Activities - or "What To Do When You're Not Riding"

Ally, ranch dog and official hiking guide, will be ready to show you the ranch hiking trail. She and her friend, George, (a chocolate lab) will take you through washes and up ridges for panoramic desert views and unforgettable sunsets. For a serious hike, our human hiking guide will take you up Wickenburg's Vulture Peak.

Around the heated pool and hot tub, sun worshipers are invited to soak up the view. And there are lots of chairs for socializing, solitude, a good read or a nap.

From an early morning coffee to a nightcap before bed, the lodge living room is the informal gathering place. A favorite activity is getting to know the other guests who come from all over the world. After dinner we often invite western entertainers to share songs and cowboy poetry. A local naturalist and historian joins us weekly. On Sundays guest enjoy riding into the desert for John's special brunch.

Bird watchers love it at the ranch where some 150 different species have been identified. Birders also like the Nature Conservancy’s Hassayampa River Preserve in Wickenburg which is a bird haven as well as a desert education center. In historic Wickenburg you’ll enjoy the outstanding Desert Caballeros Western Museum plus shops and galleries. Golf, tennis and jeep tours are also available.

If you feel like seeing more of the southwest, a half-day car trip could take you to Jerome, a mining town perched on the edge of a mountain or to Sedona with  its magnificent red rocks.

  And of course, you’re always welcome to do absolutely nothing.