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The Original Western Vacation Bar W Guest Ranch
Lone Mountain Ranch
Experience relaxing hospitality in the heart of Glacier Country while surrounding yourself with the unspoiled, breathtaking nature of Northwestern Montana. At the Bar W, time runs slower, things seem easier, and everyday feels like Saturday.
An all-inclusive Montana guest ranch only 18 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Lone Mountain Ranch offers 4 to 7 night luxury Dude Ranch vacations with guided adventures, log cabins, stunning scenery and incredible cuisine.
www.barwguestranch.com
www.lonemountainranch.com
Whitefish, MT • 1-866-828-2900
Big Sky, MT • 1-800-514-4644
Red Rock Ranch
C Lazy U Ranch
Kelly, WY • 1-307-733-6288
Granby, CO • 1-970-887-3344
Adjacent to Colorado’s stunning Rocky Mountain National Park, C Lazy U is a premier guest ranch getaway, featuring luxurious accommodations, fine dining, a fullservice spa and 8,500 acres of adventure.
www.clazyu.com
The Red Rock Ranch is just outside of Jackson Hole WY. Family oriented, diverse riding, excellent kids program, fine dining, comfortable cabin accommodations, blue ribbon trout fishing and the relaxed charm of the old west.
www.theredrockranch.com
Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch
Tanque Verde Guest Ranch
Whether you are enjoying Horseback riding for the first time or a seasoned pro, our wranglers will guide you through the adventure of a lifetime on our beautiful scenic trails.
Discover America’s largest, old time guest ranch. Plush accommodations, unparalleled amenities, supervised children’s programs and a vast array of exciting activities are all awaiting you at Tanque Verde Ranch.
Quincy, CA • 1-800-334-6939
www.greenhornranch.com
Tucson, AZ • 1-800-234-3833
www.tanqueverderanch.com
Western Pleasure Guest Ranch
Gros Ventre River Ranch
Sandpoint, ID • 1-888-863-9066
Moose, Wy • 1-307-733-4138
We are an ALL- INCLUSIVE ranch open from June to September. We provide vacations that focus on horseback riding, fly-fishing, hiking, fine dining, breathtaking views and most of all, relaxation at its best.
www.grosventreriverranch.com
With ranch adventures for families, couples or singles, Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, rich in history and family heritage, is Idaho’s most northern ranch. Activities include horseback riding, skeet shooting, cattle sorting, mountain biking, hiking, children’s programs, adult only weeks and more.
www.westernpleasureranch.com
The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch Shell, WY • 1-800-354-8637
Unique upscale guest ranch located East of Yellowstone National Park on a 300,000 acre working cattle ranch. Upscale accommodations & culinary experience personal, genuine and professional service.
White Stallion Ranch
Tuscon, AZ • 1-888-977-2624
A traditional guest ranch with all the amenities of a fine resort. So easy to get to, but so hard to leave... the magic of horses, family, friends and fun.
www.thehideout.com
www.whitestallion.com This ad sponsored by these fine DRA Members.
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866-399-2339 • WWW.DUDERANCH.ORG
ESSENTIAL PARK GUIDE - Autumn 2013
The colorful high country of Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by Ann Schonlau via NPS
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Exploring National Parks in Fall For many, fall is the most sublime of seasons in the National Park System.
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Leaf-Peeping Park Tours America’s National Park System offers mile after mile after mile of glorious rides through spectacular fall color.
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Editor
Kurt Repanshek art director
Courtney Cooper
Peak Fall Lodges Looking for a great base camp for fall explorations of the national parks? Consider these lodges.
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Kirby Adams Danny Bernstein Jim Burnett Bob Janiskee Rebecca Latson
Photographing the Parks Fall is a favorite time for many photographers who want national park backdrops.
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Take A Hike Enjoy autumn’s colorful show on the trail in the National Park System.
sales director
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Flocking Southward Where to look for birds in the national parks during fall migration.
contributors
Brenda Sieglitz
e d i t or’ s
n o te
Essential Park Guides are published by National Park Advocates, LLC, to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Park Advocates, LLC, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. © 2013 Essential Park Guide, Autumn 2013. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
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Blend Two Great Western Vacations For a twist on a national park vacation, consider a dude ranch as your base of operations.
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Enjoy The Wild Side of Fall Whether you prefer listening to bugling elk, watching bison on the move, or photographing strutting turkeys, the National Park System can accommodate your interests.
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Ride Through Fall And History There is a bucolic parkway that offers fall colors, history, and solitude. It’s called the Natchez Trace.
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West Yellowstone This welcoming Montana town is a perfect base camp for exploring Yellowstone during the fall.
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Test Your Park Knowledge A quiz on all things “fall” in the national parks.
