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Cattle Drives

Riding the Range

Sign on as a “cowhand” on one of our authentic Utah cattle drives and leave the 21st Century behind. Enjoy the Old West as you ride the range. Traverse the same trails Butch Cassidy rode over a century ago and explore the paradise of Southern Utah at our authentic Western cattle ranch. Work as much or as little as you like while herding cattle through miles and miles of beautiful mountains to their seasonal grazing grounds. Ride “drag” or as “drovers”. Enjoy hearty meals served out in the mountains, and experience the lore of the West on a family cattle drive vacation. It’s a rustic setting with the unbeatable luxury of spectacular vistas, great food, friendly people and a real Western experience.

Get ’em up

You’ll help move cows and their calves to lush green valleys, rugged foothills, or steep mountain tops that provide spectacular views of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, where you can see for hundreds of miles from vantage points as high as 11,000 feet.

The experience is invigorating and challenging. You must be physically fit, at least an intermediate rider, and able to get on and off your horse from the ground without assistance. Our trail boss will guide you to the horse that matches your riding skills. If you arrive as a “dude”, you’ll definitely leave our Utah dude ranch as a cowboy.

You’ll discover one of the miracles of the West: Time stands still when it comes to moving cattle!

Move ’em out

You’ll camp out, cook out, and eat out at our Cow Camp. You’ll savor meals cooked over an open campfire or camp stove. Nothing compares with the smell of hot coffee, eggs, and bacon as you roll out of your sleeping bag early in the morning. And after a long day of riding the range, you’ll sit around the campfire under a blanket of stars and tell stories. Lasting friendships will be made. There’s nothing else like it—and you’ll never be quite the same again.

See the Drive in Action

2021 Utah Cattle Drive Schedule

Join us for one of our three cattle drives. Look them all over and see which one will work best for you.
Isn’t it about time you cross this item off your bucket list? This is an experience you’ll never regret.
You’ll build memories that you’ll be able to share for years to come. Other dates may be able to be
scheduled for groups of six or more people. Please contact us for more details.

Mini Cattle Drive

June 7 – 9, 2021 (2 nights)

We’ll be rounding up and pushing the cattle off our John’s Valley allotment and onto the beautiful South Creek Canyon summer range. This drive is for you if you want the thrill of gathering and driving the cattle, but only have a couple of days available; and if you’d rather sleep in a comfortable bed in our lodge each night rather than camp out in tents.

$765.00

per person, plus service charge and tax*

Mini Cattle Drive

June 7 – 9, 2021 (2 nights)

Day 1: Arrive at Ranch

11:00 AM     Check-in

1:00 PM     Lunch

2:00 PM     Orientation

2:30 PM     Saddle Fitting

After orientation and your saddle fitting, we will begin with an evaluation of your riding skills while riding in the arena.  You are encouraged to participate in team penning during this time as it helps riders become better acquainted with their horses, as well as with some of the techniques used in working cattle.  Once you are comfortable with your horse, we will head out through the meadows for a tranquil afternoon trail ride.

06:30 PM    Dinner

Day 2: Trailer to the Mountain & Roundup

7:30 AM     Groom and saddle your horse

8:00 AM     Breakfast

9:00 AM     Load horses in the trailer and head for the mountain

We will be rounding up and pushing cattle off our Johns Valley allotment and into beautiful South Creek Canyon summer range.  After trailering the horses to Johns Valley, we’ll enjoy a day of searching, gathering, and then pushing the entire herd (heifers and calves) to the South Creek Canyon Allotment.  You will enjoy a saddle-bag lunch along the trail.  Be prepared for a long day in the saddle.  When the cattle reach their destination and the range boss is satisfied, we’ll return to the lodge at the Rockin’ R Ranch for a hot shower, a well-deserved satisfying dinner, and a comfortable bed.  But most important, you will return with memories that you will be able to share for years to come.

Day 3: Back to the Real World

08:00 AM    Breakfast

10:00 AM    Checkout

 

Top of the World Round Up/Cattle Drive (CLOSED)

Sept. 6 – 10, 2021 (4 nights)

We’ll be gathering the cattle on the scenic Griffin Top and moving them from their high-mountain range back to their mid-mountain range (Sweetwater).

$1,799.00

per person, plus service charge and tax*

Top of the World Round Up/Cattle Drive (CLOSED)

Sept. 6 – 10, 2021 (4 nights)

Day 1: Arrive at the Ranch

11:00 AM    Check-in

12:00 PM    Get fitted for saddles

01:00 PM    Lunch

02:00 PM    Orientation

After Orientation, we will begin with an evaluation of your riding skills before enjoying a short afternoon trail ride. Later you are encouraged to participate in team sorting in the arena. This helps riders become better acquainted with their horses, as well as with some of the techniques used in working cattle.

