For any kid that ever dreamed of being a cowboy or cowgirl, a dude ranch vacation is the perfect place to try on your spurs and see what your little cowpokes are made of.
Some dude ranches can be a working ranch, rounding up cattle by horseback during the day and sitting ‘round a campfire at night. However, many dude ranches cater to families with a resort atmosphere focusing more on outdoor summer activities such as canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking and of course horseback riding and a campfire round up each evening. A dude ranch vacation is ideal for families looking for an all-inclusive vacation as most include three square meals a day plus your activities.
Resort4Kids picked our 7 Top Dude Ranches to take the kids.
The Resort at Paws Up
Where: Greenbough, Montana
Open: Year-Round, Tents available May to early October
Why it’s great: Paws Up is an all-inclusive resort that has a number of options. Combine a resort, a ranch and even an American “safari” vacation plus a full selection of outdoor activities and you have the Resort at Paws Up. What makes Paws Up fun is the oversized tent accommodations or “glamping” in the wilderness, along with wagon rides, cattle drives and wilderness workshops for kids.
Ideal for: Families with kids who want an outdoor experience without sacrificing luxury, kids programs for ages 5-12
Drowsy Water Ranch
Where: Granby, Colorado
Open: June to Mid-September
Why it’s great: Family owned and operated, Drowsy Water has won a number of awards making it a top all-inclusive resort in the world. Drowsy Water is also one of the few that have programs for ages 5 and under, allowing parents and older children to participate in ranch activities.
Ideal for: Families with infants and older.
Triangle C Dude Ranch
Where: Dubois, Wyoming
Open: Year-Round
Why it’s great: Triangle C Dude Ranch is great for the entire family and offers horseback trips to Yellowstone and Teton National Park. There’s also hayrides, square dancing, archery, knife throwing and even sleeping out in a tipi.
Ideal for: All ages, the ranch has children’s programs from 2-19
Vista Verde Guest Ranch
Where: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Open: June through September, December through March
Why it’s great: Vista Verde Guest Ranch is a stunning luxury resort where you can still learn how to herd cattle, learn about horses and participate in a rodeo. In the evenings you can relax in your private villa.
Ideal for: Families who like a mix of togetherness and adult & kid only time.
C Lazy U
Where: Granby, Colorado
Open: Year-Round
Why it’s great: Think summer camp meets Dude Ranch with an all-inclusive package that meets the entire families need. With a fully supervised children’s program and plenty for mom and dad to do on their own, C Lazy U, open year-round is another balanced ranch of adventure and family time.
Ideal for: Kids ages 3+
Black Mountain Ranch
Where: McCoy, Colorado
Open: June to September
Why it’s great: Black Mountain Ranch is a smaller capacity ranch offering a longhorn cattle and overnight pack trips. Their 40 person capacity means lots of individual attention. There’s also rafting, trap shooting and fishing available.
Ideal for: Families with older children and teens.
Tarryall River Ranch
Where: Lake George, Colorado
Open: June through August
Why it’s great: Combine an exciting adventure with a Dude Ranch vacation. Tarryall offers rock climbing, fly-fishing and white water rafting excursions in addition to the typical dude ranch experience. Tarryall does have programs for the youngsters, but we think older children and teens will get the most out of the ranch.
Ideal for: 6 and up
More Resources for Horseback Riding
Many ranches are open in the winter too. Consider the perfect winter-y scene of sleigh rides, cross-country skiing and tubing down a snowy hill. Then kick back next to a crackling fire with hot cocoa and fresh baked food. Rates and crowds are often lower in the winter season as well.
Not seeing the perfect ranch here? Check out the Dude Rancher’s association and search by area, amenity or kids program.
Have you done a dude ranch with your kids?
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Grt place to visit.. This place is located after entering the Ranthambore National Park.. However, to visit this place u can evn get your own vehicle…
John, glad you liked the story. This park is in Ohio where the weather can be unpredictable! It’s warmest between late April and November, but even April has the risk of some snow. If you’re camping with kids, the safest bet is June to August, because it’s warmer and there’s little rain. Enjoy your trip.
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It’s truly magical being there. I love the art this country offers. Their wall arts and crafts are just lovely.
