Where do go with teens and a 7 yo for novice riding. We are new to dude ranches. Nicer accomodations with some variety of activites?? We are travelling from west palm beach in June.

You can't do better than CherokeeParkRanch.com. Just over the border in Colorado. Good people, good prices, 7 days not 6.

There are lots of great guest ranches in the west. You can Google for the association, with links to all the member ranches. Decide what you are looking for: fishing, hiking, spa services, etc.

The nicest Colorado ranch I know of now is the Devil's Thumb Ranch. Not a working ranch, but a wonderful resort ranch. It was recently completely renovated and added on, in a lovely old west style.

You can search for ranches at ranchweb.com. I suggest Lane Guest Ranch near Estes Park, CO.

If you are headed to Southern California you might give the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort a look. I have stayed their twice with my family and had a great time both stays. They have an excellent riding program for kids, plus there is a private lake for fishing, two golf courses and plenty to see and do in the area. It's a higher end property but room includes breakfast and dinner and they have a lot of special packages. It is a great family getaway.

If you are intereted in the Alisal Guest Ranch their website is alisal.com

Since you tagged this Wyoming I might assume you want it there. The one we stayed at many years ago is probably long gone, but wherever you go they will take care of "novice". I would search for Jackson Hole dude ranches. You would have that incredible scenery, be able to visit Yellowstone, and have wonderful activities like trout fishing in addition to the (probably) daily rides.

I'm not familiar with any of the Wyoming ranches, only Colorado, but definitely check out ranchweb.com as padams already mentioned. Also, each state that has a high volume of dude/guest ranches has a dude ranch association website as well, so you may try googling wyoming dude ranch association if you have not already looked there. They will have a list of all the ranches in the association with links to their websites. Then you can narrow down from there which ones look like they meet your criteria. Good luck with your search, there are lots of ranches out there and you just have to look to find the right fit for you! It's tough to find reviews/opinions on ranches, as it's a realtively under-represented category of vacation to the average person-- most people would rather go to a resort---but ranch vacations are one of my favorite vacation types!

Lost Valley Ranch in Sedalia CO is a good one to consider.. Also, the website DudeRanch.com lists tons of ranches in the U.S. and Canada..

AD

Jackson Hole area ones include Lost Creek (very high end), Triangle X, Goosewing, Spotted Horse, Heart Six, and many, many others. Take a look at their websites to learn about their activities, accommodations, and price ranges.

Caze17: the thread is FIVE years old - was topped by a spammer.