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Alaska Dude Ranch Vacation
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At a Glance
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| HIGHLIGHTS | |
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| Famous For: | Providing unforgettable horseback riding vacations on Alaska's Last Frontier! |
| Capacity: | 4 |
| Open: | Mid June thru Late August |
| Altitude: | 2950 feet |
| Location: | 250 miles north of Anchorage, on the south side of the Alaska Range |
| Reservations: | (907)345-3083 |
| Rates: | $2000 per person double occupancy, week-long package. |
| Minimum Stay: | 5 days and 5 nights, Sunday to Friday, our week-long package. |
| Deposit: | $500 due upon reservation; early booking discounts are available. |
| Payment: | Personal or traveler's checks. |
| Closest Airports: | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. |
| Transportation: | Advice is available for transportation to and from our ranch, from Anchorage. Transportation between Cantwell and Ranch [35 miles] included in vacation package. |
| Travel Agents: | YES |
| Guest Reviews: | Read reviews from travelers who have visited this ranch. |
| FEATURED AMENITIES | |||
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 Adults OrientedBirdingCuisineRanch/Western Vegetarian Dude/Guest RanchesFishingFly Fishing Equipment Available Type of Fish Trout Spin Fishing Equipment Available HikingOn Your Own |
Horseback RidingHorsemanshipHorses Appaloosa Paint Quarter Languages SpokenEnglish LiquorBring Your Own Naturalist Guides |
Pack Trips Ranch Activity Remote LocationAccessible by Small Plane Generates Own Power/Electricity Saddle Your Own HorseTrain Service | |
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| LODGING |
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| Our guests occupy separate, freshly remodeled duplex units, each of which include bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette and dining area. Three main meals are served in the main lodge, except when lunches are carried on the rides. A sauna is located conveniently close to the guest duplex. A comfortable study, with an interesting library and movie collection, is available in the main lodge. |
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| RECREATION |
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| Our emphasis is on a full and active day of riding. Lessons in riding, horsemanship and wilderness travel with horses are provided daily, before, during and after each ride. Photography, wildlife viewing, fishing, hiking, gold panning and berry picking (in season) are all available. Evening activities include the sauna, campfires, movies, volleyball and horse shoe pitching. |
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| FOOD/LIQUOR |
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| We serve all meals family style in the main ranch house. We serve a hearty and varied Alaskan cuisine with all the fixings. Special dietary needs can be accommodated with advanced notice. Snacks and beverages are available throughout the day. |
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| HISTORY/HOSTS |
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| Bob and Karol came to Alaska, over the original Alaska Highway, upon completing their college education over 44 years ago. They arrived in a $175 dollar station wagon, with only $20 dollars to their name. Their experiences in Alaska include, surviving the 1964 earthquake, raising five children (all horse and outdoor enthusiasts), and grand parenting nineteen. In the early 70's, Bob started a yearly ritual, the "Libbey" hunt, in which Bob and Karol would take friends and family out with the horses, to hunt for moose and caribou. These trips would last for several weeks, or sometimes more than a month, in the Alaska Range mountains and surrounding wilderness. The ritual became quite famous, it also became quite memorable. Denali Country Ranch continues in the spirit of these truly unique Alaskan horseback adventures. In winters, Bob and Karol reside at their horse ranch on the south side of Anchorage. Bob personally guides all riding tours, and has over 40 years experience in horseback recreation and hunting in Alaska's back country. He enjoys the pleasure of providing quality, authentic Alaskan horseback adventures to a few people who share his love and respect for horses, nature and the northern wilderness. Denali Country Ranch is located 35 miles east of the eastern boundary of Denali National Park, along a primitive gravel road. The region was first visited by gold miners, over a century ago. Gold mining is still pursued at the original strike, Valdez Creek, near the ghost town of Denali, twenty miles east of the ranch. Ancient hunting grounds of the Ahtna Indians also lie just east of the ranch. The ranch is surrounded by more than a million acres of public lands. High alpine terrain rises to the south of the ranch, and the immense timbered Monahan basin, bordered by the Alaska Range, lies to the north. The entire region exhibits the fresh features of recent glacial activity. |
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| ITINERARY |