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The history of Cuhahoga valley national park seems interesting and must be a new experience when we observe scenes of National park from their scenic campgrounds.
which season do you think is the best time to visit this national park?
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Wow, what a nice article. Makes you feel like you should pack up and go immediately. It seems Linblad runs a good operation and trips are kid friendly. Is there a list of particular dates that are family friendly or are there kid activities year round on board the boats. Any other advice on travling with kids to Ecuador and Galapagos would be really welcome.
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Hello Michael, glad to hear your family is interested in a dude ranch holiday.
Since your kids are older and, hopefully, everyone in the family rides, you have lots of options. The Dude Ranchers Association is a really helpful resource in sorting through the many types of ranch vacations. For example, you can go here: https://duderanch.org/by-activity-amenity and search for ‘Advanced Rides’ and “Cattle Drives’ and that would get you some real working ranches that would have more of the lifestyle you seem to be looking for. One of our authors recommends the Hideout in Shell, Wyoming for this type of trip.
Looking for a real ranch experience with horseback riding (lots of it) and time in the open air with my son (15) and daughter (12) and my wife (49). I am 62. We live in NJ, my children have been sheltered but I grew up in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania. I want my children to see another side of life.
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Of course, you can do travel freely and easily through these two countries yourself, but I enjoyed having the trip curated for me, including well-chosen local guides, comfortable transportation on call and some superb private tours, such as a Khmer cooking class or historic walking tour of Saigon, with flexibility in the itinerary for our group of five to follow their own paths, such as making an emotional detour to the moving Genocide Museum housed in the old S-21 jail in Phnom Penh.
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For Richard re: dual citizenship US-Nicaragua… can I use the same to travel back to Nicaragua with the same Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) since wife is staying back in Nicaragua to keep eyes on the house.
Hi Richard, In our travel experience, this type of document should work well for your travels, but if your wife is available, it can’t hurt to download the sample forms we have online and also have her fill out and notarize one for your trip with your child. The agency responsible in your case will be the carrier — we assume an airline — and if they can make a note in your travel record that they have approved the Nicaraguan documents you should be fine on both departing and entering.
Safe Travels!
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very informative article Travel forums provide first hand experience and advice to travelers and are a great source of information and travel tips.
As a signal parent, your life, world, actions are based on your childs well fair. Not your happiness or anything that has to do with you.
It should list where they are going, the dates that they are allowed to go and grant your permission for that trip. You want to include your address and phone number and probably the contact info for the adult traveling as well.
The grand archways and the paintings of Lord Krishna and his cows are a visual treat. Wander through areas opened for tourists and you shall witness the impressive aura and architecture of the Royal state of Rajasthan.
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Hello guys my wife and I have dual citizenship US-Nicaragua, I’m planning to travel to the US with our son also dual citizenship for 3 weeks, with a Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) from Nicaragua, can I use the same to travel back to Nicaragua with the same Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) since wife is staying back in Nicaragua to keep eyes on the house.
Congratulations to the winners! A question to all the professional travelers here, how are you planning the route ant the places to see while visiting a new country? As for me I just google the most touristic and popular places. It works mostly, but there were a few times when I realized that I have seen only some the places this country or city is famous for, and that’s sad. On my last trip to Armenia, I decided to take a tour and it was quite productive. It’s much more informative when somebody is telling you history and some interesting facts. If someone wants to save their time – make sure to ask them to help if you’ll ever be there.
Curitiba é uma lugar lindo, além de ser considerada uma das melhores cidades para se morar em Brasil.
Realmente a muito o que conhecer por lá, como também diversas outras belezas do nosso brasil.
Principalmente as praias do Brasil que são muito procurada por inúmeros turistas internacionais e nacionais.
As Praias do Litoral Paulista, divididos entre Praias do Litoral Norte e Litoral Sul.
As mais conhecidas são as Praias de Ubatuba com mais de 100 belas praias no litoral norte paulista.
Já no litoral sul, a região mais procurada são as Praias de Guarujá, a região conta com 23 praias de pura beleza e preservação ambiental.
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Was an honour and pleasure to host you both in the Maori Whakata/Welcome to Wanaka. Welcome back anytime to this wonderful part of the world.
Kia Kaha/Stay strong
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