that my visit should include the most exciting event of the ranching year.

Welcome to Zapata

Zapata Ranch is in southwest Colorado on a vast plain flanked by the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. The land is owned by the Nature Conservancy, a high-profile organisation preserving natural wildernesses, and the cattle are raised by Ranchlands, a company that manages several ranches in the American Southwest. It is an interesting model that works on the basis that both parties want the same thing: to maintain the landscape and preserve ranching, not just as a profitable business but also as one of the great American traditions.

The Sangre de Cristos Mountains are never far from view

On the morning I am due on the ranch, I set off from Denver and drive four hours south. It is a beautiful drive with vistas of snow-capped mountains on the horizon that grow bigger, then shift, giving way to yet more mountains. After I arrive and am shown to my room (simple, Western luxury), I walk around the grounds, dazed by the views of mountains in all directions across the plain. At dinner I meet my fellow guests and some of the wranglers. There are around ten guests and they have come from all over the country to experience life on a ranch. So too have the wranglers, chosen from hundreds of applicants for their skills in horsemanship and their stamina. Interestingly they are all female, which the manager Kate tells me is not by design, just default since the men who applied couldn’t quite cut the pace. It is a hard job and she admits that it can be tough balancing high end hospitality with long hours of physical work. Part of the Ranchlands’ holistic managerial approach is to move the staff around, to promote them and give them new opportunities in the growing business rather than allowing anyone to get burnt out by the constant four AM starts.

Girl Power at Zapata Ranch

The next morning, at six, we set out for the corral. My horse is waiting for me. I am a bit apprehensive given that I haven’t ridden since I was fifteen. My worries are not calmed when I find out that my horse’s name is ‘Speedy,’ though I tell myself it is probably ironic. I decide that he looks like a good horse. Big Em, one of the wranglers, gives me a quick lesson in how to ride western style. The only real difference is that you hold the reins in one hand and tap them against the horse’s neck when you want to turn. It doesn’t seem too hard and Speedy seems to know what he is doing. Then we are off, riding out into the grasslands where we split into two groups: those who feel up to it will ride further and faster and those, including me, who want to take it easier will round up the cattle closest by.

One of the Ranch Managers, Kate Matheson, in action

In my group there are three guests and three wranglers and we ride along the fence and split into twos in order to cover maximum ground. I am paired with Kaitlyn, another of the wranglers. We head into the middle of the field, walking in a line parallel with the mountains until we come across a small herd of forty or so cows. We start to push them towards the other side of the field but Kaitlyn shouts over to me that she wasn’t expecting this many cows. ‘You keep going,’ she tells me before galloping off to find some more riders to help. Suddenly I am alone with nobody else in sight. I realise that I am herding the cattle, just me. Whatever I was expecting from my stay on a ranch, I was not expecting this. I thought I would mostly be watching experienced cowboys doing their thing and occasionally being allowed to do some minor and unimportant job so that I would feel like I was part of it. So it was a genuine thrill to find myself left in charge of these cattle and I did my best not to lose any of them, circling back to pick up any strays, until Kaitlyn returned with back up.

Where sand dunes and mountains meet

The next day there are no cattle related jobs so a few of us go on a ride through the Medano pastures with its artesian wells, streams and wild irises to hopefully get a glimpse of the herd of two thousand wild bison that roam there. Like the cattle, they are left alone except for one day in November when they are rounded up and the young are counted and vaccinated and the bison that are used for meat are taken to maintain the number of the herd. We are warned that we might not be lucky enough to see them, but we end up so close to the herd that we have to move back as they cross the stream in front of us. It is quite a sight. And especially, I realise, for the others, being American, who have a difficult and painful history with these creatures so nearly hunted to extinction by settlers.

In the afternoon we are taken on a walk with John, the ranch’s on-call naturalist, to the Great Sand Dunes National Park where giant dunes like you would find in the Sahara have been deposited by the wind at the base of the Sangre de Cristos. John knew everything about every plant and its uses for Native Americans as well as taking us to an archaeological site where forty-five bison were processed for meat by a nomadic tribe who used to come through this vast valley.

