Posted: 6th August 2015 | Back to news feed
adult only - singles - cattle drives - festivals - anniversaries - heli-tours - horsemanship
For the majority of states and provinces in North America the 2015 ranch season is almost at an end, but according to Ranch Rider there’s more than one reason to saddle up this autumn. September and October will allow you to experience the beauty of the fall colours on horseback, many properties offering adult only weeks and waiving the single supplement.
Tony Daly, Managing Director of Ranch Rider comments, “With plenty of fall gathers on the calendar, everyone from the novice rider to the experienced equestrian will be able to herd the cattle. If you’re heading to the Mount Rushmore state you can watch the experts in action at the Custer State Park Annual Buffalo Round Up. An exciting year to travel, South Dakota will celebrate the 50th anniversary in September. Those in search of warmer climes might want to head for Arizona and revel in all things western at Tombstone's annual Helldorado Days festival. We advise booking early as this is always a sell-out event at the Tombstone Monument Ranch*, but with year round departures and pleasant temperatures from autumn through spring there will still be plenty of time to book a riding holiday in the Grand Canyon state.”
For a genuine cattle ranch experience head for Colorado’s Focus Working Ranch, the property located on the western Colorado and Wyoming border in the Sierra Madres mountain range. In September the daily activities include moving cattle and back-riding through pastures in search of strays. With a smaller herd to handle than in the summer months this is the ideal time for greenhorns to learn the ways of a cowhand and novices will have more opportunities to enjoy scenic trail riding. Six nights with Ranch Rider from £1,332pp (two sharing) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities, taxes and gratuities. Excludes car hire from £243 and return flight from £819pp. Alternatively, head for Montana’s Lonesome Spur, the ranch situated in the shadows of the Beartooth Mountains. (SAVE £222pp) Perfect for those who want to spend more time in the saddle, the owners look after cattle on neighbouring ranches. Take part in the autumn gathers, the fall ranges which combine mountain and high desert landscapes covering up to 100,000 acres. Seven nights with Ranch Rider from £1,143pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, ranch activities, taxes, transfers and gratuities. Excludes return flight from £859pp. Full ranch stay price £1,365pp.
The annual Helldorado Days festival began as a celebration of Tombstone’s 50th anniversary in 1929. Enjoy a taster of Arizona’s old west from 17 to 18 October, with regular gunfights and stagecoach robbery reenactments, a western carnival and a parade included in the two day event. The Tombstone Monument Ranch is only four miles west of the historic city, the list of pursuits including rides into Tombstone and its surrounding ghost towns, plus opportunities to shoot ‘em up on the range with Arizona Bill - a larger than life character who usually wears full cowboy attire complete with spurs and a six shooter. A pool and hot tub are also available and resembling a Wild West movie set the entire ranch has been meticulously modelled on the 1800s era. Seven nights with Ranch Rider from £1,164pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities, taxes, transfers and gratuities. Excludes return flight from £839pp.
This year, South Dakota will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Custer State Park Annual Buffalo Roundup (25 September), with experienced cowboys rounding up and driving a herd of 1,300 buffalo to their winter grazing territory. Bound to be a major highlight on any self-drive itinerary, the crowds have grown from just a few 100 in the first few years to 14,000 in 2014. Add on a riding holiday at South Dakota’s Crow Creek Working Ranch and try your hand at gathering the cattle before seeing this semicentennial event. Six nights with Ranch Rider from £881pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities and taxes. Excludes transfers from £150 (per group) and return flight from £859pp. Seven night self drive from £495pp (two sharing) including car hire and accommodation.
During September, British Columbia’s Siwash Lake Luxury Guest Ranch is adult only, the varied range of pursuits including riding, archery, shooting and kayaking. In May of this year the owners also introduced heli-tours. Soar over the province by helicopter, the rivers, lakes and grasslands of the Cariboo region bounded by snowy peaks. Reminiscent of a northern Grand Canyon, a remote section of the Fraser River cuts through this semi arid country, the gold rush reaching a feverish peak in the historic enclave in the 1870s. A wilder, Canadian version of Mount Rushmore, hover over the sacred spires where the Chieftan is naturally etched into the sandstone hoodoos and for an added adrenaline rush, run the river by heli. Optional activities en route include gold panning, interpretive nature walks, heli-hiking on the high alpine on Wild Horse Ridge and treks to discover historic remnant's of the Gold Rush Frontier. You can also make it a culinary affair with wine tasting at Fort Berens cottage winery in Lillooet (mile zero on the Gold Rush Trail). After your visit, whisk a bottle of your choice to a mountain top and consume above the clouds along with a gourmet picnic. Six nights with Ranch Rider from £3,995pp (two sharing) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activites, taxes and gratuities. Excludes car hire from £289, heli-tour from £1,995pp (minimum of four booking) and return flight from £899pp.
Colorado’s Lost Valley Guest Ranch runs several adult only weeks during September and October. The property is set against 26,000 acres of Pike National Forest, this vast wilderness best explored on the “Ride, Ride, Ride” weeks. A chance to get off the beaten track, guests and their horses are often trailered into the backcountry, the all day horseback adventures leading back to the ranch. Seven nights with Ranch Rider from £1,601pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activites, taxes and gratuities. Departing 20 September. Horsemanship weeks are also available, expert instructors who have spent over 30 years making a living through horses helping guests to get in touch with their mounts. Seven nights with Ranch Rider from £1,202pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activites, taxes and gratuities. Departing 13 September and 11 October. Prices exclude transfers of $100pp and return flight from £819pp.
For further information and images please contact Ranch Rider on 01509 618 811, email info@ranchrider.com or visit the website at http://www.ranchrider.com/. ATOL PROTECTED No 4660 ABTA 96395/V9150.
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