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www.NationalParksTraveler.com
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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.
www.NationalParksTraveler.com
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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.
www.NationalParksTraveler.com
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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.
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S
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.
www.NationalParksTraveler.com
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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.
www.NationalParksTraveler.com
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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