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| A Day Riding in the Denali Country, With a warm meal and a hot cup of coffee inside, we begin saddling in the cool, fresh mountain air. Overnight dew covers the landscape, glistening in the morning sun. The snow covered peaks of the Alaska Range glow against the deep blue sky, towering to the north. With power and ease, your mount and trusted guide, carries you off into the seemingly endless Alaskan wilderness. The sounds of creaking leather and steel shoes tapping rock become blurred in morning chorus, compliments of the local birdlife. A pause in the choir provides an almost overwhelming silence. A bald eagle cries its mournful call, as it circles above in search of prey. A cow moose and her yearling calf feed in a pond below. With all senses vigilant and ears forward, she watches cautiously as we cross on her skyline. We forge a small mountain stream, and pick up fresh grizzly sign on the other side. It appears a lone wolf is following the grizzly with high hopes of a left over meal. Their parallel tracks are distinctly engraved in the moist sand. A beaver slaps the still water with his tail, and then submerges with a willow branch in tow, as a family of swans circle at the far end of the pond. A flock of willow ptarmigan burst into flight just a few feet ahead of us, chuckling as they make their escape. A fox watches the excitement from a small bluff, and a porcupine gazes obliviously from atop a small spruce tree. We are in the pure and natural Alaskan wilderness, America’s Last Frontier. It’s exhilarating and invigorating to have all senses focused and alert, and in essence relaxing in the same breath. It is the effect this wilderness has on the soul. As high noon approaches, we dismount, and have our lunch beside a clear, slow moving stream. Only now do we notice the light breeze caressing the surrounding spruce and aspen. With the horses idly grazing, we break out our fishing poles and cast into the neck deep pool, summer home and shade to a small school of arctic grayling. Within a few casts, we have dinner. Afterward, with a gold pan in hand, we sift the rock and sand, in hopes of color, just like early prospectors did over a century ago. Cell phones and radios become meaningless, as there is no signal out here. News passes to history without our review, as we watch fluffy cumulus clouds soar slowly across the warm afternoon sky. We are riding a land still untamed by mankind. Time seems to stand still, as we reboot our soul, in the wilderness of Alaska, the Last Frontier! A sample 2004 Denali Gold Explorer Itinerary [week-long] Day 1 (Sunday): Travel the Parks Highway north to Cantwell, then east to Denali Country Ranch. This trip offers many unique opportunities to view and photograph North America's highest mountain, Denali (20320 feet), weather permitting. Upon your afternoon or early evening arrival, we'll introduce you to our horses. Afterwards we'll have an orientation dinner followed by a sauna or shower, and a well needed good night's rest. Day 2 (Monday): Your riding adventures begin! After breakfast, we'll saddle up and head out into the surrounding wilderness. For those parties interested, good fishing can be found on most of our rides. We offer lessons before each ride for novice riders. After a day on the trail, we'll indulge in a hearty ranch dinner and relive the days adventures. We may fire up the sauna, build a campfire or toss a game of horse shoes, or maybe we'll do all three. Day 3 (Tuesday): After a hearty ranch breakfast, we'll saddle up, load the pack horses, and head for our cabin on Butte Lake, a lake famous in the region for producing big Lake Trout and Arctic Grayling. The four hour ride to the cabin is second to none on a clear day, and the rustic accommodations take you back to a time when things were simple. The atmospere here is truly Alaska! Day 4 (Wednesday): Wake to sound of loons! After a hot cup of coffee, pancakes, and maybe some freshly caught trout, we'll make one last trip around the lake trolling for the "big" one. Mid afternoon we'll saddle up and head for the ranch, where a hot sauna, a hot shower, and a hearty meal await. Day 5 (Thursday): With breakfast under our belts, we'll saddle up, grab our lunches and ride southwest into high country. On a clear day, Mt. McKinley (Denali) can be seen on this ride. Scattered bands of caribou are often encountered up here. A day of exploring this high alpine region also gives you a sense of how vast and remote Alaska really is. On returning to the ranch, maybe we'll share a steak barbecue. After dinner, we'll stoke up the campfire, and fill the night with our many stories. Day 6 (Friday): Following an early breakfast, we'll take our last ride into this enchanted land. After returning, we'll drive to Cantwell to meet your bus, say goodbye and see you on your way to new adventures. You may decide to visit Denali National Park, just 28 miles north of Cantwell. Or you may decide to return to Anchorage for a look at coastal Alaska. With many fond memories, you will begin your journey home. You'll be confident in your riding ability, and you'll have explored what is truly America's Last Frontier. We may meet again when the days are long and the fireweed is high. "Until then...so long old friend." |
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