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Carry the Parks In Your Pocket Special edition coins that feature the national parks are in great demand.
on the cover Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson captured the glory of fall in the Pacific Northwest with this shot of Mount Rainier taken from Paradise during one late-September day.
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The Best Of Seasons In The Parks For many, fall is the most sublime of seasons in the National Park System. Forests are cloaked in their autumnal best, wildlife is on the move and readily visible, crisp temperatures are perfect for hikes and bugs are gone. You can even smell the season, both in the moldering leaves and the woodsmoke curling above cabins. Sunrise from Many Parks Curve, Rocky Mountain National Park / Rebecca Latson
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ESSENTIAL PARK GUIDE - Autumn 2013
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cross much of the park system, from September to October and on into midNovember, the passing weeks usher in a change of weather, a change in landscape appearance, and a change in experiences for those who find themselves in the parks. As temperatures slowly cool and the hours of daylight steadily shorten, a transformation visibly arrives in the attire of many parks. From Maine down through the mid-Atlantic states and into the South, mixed hardwood forests display a riot of color as oaks, maples, willows, hickories, and even fruit trees in long-forgotten homesteads slowly become flecked in leaves orange, russet, gold, brown, and all combinations within that spectrum. Western mountainsides of pine and spruce are daubed with gold as aspen glades ready for winter. Scrub oaks, Rocky Mountain birch, and maples sprinkle their own yellows, oranges, and rubies onto the forests. Not only do these colorful displays and cooler temperatures offer superb hiking conditions, but as the deciduous trees slowly discard their dried leaves the landscape opens to reveal vis-
tas often hard, if not impossible, to see in mid-summer. Though the days are growing increasing shorter in terms of sunlight, the cooler temperatures make hiking more comfortable, and more enjoyable. These are the months to head deep into the backcounty of parks such as Sequoia, Yellowstone, or Great Smoky, or to make progress on your personal checklist of day hikes anywhere you find yourself in the park system. These three months, too, are perfect for long drives along the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah, the Blue Ridge Parkway, across Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, down the road through Bryce Canyon National Park where the fluttering aspen leaves meld into the hoodoos in the amphitheaters down below, or along the Natchez Trace Parkway that follows ancient footpaths through the bucolic South. Though the high season in the parks is winding down, there remain some great programs and special activities to take advantage of during these months. Rangers at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado will lead you to Ancestral Puebloan ruins normally closed to visitors. Starry night skies are the focus of a fall festival at Acadia National Park in coastal Maine. Harvest time hangs
heavy in the fruit orchards at Capitol Reef National Park, where you can pick your fill of peaches and apples amid the grandeur of Utah’s red-rock. Guided tours continue through Harpers Ferry National Historical Park at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in West Virginia. Wildlife are on the move during these months. There are breathtaking raptor displays as hawks, eagles and other migratory birds head for their wintering grounds. Elk congregate as bulls summon their harems with shrill bugling that pierces the sky and forests around both sunrise and sundown. Other big game become more visible as they slowly trek down to the river valleys to wait out winter, and occasionally wolves and bears can be spotted on the move, too, in some parks. For those unburdened by school schedules, visiting the national parks during the fall months can mean lesscrowded surroundings. True, the peak leaf-peeping weeks in places such as Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia national parks as well as along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Natchez Trace Parkway can be woefully crowded on weekends. But visiting these parks during midweek, or being able to head into the Rocky Mountains or the High Sierra, can reward you
with not only stunning beauty, but a relative measure of solitude. In the following stories, we’ll point you to some great fall destinations and activities in the National Park System, and suggest some wonderful hikes and places to spot wildlife. We’ll offer suggestions and tips on where you can add to your bird life list, as well as some photography pointers to ensure you return home with some outstanding photos. To showcase some of the diversity of the national parks, we’ll also take a look at what perhaps might be considered an unusual national park vacation: using a dude ranch in the West as a base camp. True, many dude ranches offer all-inclusive vacations, but some are actually located inside national parks, so you really can combine the two settings. Others are just a short ride away, close enough for a day trip. So pull up a chair and get comfortable, and keep your calendar handy so you can start planning your fall escape to the parks.
