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Dude Ranches Come With Multi-Sports Family Adventures So You Don't Have to Create Your Own
Colleen Hodson
CODY, —There’s a new term popping up for the action-packed modern family vacation. It’s known as the “multi-sports adventure,” and it calls for multi planning as well. Long before anyone lifts a paddle or laces-up hiking boots they must first create an itinerary calling for frequent stops, hiring a local outfitter, and arranging for suitable food and shelter along the adventure. Linking together the components of the multi-sports adventure can get complicated. But, it doesn’t have to be. There’s one vacation category where sports loving families can simply park the car, unpack their bags and settle in for a week of jam-packed action. It’s the Western dude ranch, a place where folks don’t have to think about what comes next because all the details are in place to let the good times roll!
Sure, the horse and riding are paramount to any Western dude ranch experience. The longest standing organization promoting and preserving the Western ranch lifestyle, The Dude Ranchers’ Association, or DRA as it’s often called is the first to confirm riding is at the heart of any ranch getaway. But, according to DRA Executive Director, Colleen Hodson, there are folks who wouldn’t dream of hopping on a saddle that choose a DRA Western dude ranch for active family vacations. In addition to riding or sometimes in place of, they ride the rapids, paddle a canoe, play golf or tennis, hike in the wilderness, cycle the back roads and mountain trails, go caving, hot air ballooning or rock climbing. She says active parents usually participate in the same sports as their kids, and she adds, “Another beauty of multi-sporting at a dude ranch is when they want to take time for themselves, Dad can play a round of golf and Mom can relax with spa treatments.”
That’s an apt description for Averill's Flathead Lake Lodge, a 2,000 acre, family operated Montana dude ranch, nestled on a bay on the east shore of Flathead Lake just south of Glacier National Park. Here, guests are just steps away from the largest freshwater lake West of the Mississippi. A waterfront staff leads activities at the main dock daily, including sailing, water skiing, and wake boarding. Instruction for beginners and private lessons are available. The ranch volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts see a lot of action each day as do the horses, as riding can get competitive here as well. There are team penning and barrel racing events all week ending with a family rodeo. And yes, there’s a top-rated Jack Nicklaus Jr. golf-course just minutes away as well as an on-site professional masseuses skilled in therapeutic massages from hot stone to rejuvenating deep tissue.
Arkansas’s Horseshoe Canyon Ranch is another paradise for families on multi-sport adventures. Tucked into the Buffalo River Wilderness of Northern Arkansas, sporting adventures include “Frisbee” golf, skeet shooting, the state’s longest zip line course, and of course, rock climbing. One of the finest climbing courses in the state was developed on ranch property. Added in2006, the zip-line carries many a thrill seeker moving at breakneck speed above a deep gulch. For some, paddling the , trout fishing, or exploring old Indian caves provides enough action.
There are well over 100 DRA member ranches in the US and Canada, many providing a lengthy menu of sports activities similar to the ranches profiled. Each DRA ranch earns its’ membership by maintaining or exceeding the association’s high quality standards.
The Dude Ranchers’ Association
CONTACT: Colleen Hodson
TEL: 1-866-399-2339
E-MAIL: colleen@duderanch.org
WEB:http://www.duderanch.org