For the best deals on travel insurance, be sure to use the DRAs preferred provider! Elmo was mine for the week. But after taking lessons at the ranch, he now loves it. Marble Mountain Ranch (Somes Bar, California). They leave misty-eyed, dabbing away tears. My family has traveled around the world but this is our favorite annual vacation.. We have tried other guest ranches and they are boring compared with Hunewill. View Map. South of San Francisco, N.B. Their son, Stan, was born in 1934. Privacy Policy. Photo credit: Dorina Lindberg, Because of guests questions about the Hunewill history, Megan, Betsy and Denise (daughter-in-law) conduct walking tours of the ranch buildings. Gu Home Cities Countries. It's not uncommon for you to be able to help cowboys gather and bring in the herd to the corrals for vaccinating or branding. During your stay you will be able to enjoy their tasty Rankin Ranch beef. You'll love riding your horse through 26,000 acres of alpine meadows and fragrant sage bordered by timbered peaks. Hunewill Guest Ranch is located in California on the eastern slope of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains bordering Yosemite National Park. Every year when we head home the family can't wait until next year. I am also into fishing and there are great opportunities within a few miles of the ranch. I squeezed the reins as we came up to the rest of the group and he slowed to a walk. You'll stay in comfortable cottages near the horse pasture; allowing you to watch the horses come thundering in early each morning. No nose to tail trail riding here! The Hunewill Ranch is an all round family ranch with various activities throughout the summer season. Thanks Hunewill for making my cowgirl dreams come true! Daughter Megan and her husband, Justin, are head wranglers. The beautiful scenery and the tradition of the cattle drive combine to give our guests the experience of a lifetime. It has been a working cattle ranch since the late 1800's, and a dude ranch since 1931. Our guests move 600 hundred head of cattle 60 miles from Bridgeport, California to our winter ranch in Smith Valley, Nevada. Sign up to get the best dude ranch vacation travel deals first. Photo credit: Dwayne Leonard. At 6500 feet, the temperature drops into the 40s at night, even during the summer months. Games with other children, snacks and picnics on the lawn, visits to the ranch bakery, and strolls to see ranch animals are all part of the program for the under six crowd. The food was awesome. In 1928, he married a schoolteacher named Lenore. The California Ranch Two weekend cattle drive adventures per year. Napoleon Bonaparte Hunewills ancestors were French Huguenots from Alsace-Lorraine. Rate includes meals, horseback riding, lod. Sues animated voice and shining eyes emphasized the enthusiasm of her words. Sorry, no reviews or feedback have yet been accepted to this item. Search the Equitrekking Vacation Guide and Top20Ranches.com. The interior wood and furniture were shipped from San Francisco. Rankin Ranch is one of the oldest and largest family-owned ranches in California. A Full Ranch Experience . Indeed, many poems in Rain On The Sage were written by Sallie Joseph; she freely and eloquently expresses her love for her job and way of life. Horses and riding groups are available for every riding ability. Member of the Dude Ranchers' Association Riding and cattle work are the main activities at this ranch, there is fishing and rafting nearby but it's not connected to the ranch's weekly schedule. So, when you pull up alongside the old Victorian house and see Welcome Home written on the big rock, youre home. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. The long distances covered, the need for periodic rests by riders and animals, and the establishment of railheads led to the . Rates listed do not include meal tax, room tax, or gratuity. This weekend is your last chance to catch Bridgeport Valley's autumn splendor before winter arrives. Several species of trout are found in the rivers and lakes in the . It refers to guests as the Greater Hunewill Family. The level of riding offered by the Hunewill will depend on the week that you visit. You can herd cattle, ride in the meadows and mountains, splash through water on hot days, ride slowly, ride swiftly, or not ride at all. I would love to thank the staff, family and other quest for all their . After a dinner of roast beef, a brief orientation on horse basics and safety tips was held in the barn, concluded by dessert. We ride primarily in big open green pastures that are bordered by the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Hunewill Ranch conservation easement permanently conserves 4,100 acres and over six miles of rivers and streams in Bridgeport Valley. A secluded jewel tucked into Californias famed Santa Ynez Valley; this 10,000-acre ranch melds the spirit of the Old West with the seductive charms of todays most relaxing resorts. They pushed against each other like a rushing tide hitting a breakwall. . Member of the Dude Ranchers' Association On our hay-wagon ride, the sky was black velvet and studded with diamonds. The ranch has provided a critical home for the rare Bi-State Sage Grouse, as well as mule deer migration. Find the perfect nevada ranch horse stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. He was always mindful of surroundings, looking around, but was never spooked. Its a shared fun, experience. Rankin Ranch is one of the oldest and largest family-owned ranches in California. This is far more than just a dude ranch. Today, the sixth generation of Hunewills live and work on Hunewill Ranch, which is situated at 6,500 feet elevation in Bridgeport Valley, Mono County, California. