[rich19671]

Hi all,

Taking the family (DW & 2 DS's 7 & 4) to WDW in 10 days. This will be our 4th trip in 3 years so I am looking for a little change this summer. I'm looking to take my oldest son on a little father son trip and was thinking of doing a dude ranch. We are from the northeast so I know very little in the way of what too look for in a dude ranch and there are many to choose from. I have had little luck in the way or internet forums regarding dude ranches so I thought I would post here and see if anyone has been on this type of trip and if so where too and did they like it? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[disneyguy]

Are you looking for a dude ranch at WDW, or in the Orlando area? You may have a hard time finding one if Florida.

[BDavis932]

How about Tanque Verde Ranch? We plan on staying there in a couple of years, it looks wonderful. Here is a link to their website: http://www.tvgr.com/. Are you a DVC member? If so, you can use your points at Tanque Verde Ranch.

[DisneyTeacher]

We went to a dude ranch this past summer. We had a very nice trip, I think we would do it again in a few years. I loved the fact that all the work was done for us, once we booked the trip there was no other planning to do. We didn't have to think about activities or meals, everything was done for us.

Where are you looking at going?

[rich19671]

I would like to go to the Montana. The wilderness and scenery there looks beautiful. Wyoming also looks very nice. I want to do lots of horseback riding and not the one horse in front of the other long line variety. I want a real cowboy experience but also with enough things to keep my 7 year old busy and happy.

[DisneyTeacher]

The dude ranch we went to was in Colorado. The weather was awesome, cool enough to wear jeans and any type of shirt but warm enough to wear shorts during the afternoon if desired. We could do as much or as little as we wanted, we could ride every day or sit and read a good book. The ranch we went to had a counselor for kids 7 and under, she basically did what ever the kids wanted to do. The riding groups we broken up in small groups of 3-5 and we were always with our families.
I wouldn't say we had a real cowboy experience but we had a wonderful week. It was a beautiful resort but a little rustic, perfect for a dude ranch.

Here is where we went-Elk Mountain Ranch:
http://www.elkmtn.com/index.html

Here is a link to some dude ranches in Montana
http://www.duderanch.org/ranches/results.php?state=mt

[Jen]

Just wanted to say welcome, rich! Have fun in WDW next week!

Jen

[Disneywife]

My family did this when I was a kid and I remember it as being fun. The Lazy J Ranch Camp in Malibu I think. (I have no idea what it's like now) We rode horses, swam in the pool, ate in the dining hall, made friends, went on hikes - really fun! I'd like to do it with my kids someday.

[rich19671]

The Elk Mountain Ranch looks nice Disney teacher. Quick question, with a 7 year old son what are they types of things I should look for in a ranch? Is a childrens program important? I want to spend time with him so I want to go someplace that lets the kids stay with their parents since that is the purpose of the trip. Any other tips you could give me that you would look for if you decided to do it again?

Thanks

[DisneyTeacher]

To tell you the truth, I am not sure what the cut off is for riding with the groups at Elk Mountain. I am sure it is different at different ranches. I there was a 7 or 8 year who rode with groups and even went on the over night camp trip and the white water raft trip. She came with her dad and they spent the whole week together.

To us, the children's program was important. Our DS couldn't ride so if we were going to ride he needed to be cared for. He made friends fast and he wanted to go every day and couldn't wait for the counselor to come get the kids. The kids got to arena ride, play games, do arts and crafts (my DS least favorite), go on an arrow hunt, and just run around outside. The kids were also taken to a hot springs the day we went white water rafting. We could spend as much time together as we wanted, however, at 6 he was just too young to trail ride. The kids always showed up at the lunch site so we could all eat together, they were brought in a van with the adults who didn't ride that day.

If we were to go to a dude ranch again, I don't think I would change a thing, we would go back to EMR and not think twice. We had a wonderful week being waited on, the staff at Elk Mountain went above and beyond every day. My DS is VERY picky and they made sure he had just want he wanted to eat every day. I sent a list of the few foods he eats before we arrived and they had those foods ready for him each meal, even the lunch sites/cook outs. The wranglers we so caring, they made sure everyone was comfortable and safe.

If you find a ranch you are intrested in email them and see what the riding age is. Every time I emailed EMR they replied to me the same day.

[rich19671]

How many guests were at the ranch when you went? Is the # of guest allowed something to consider? Some limit the number of guests to 10-15 others go up to 100 or more. What would you suggest?

[DisneyTeacher]

EMR limited the guests to about 30 per week. I thought that was a good number, there were enough people there that we made some new friends but not so many that we felt lost. If you wanted to be alone there were plenty of places to get away from the others guests but there was always someone to visit with. The lodge was nice to just kick back in a read a book, play a game, or watch a video. I couldn't go to a ranch with 50+ people, that's just too big for me.

[rich19671]

Thanks for your help DT. Very helpful. How did you go about picking this ranch when you went? Did you just pick it from the choices online or did someone refer you to it?

Thanks again.

[DisneyTeacher]

We heard about it from some friends who had visited. They picked it out from it's web page, it was affordable yet offered a low guest count each week. They liked it enough that they went back with us last summer.

[RICH1967]

Hi DT,

After much research of dude ranches in the west we have chosen the Elk Mountain Ranch in Colorado. I guess us Disney fanatics think alike. One question for you regarding accomodations. Do you recall if you stayed in the Pioneer lodge or one of the cabins. They have the Deer cabin and the Beaver cabin as well as the Arapaho room in the Pioneer lodge available for the week we are looking to go. Any suggesions?

Thanks for your help.