06:30 PM    Dinner

Day 2: Search for the Strays

Breakfast

Groom & saddle your horse

A saddle-bag lunch will be packed and the horses will be trailered to the Cottonwood Canyon area where we’ll spend the day searching and rounding up stray cows and calves that frequently drift  into other allotments and tend to hide in the thick underbrush and rough, mountain terrain. After an exhilarating day in the saddle, we will go to “Cow Camp” where a warm fire, a good old-fashioned Dutch-oven dinner, and your tents await you. After dinner, you may be lucky enough to receive lasso lessons and campfire stories from one of our cowboys.

Day 3: Roundup at the Top of the World

08:00 AM  Groom and saddle your horse

09:00 AM  Breakfast

10:00 AM Load horses in the trailer and head for Boulder Mountain

The day will be spent gathering cattle at the “Top of the World” on the Griffin Top. You will be on a cowboy schedule; whatever the range boss says, goes. The elevation on the Griffin Top is 10,000 to 11,000 feet and you’ll find some of the most beautiful country that south-central Utah has to offer.  As you push cows and calves through the quaking aspen and pines onto the beautiful high-mountain meadow, you will feel the peace and tranquility that nature has to offer. When you ride, you will pass the famous Powell Point and have an eagle-eye view of the pinnacle of the Table Cliffs Plateau that overlooks the beautiful red, salmon-pink desert landscape of the Grand Staircase National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park region.  Sack lunches will be eaten along the trail.  After each exhilarating day in the saddle we’ll trailer the horses back to “Cow Camp” for a tasty Dutch-oven dinner.  You may even get to hear the Camp Cookie Sing!

Day 4: Bring ‘Em Down Boys (and Girls)!

Breakfast

Groom and saddle your horse

After one last look around for strays and calves, we’ll point the cattle down the mountain. You will spend most of the day in the saddle driving about 300 to 400 head (heifers and calves) to the bottom of the summer range. You will see some serious beef in motion. A sack lunch will be eaten along the trail. When the cattle finally reach their destination and the range boss is satisfied, you’ll return to the lodge at the Rockin’ R Ranch for a hot shower, a well-deserved satisfying dinner, and comfortable bed. But most important, you will return with memories that you will be able to share for years to come.

Day 5: Back to the Real World

08:00 AM    Breakfast

10:00 AM    Check Out

Homeward Bound Round-Up/Cattle Drive (CLOSED)

Sept. 27 – Oct. 1, 2021 (4 nights)

We’ll be gathering and moving the cattle from their mid-mountain range back to the valley. We’ll also spend a day on the Griffin Top Mountain searching for strays and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

$1,799.00

per person, plus service charge and tax*

Homeward Bound Round-Up/Cattle Drive (CLOSED)

Sept. 27 – Oct. 1, 2021 (4 nights)

Day 1: Arrive at the Ranch

11:00 AM    Check-in

12:00 PM    Get fitted for saddles

01:00 PM    Lunch

02:00 PM    Orientation

After Orientation, we will begin with an evaluation of your riding skills before enjoying a short afternoon trail ride. Later you are encouraged to participate in team sorting in the arena. This helps riders become better acquainted with their horses, as well as with some of the techniques used in working cattle.

06:30 PM    Dinner

Day 2: Roundup in the Low Country

08:00 AM    Groom and saddle your horse

09:00 AM    Breakfast

Today is the day we will buckle down and get some work done. The cows and calves have had all summer to get fat and sassy. They also have had time to move to every part of our Forest allotment. A saddle bag lunch will be packed and the horses loaded and trailered to Mud Springs. We will be gathering cattle in the beautiful Mud Springs Canyon and then pushing them through the pines to the majestic Sweet Water Valley. The terrain consists of thick sage brush, as well as forests hiding many large and small clearings which must be checked for hidden cattle. After a day in the saddle, we’ll go back to “Cow Camp” where a warm fire, good old-fashioned Dutch-oven dinner, and your tents await you.