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. The route follows the historic tracks of the gold-rush era Carson City stagecoach road through some of the most spectacular country in the west. As the days unwound, the slow rhythm of ranch life began to reveal itself: the drum of hoof beats at sunrise while the mountains change hue, the clang of the meal bell, cattle mooing across the valley, whinnies of horses let out to pasture at the end of the day, the occasional hoots of an owl, and yipping of distant coyotes. The majority of cabins have two connecting rooms with private baths and comfortable porches. It was a logistical feat to arrange enough trailers and drivers to haul 35 horses and riders on unpaved, washboard roads to the gold and silver mining town, now a California State Historic Park. Hunewill Ranch History The Annual Hunewill Ranch Cattle Drive in November is for serious intermediate-to-advanced riders. The mountains glowed pink as a bareback wrangler herded horses from their pasture into the corral. The Autumn Getaway is a weekend package scheduled during some of Bridgeport's best fall color. We even have a challenging trailer loading competition where guests and their cow savvy horses load cattle into a stock trailer. They run free in the great outdoors, use their imaginations, climb trees, get dirty, and find ways to be useful. Hunewill Ranch also offers all the activities that naturally arise from old-fashioned hospitality. Hunewill Ranch creates lasting friendships through creek-side barbecues, trout fishing, hiking, mountain biking and of course, horseback riding. Offered only once during the guest ranch season, a ride through the ghost town of Bodie was the highlight of the week. The . A paragraph from Sallie Josephs poem, Rain On The Sage (from the book of the same name), captures the ranchs essence: Theres a feeling of having no boundaries, Of being able to go as far as you please- Of being lured toward distant horizons Where freedom floats along on a breeze. Though her family still holds fast to these traditions, they are a rarity. She said that other ranches once did this same drive to the lower valleys in Nevada to get their livestock out of the snow, but now, they are the last ranch in the area that still uses horses to drive their cows out. This same family has been coming to the ranch for more than 30 years; the ranchs roots have become part of their family tree. Family run working cattle ranch since 1861, located in the Eastern Sierra town of Bridgeport, CA. The meadows rides are just as depicted on their website. They sit at an elevation of 6500 feet just east of Yosemite Park in the Bridgeport Valley of California. The valley is surrounded with vibrant fall colors framed by a backdrop of the mighty Sierra Nevada. The Hunewill Ranch is a family-owned and operated outfit where great horseback riding is the featured attraction. A good way to go. It was a successful venture. I can handle a horse (I rode hunter/jumpers for over 12 years), though it had been a couple years since doing any regular riding. It involves moving 600 to 750 cattle 60 miles from Bridgeport, California, to Smith Valley, Nevada. Just got back from the Hunewill Ranch at the first of June, my first time there and I had a wonderful time. There was square dancing, which, at 6500 feet, can be a cardiovascular workout. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Some of the jobs youll do include moving cows, parting cows from the herd, and preparing cattle for shipping to summer pastures. Compared to other guest ranches, the ranch does not offer additional activities outside of riding so take that into consideration if you opt for the non-rider option. Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American West, particularly between 1850s and 1910s.In this period, 27 million cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas, for shipment to stockyards in Louisiana and points east. This is far more than just a dude ranch. Like many real, working cattle drives, you must be an intermediate to advanced rider to participate, capable of loping out to catch a cow or cows that try to make a break. Six generations of Rankins have lived and worked on our 31,000-acre cattle ranch. His hearts desire is to become a Hunewill wrangler. Guest. Copyright 2013-2023 American Roundup. Being with Stan and Jan Hunewill is like being in a real-life Bonanza setting on the Ponderosa with Ben Cartwright and his three sons. Tel: 01798 865946 Email: americanroundup@frontier-travel.co.uk. Box 368 Bridgeport, CA 93517. Youll find myriad opportunities for safe riding. Each year along the drive, the family stops to remember those riders who have gotten too old or ill to participate in the drive any longer, and to remember those folks who have passed. This ranch has an all-inclusive summit to sea experience