Cattle branding is a team sport

The next day is branding day. We have to be up at six again. Everyone rides out to the pastures to bring the cows into the corral. Workers from other ranches managed by Ranchlands have come to help out. There is a festive air. The wranglers are wearing their best shirts and tasselled leather chinks (like chaps but with straps to stop them getting too hot). A wagon has been parked in the middle of the corral and a fire lit to heat the branding irons. Duke, the owner of Ranchlands, and Kate, a manager at Zapata, are on horseback, the rest of us are on foot, our horses tied up at the fence. We are given instructions and roles: wrestling the calves to the ground, ear tagging or vaccinating. Then it begins: Kate and Duke make their way over to the cows at the end of the corral and they each rope a calf in the traditional way with a coil of rope or lasso that they throw round the neck or back feet of the calf. Duke brings in the first one, a small one, but pretty lively, kicking up its feet as it is dragged towards the fire. Two wranglers run out and in a well-orchestrated manoeuvre – one taking the front and another lifting the back leg – they get it on the ground and secure it by kneeling on it and pulling out the back leg. Then, the others run over and tag the ear (right for fellas; left for ladies), vaccinate it, and if it is a male, castrate it quickly using a knife. Meanwhile the Ranchlands’ apprentice doing the branding has come over and presses the end of the iron, shaped like the Ranchlands’ symbol, into the calf’s rump. Then everyone suddenly moves away from the calf and it runs back into the herd. The animal is clearly in some distress throughout the process but the whole thing happens so fast, it’s like Formula 1 pit stop, and the whole thing can’t take more than a minute.

Off with the testicles and on with the Ranchlands brand

I watch this process repeated with a few calves until I feel satisfied that I know the choreography of the wrestling. As with everything at Zapata Ranch, the guests are not palmed off with unimportant or minor jobs – they are out there wrestling the cows, injecting and ear-tagging, though castrating and branding are left to the experts. I move forward with Kaityln and Megan and we wait for Kate to bring a calf in. It is bucking like crazy and it is big enough that a kick looks like it would hurt. When it is close enough we rush forward and Megan and I grab the back leg and lift it as Kaitlyn pulls it down from the front. When the calf is down on the floor Megan shows me how to wedge one foot into its hip whilst pulling back the leg so it can’t move. Then suddenly the team are upon us. It is a male calf so Maddy comes and castrates it and I see a flash of pink as she throws the testicles into the sand. The smell of singed hair gets into my nostrils as the calf is branded. Then someone shouts, ‘Get back,’ and I quickly spring to my feet and watch as the calf runs off, my heart beating fast from the adrenaline.

Plenty of irons in the fire at Zapata

I help with a few more calves and then it is lunchtime. We eat bowls of chilli and rest in the shade of the wagon. Duke offers me something like a meatball and I ask what it is…he tells me with a wry smile that is a barbecued testicle – a Rocky Mountain Oyster. I know I should eat it for the cultural experience, but I’m half way through a delicious piece of carrot cake and really, I just can’t bring myself to do it. I chat to Duke about Ranchlands. It is obvious he is the real deal. And he has a vision for Ranchlands beyond the raising of cattle. The idea behind running ranch holidays for example, is not just for the sake of business diversification, though important, it is also because he believes that in order for ranching to survive as a tradition and way of life, people need to be invited to see how it works, especially young urban people. At the same time, fortunately, there has been a huge rise in interest from this demographic in where their food comes from – these are the same people from New York and L.A who eat out and for whom it is important which bakery makes their bread, which farm grows their vegetables and who care that their meat comes from a supplier with high welfare standards. These are also people who might work in the tech industry and have more time off, more disposable income and an appetite for adventure and a different kind of holiday. It makes a lot of sense.

Racing to round up the cattle at Zapata Ranch as storm clouds gather

We finish branding the calves just as a huge rainstorm moves in and turns the air almost black. The horses push the herd back out into the pasture where presumably the calves will get over their trauma and live out their days grazing alongside their mothers. Everyone is exhausted, but exhilarated as we make our way back to the ranch. The spectacle of branding day played out against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristos is something that I will never forget, a real slice of American culture that will be etched – viscerally so – into my memory forever.

Sample Itinerary: Luxury Family Adventure in Colorado

Laura Kaye is a television producer and author based in London. Her debut novel, English Animals, was published in March 2017.

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