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Ride Off Into the West, And A National Park,
From A Dude Ranch
A trail ride at the Red Rock Ranch often includes views of the Tetons in Grand Teton National Park / Dude Ranchers Association
It’s after a soft, pattering rain, with the clouds clearing and the sun streaming through, that the essence of the Western landscape rises up. The pungent scent of sagebrush is wicked up by the moist air, mingling with the sweet aroma of pine. And whether you’re astride your horse, or relaxing on the ranch-house porch with a steaming cup of coffee, the early fall view of snow-dusted peaks with valleys below glimmering with the gold of aspen leaves seems crisper, almost magnified. 26
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urrounded by hundreds, and sometimes hundreds of thousands, of acres, the views from dude ranches from northern Montana down to southern Arizona never seem to end, sweeping across mountains and over meadows. And that bugling you hear early in the morning or late at night? It is indeed a reveille, but not to summon the troops. Rather, it rises up from deep in the throats of bull elk and pierces the air—with a flume of steam, if it’s cold enough—as they summon their harems. Try to gain a feel for this land through your windshield and you’ll be wondering what lies beyond that ridgeline, how bad the badlands really are, and whether that mechanical horse you rode as a youngster was adequate preparation for a ride into the forests or up into the mountains. Dude ranches have been showcasing these landscapes, and their associated experiences, for generations of families, many who come back year after year after year to relive the experience. And why not?
ESSENTIAL PARK GUIDE - Autumn 2013
These typically week-long vacations revolve around trail rides that literally carry you into these marvelous settings. And that day in the saddle is followed by a hearty meal that might feature Citrus Roasted Half Chicken, Porcini Mushroom Risotto, or a classic Buffalo Tenderloin. At day’s end, you’ll settle into a soft, warm bed in a cabin that’s rooted in the setting. With some ranches closing in on a century of welcoming guests, it’s not a lie to say the industry literally grew up with the National Park System. So intertwined are the two that there’s almost a symbiotic relationship between them. True, most dude ranch vacations feature all-inclusive ranch stays. But there are ranches out there that relish and promote their proximity to national parks, places such as the Lone Mountain Ranch that is just 18 miles from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, or the White Stallion Ranch that sidles up to Saguaro National Park in Arizona. When considering a dude ranch vacation, be sure to look for the establishment’s
endorsement from the Dude Ranchers’ Association. This organization, which arose from a meeting in 1926 in a Bozeman, Montana, hotel room between cattle ranching and railroad interests, doesn’t take membership lightly. Rather, ranches are evaluated for two years on everything from their lodgings to how they care for their horses before they’re granted membership. Today, only about 100 ranches sprinkled through the Western United States and two Canadian provinces have qualified for that distinction. Here’s a look at ten dude ranches that can connect you with a national park when you want the best of both experiences—ranch life and a sampling of America’s best places.
The Hideout Lodge and Guest Ranch – Shell, Wyoming 3170 Road 401/2, Shell, Wyoming 82441 800-354-8637 • thehideout.com This 300,000-acre ranch at the base of the Big Horn Mountains in north-central Wyoming specializes in intimate experiences by limiting weekly stays to about two dozen guests. Under the wide Wyoming skies you can work on your horsemanship, or help drive some of the ranch’s 1,200+ head of Black Angus cattle down from the high country to their wintering grounds near Trapper Creek Lodge. Want a national park day trip? Yellowstone is about two hours west, while Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is about the same distance to the north.
Hearty meals and camaraderie at the end of the day at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch.
Lone Mountain Ranch Big Sky, Montana
Tanque Verde Guest Ranch Tucson, Arizona
750 Lone Mountain Ranch Road Big Sky, Montana 59716 800-514-4644 • lonemountainranch.com
14301 E. Speedway Blvd Tucson, Arizona 85748 800-234-3833 • tanqueverderanch.com
With a history that dates to 1915 when the ranch was homesteaded, this guest ranch offers everything from fly fishing and horseback riding to tours of Yellowstone. Those parks tours are led by one of the ranch’s naturalists and can be done from atop a horse or on foot. Kids have their own programs to look forward to, be it pony rides for the youngsters (3-5 years old), or maybe an overnight backpacking trip for teens to build their outdoors skills. After a long day, enjoy a massage before, or after, dinner and then retire to your cabin and relax in front of the fire.
Exit your adobe casita each morning at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch and you have a multitude of activities to choose from. You can work on your horsemanship or roping skills with a morning class, take in the ranch’s 60,000 acres of desert and mountains on horseback, or sign up for a hike in Saguaro National Park. There’s also the 21 acres of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum just outside Saguaro’s Tuscan Mountain District to explore, mountain biking options, and even water color classes or simply relaxing around the pool.
White Stallion Ranch Tucson, Arizona 9251 West Twin Peaks Road Tucson, Arizona 85743 888-977-2624 • whitestallion.com
At the Hideout Ranch in Wyoming, you can ride, fish, help drive cattle, or take a day trip to Yellowstone National Park.
This southern Arizona ranch spans 3,000 acres, but can seem larger thanks to the access it has to Saguaro National Park and its 91,439 acres right next door. Allday horseback rides at the White Stallion Ranch can include treks into the national park. You also can ride up into the surrounding mountains studded with the region’s iconic saguaro cacti or, if you have the skills, take a faster ride that features loping and cantering through the Sonoran Desert. Recall the day’s activities around the evening buffet dinner grilled outside, and relax afterwards by studying the night sky or listening to a cowboy singer.