Day 3: Trailer to the Top of the World

Breakfast

Groom and saddle your horse

Today’s roundup will cover some of the most beautiful country that south central Utah has to offer at the Griffin Top on the Boulder Mountain. The day will be spent searching for stray cows and calves that frequently hide in the thick underbrush and rough, mountain terrain. While riding through the quaking aspen and pines and into the beautiful high-mountain meadow, you will feel the peace and tranquility that nature has to offer. As you ride, you will pass the famous Powell Point and have an eagle-eye view of the pinnacle of the Table Cliffs Plateau that overlooks the beautiful desert landscape of the Grand Staircase National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park region. A sack lunch will be eaten along the trail. After an exhilarating day in the saddle, we’ll return to “Cow Camp” for a tasty Dutch-oven dinner. You may be lucky enough to receive lasso lessons and campfire stories from one of our cowboys.

Day 4: Move ’Em Over to Johns Valley

Breakfast

Groom and saddle your horse

Once again we’ll take a sack lunch and hit the saddle. After trailering the horses to Sweet Water Valley, we’ll enjoy a day of searching for the last strays and then pushing the entire herd of around 300 to 400 cattle (heifers and calves) down to Johns Valley. When the cattle reach their destination and the range boss is satisfied, you’ll return to the lodge at the Rockin’ R Ranch for a hot shower, a well-deserved satisfying dinner, and comfortable bed. But most important, you will return with memories that you will be able to share for years to come.

Day 5: Back to the Real World

08:00 AM    Breakfast

10:00 AM    Check Out

Schedule your visit

List of what to bring on the cattle drive >

Clothing and Gear Needed for Cattle Drives

The Weather

The days are bright and sunny with an occasional brief shower. In July and August, temperatures range in the 70’s and 80’s. The nights are cool. In September and October, the temperatures will be a lot cooler. Bring clothing that can be layered in preparation of the change in temperatures throughout the day(s). We will provide saddle bags for the horses, in which you can take small items with you on the trail. This list is a guide only. Be prepared!

Must have:

  • Sleeping Bag (if you are not able to bring your sleeping bad, you can rent one of ours. There is a $25 fee, and advanced notification is required.)
  • Towel(s)
  • Canteen

Suggested Items:

  • 1 pair riding boots or shoes with heel
  • 1 hat with wide brim*
  • 1 pair tennis shoes/sneakers
  • 4 or 5 pairs of cotton socks
  • 2 flannel shirts (long sleeve)
  • 1 lined jacked (heavy jacket or coat for later cattle drives)
  • 1 sweater
  • 2-3 paris of jeans
  • 1-2 bandanas*
  • 1 windbreaker
  • Sleep wear
  • Toiletries
  • Work gloves*
  • Rain coat (or poncho)
  • Flashlight (w/extra batteries)
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen/lip balm*
  • Mosquito repellant (just in case)*

*These items can be purchased at the Ranch before departing on the cattle drive.

OPTIONAL: Slacks, shirts, journal, camera, binoculars, chaps, spurs

PLEASE NOTE: The items above are suggested for our four-night cattle drives. For our two- and three-night drives, you’ll need to adjust the amount of some of the clothes. And you won’t need to bring a sleeping bag or towels.

* Prices are all inclusive, except for service charge (15%) and tax (8.96%). (In lieu of tipping our staff, the service charge is added to cover all employee services during your stay.)

PAYMENT: A one-third deposit is due at the time the reservation is made. The balance is due 60 days prior to arrival. Payment can be made by check, Visa, or Mastercard.

CANCELLATION: All deposits and final payments are non-refundable.  There are no refunds for “no shows” or early departures.  In the event of a cancellation, and if given enough time that we can re-sell the cancelled space, we will issue a credit in the amount paid towards a different date.  For a copy of our full Cancellation Policy, please request one when you complete our Contact Form. We strongly recommend that you purchase Travel Insurance in case of any unforeseen circumstances that affect your stay with us.

  • “Thank you for the great time we had on the Rockin R’ Ranch! Horseriding was so great as well as the tubing of course! Hope we’ll be here once again.”

    — Isabel & Tobi from Germany

  • “Our family just returned to Fort Worth, Texas from our 4 day Rockin’ R Ranch vacation, and we cannot stop telling everyone around us about all of the adventures we had! Our 4 boys put down their game systems and happily discovered the wonders of the great outdoors, a huge accomplishment! There are too many standout staff members to name them individually. Every activity went above and beyond our expectation. Thank you for creating some of our most favorite family memories!”

    — The Bouck Family

  • “Had a terrific time at the ranch. It was everything we were hoping for & much more. Great food, activities were memorable, especially rodeo. Amazed us all that so many others were there, but the organization of our meals, activities was amazing. Really had a great memory for all of us. Thanks.”

    — Allen Wilson, Utah

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