with breathtaking mountain trail riding, white water rafting, steelhead fly fishing, or jet boat tours to the Pacific Ocean! Most rooms have a queen and a twin bed or two twin beds. Please explore the website and when you find any ranches or trips you are interested in please click the ADD TO WISHLIST button and then all your favourites will appear here. Cattle Drives at Hunewill Ranch I got all of that and more. Drive 30 minutes north of Santa Barbara and youll find The. The rides are well designed - beginners receive great attention and care, while intermediate and advanced riders were never bored. The gold and silver mining town of Bodie, located 15 miles east of the ranch, was mostly constructed with lumber from the sawmill operation. Copyright 2023 | Hunewill Guest Ranch - All Rights Reserved Babysitting is provided for children under the age of six during riding hours. Copyright 2023 | Hunewill Guest Ranch - All Rights Reserved The Hunewill family and the wranglers they employ made us feel really welcome and safe. bread and other baked goods. The Hunewill Ranch is a family-owned and operated outfit where great horseback riding is the featured attraction. Hunewill Ranch is home to the best horseback riding vacations in California. Mammoth Lakes is located an hour south of Bridgeport. Horses spend the night in a large field and in the morning are driven into a corner and then surrounded by a cowboy . My room was just what I needed. November 4 - 11 Hunewill Ranch Cattle Drive *7 Night Stays are our best value for an all inclusive experience! During this visit, he fell in love with Esther, a local girl, and married her. Children ages six and older ride twice daily at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Its difficult to explain how strongly this family feeling comes across. We spent quite a bit of time with Stan. Our playground is very popular with children of many ages. with Yosemite Park only half an hour's drive away. Hunewill Ranch is an authentic working dude ranch, but it's also a completely immersive getaway experience. has been a working cattle ranch since 1863. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. This historic agreement protects critical habitat for wildlife like mule deer, American . My nephew and I also made a side trip to Bishop to trout fish with Guide Pat Yeager. The cabins were comfortable although fairly basic, the food, which included 3 meals daily was excellent - esp. Megan promised we would all be loping today. You must have intermediate to advanced riding skills to participate in this experience. Terri recounted the exploits of some of its colorful residents. We invite you to share in one of our favorite times of the year at Hunewill Ranch. Well happily attest to the fact that her chocolate-chip cookies are superb! Prolonged exposure to the warm, moist air in the mines combined with the dry, cold mountain climate was the reason, no doubt exacerbated by conditions in the mines as well. Summary Ranch Description Riding Info Other Activities The Hunewill Ranch is located in Bridgeport, California on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Around 25 guests saddle up in November with Megan Hunewill and her family from Hunewill Guest Ranch to drive around 600 mother cows through canyons surrounded by dramatic tall mountains, along the Walker River, to their ranch in Smith Valleys wide open sagebrush and high desert terrain. The living room is a mini-museum of Hunewill history containing original furnishings and photographs. Todays trail-riding guests can choose from several ranch packages, including the Memorial Day Weekend Package, Spring Cattle Work, the Horse Lovers Package, the Buckeye Canyon Roundup, the Autumn Getaway Weekend, and the Annual Hunewill Ranch Cattle Drive. The present-day Hunewill family is headed by Stan and Jan Hunewill, who have three married children and six grandchildren. 1065 County Road 306 Elk Creek, CA 95939 . Over the course of seven generations, the family has owned and operated the ranch and have proven themselves to be exceptional stewards of the land. The Hunewills dont see skin color, they just take you for who you are, said Renee. Breakfast was hearty, lunch was always hot and the coffee was great. The guest ranch has been welcoming visitors from around the world for over 55 years. Folks visit with one another and create their own entertainment. Discover working ranches, guest ranches, cattle drive vacations and riding vacations in the Equitrekking Vacation Guide. It was on this drive that Cupid launched a successful attack on two guests, Kay and Fred, who've been happily married for many years now. He has a gentle sense of humor, blue eyes that twinkle when he smiles, and the ability to make you feel right at home. The Hardy Quarter Horses of Namibia Breed Profile, Where to Ride in 2019: Droolworthy Riding Vacations, Horse Lovers Vacation at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Hunewill Ranch Vacation & Cattle Drives in California. Hunewill Guest Ranch is located in Bridgeport, California on the eastern slope of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains bordering Yosemite National Park. Once in a while cows will need to be "doctored" 'in the field. 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