At White Stallion Ranch, you can ride into Saguaro National Park.
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Gros Ventre River Ranch Moose, Wyoming
C Lazy U Ranch Granby, Colorado
Red Rock Ranch Kelly, Wyoming
18 Gros Ventre Road Jackson, Wyoming 83001 307-733-4138 grosventreriverranch.com
3640 Colorado 125 Granby, Colorado 80446 970-887-3344 • clazyu.com
P.O. Box 38 Kelly, Wyoming 83011 307-733-6288 • theredrockranch.com
Just west of Rocky Mountain National Park, the C Lazy U Ranch dates to 1919 when it was a working cattle ranch. These days guests have more than 175 horses to choose from for trail rides, though you also can wet a fly in the Colorado River, improve your archery skills, or stretch out with a yoga lesson. Meals in the main ranch house feature entrees such as rosemary rack of lamb and Rocky Mountain trout. The national park is a short drive up Highway 34, making a visit an easy day trip.
Sweeping views of the glacier-streaked Teton Range atop Grand Teton National Park highlight a stay at the Red Rock Ranch located on the fringe of the park. Start the day with a steaming cup of coffee while seated across from the cracklin’ fire in the main lodge, and end it a dozen or more hours later before the woodstove in your cabin. In between, the hours can be filled with trail rides, angling for trout in the ranch’s 2.5-mile stretch of Crystal Creek, exploring the park, or improving your square dancing.
Towering over your stay at the Gros Ventre River Ranch are the crags of Grand Teton National Park. Not surprisingly, the park can play a supporting role in your vacation at the ranch. You can take time to climb the Grand Teton itself, or play white-water cowboy on the rapids of the Snake River that flows through the park. Daily trail rides offer great photo opts with the bison and moose that call this landscape home. Family-style dinners back at the lodge allow you to make new friends while comparing your day’s adventures.
A stay at the C Lazy U Ranch includes the option of guided fly-fishing as well as a massage or a “Cowboy Soak” in a copper tub after a long day in the saddle.
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ESSENTIAL PARK GUIDE - Autumn 2013
Stays at the Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch can include a day trip to nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Bar W Guest Ranch guests have the option of skipping a day in the saddle for one in Glacier National Park.
Western Pleasure Guest Ranch Sandpoint, Idaho
Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch Quincy, California
Bar W Guest Ranch Whitefish, Montana
1413 Upper Gold Creek Road Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 888-863-9066 westernpleasureranch.com
2116 Greenhorn Ranch Road Quincy, California 95971 800-334-6939 • greenhornranch.com
2875 Highway 93 West Whitefish, Montana 59937 866-828-2900 • thebarw.com
In northern California, far from the crowds and surrounded by the Plumas National Forest, you can work on both your horsemanship and line dancing at the Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch. Practice your skills trotting or loping with your horse, or simply enjoy day rides into the mountains flecked red, yellow and orange by autumn. Those late afternoon rides might include cookouts, or you might head back to the main ranch house for dinner. Display your new-found skills during the “guest rodeos.” Lassen Volcanic National Park is just 90 minutes to the north, a perfect distance for a day trip.
There is a place in northern Montana where days are spent on trail rides or sharpening skills barrel racing or maybe simply fishing. Visitors to the Bar W Guest Ranch also have access to mountain bike trails and relaxing on evening wagon rides that culminate with a cookout. For some, helping with a cattle drive might be on your schedule. For all, rides high up into the mountains and through the pine forests are daily adventures. The 3,000-acre ranch is not far from the Canadian border...and it’s also less than an hour from Glacier National Park.
The forests of northern Idaho are the backyard of the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, a family-owned operation where you can build on your horsemanship or start from scratch. Days are built around two rides, morning and afternoon, though you can also hone your archery skills or take a dinner cruise on Lake Pend Oreille. During the week you might enjoy a Dutch oven dinner followed by music around the campfire. You also can break away for a drive along the Going-to-theSun Road in Glacier National Park a few hours to the east.
Whether you’re anxious to get back on a horse, or want to slip your foot into a stirrup for the first time, a dude ranch vacation surrounds you with landscapes so magnificent in their beauty that we protect many of them as national parks.
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Winter, despite its cold and snowy reputation, is one of the most wondrous seasons in the National Park System. From 20 below zero at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park to 85 degrees on the sugar-sand beaches of Virgin Islands National Park, this season offers a wide mix of experiences in the parks. The National Parks Traveler Essential Park Guide, Winter 2013, will showcase this season to a global audience with articles on lodging, bird watching, snowshoeing, snorkeling, and more from the National Park System.
Photo by Kurt Repanshek
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ESSENTIAL PARK GUIDE - Autumn 2013