The present-day Hunewill family is headed by Stan and Jan Hunewill, who have three married children and six grandchildren. It was an eerie feeling looking at the signatures of long-dead presidents. We picked Hunewill because it is a working cattle ranch and everything is geared around trail riding and cattle drives. Sues animated voice and shining eyes emphasized the enthusiasm of her words. 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. Twelve-year-old Ronnie Wyman has been coming to the Hunewill Ranch for seven years. The majority of cabins have two connecting rooms with private baths and comfortable porches. Search the Equitrekking Vacation Guide and Top20Ranches.com. Great bed, a good heater, a hot shower and close to the dining room. I would recommend him for beginning and advanced riders. The cabin heaters are a thoughtful touch. Started in 1861 by Napoleon Bonaparte Hunewill and his wife Esther, the ranch was originally conceived as a beef cattle operation to supply meat to the gold miners of the nearby town of Bodie, which today is a National Historic Landmark. I wanted to experience a cattle drive. Box 368, Bridgeport, CA 93517. info@hunewillranch.com 760-932-7710 775-465-2201 - winter hunewillranch.com Rock Creek Pack Station Just four hours north of the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and an easy three hours south of Reno, Nevada, is Bishop California. Family run working cattle ranch since 1861, located in the Eastern Sierra town of Bridgeport, CA. Interestingly, she pointed out that more miners died not of mining accidents or gunshot wounds, but from pneumonia. At night, the valley laid under a canopy of stars streaked with a ribbon of Milky Way. What is a ranch vacation without herding cattle? The horses are their partners and horsemanship is the main focus. Guest. Jan 29, 2013 - Visit our dude ranch & ride any of our well-trained horses through the lush green meadows & scenic mountain trails of California's Sierra Nevada. Photo credit: Dwayne Leonard. The Hunewills mean it. For more information and to book a horseback adventure, visit hunewillranch.com and follow them on Instagram @hunewill.ranch Folks visit with one another and create their own entertainment. You will arrive at the ranch on Tuesday for dinner, ride Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and leave Saturday after breakfast. 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. We had a super time with him as well. Hunewill Ranch History Need more ideas? We tailor make all our holidays to suit you. I couldnt have asked for a better horse. 20.8 miles from Hunewill Ranch Free parking Restaurant West Walker Motel View Hotel 60 reviews 23.2 miles from Hunewill Ranch Free Wifi Free parking View more hotels in Bridgeport Value Location Sleep Quality Rooms Cleanliness Service Trip type: Traveled with friends Value Sleep Quality Rooms Cleanliness Trip type: Traveled solo Value Location Phone +1 307-655-9463. Cattle have been worked on horseback for almost 150 years at the Hunewill Ranch and we are proud to share this traditional western heritage with our guests. We discovered later that guests, wearing huge grins, return to this ranch year after year. Hunewill Ranch is a working cattle ranch and there is always cattle work to be done. I was just getting to the point where my body stopped complaining. Please let us know your preferred departure dates and number of people travelling and we will send a quotation to you. Just minutes away from the premier guest ranch are more than 75 renowned vineyards and wineries and the charming Danish village of Solvang. I was envious of the others who were staying for two more days. Because Alice enjoyed music, N.B. Getting them to go through an open gate was another. As our guest, you can participate in the timeless traditional ranch life of the American West. It was constructed with pegs, not nails. All rights reserved. Guests will participate and learn many traditional cowboy skills. As I drove away, my eyes kept darting to the rearview mirror, for a one last look. I dreamed of having a real cowboy experience. Hunewill Ranch is a working cattle ranch and guests get to move cattle throughout our season. He established his first lumber mill in the redwood forests south of San Francisco, and another in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The rides are well designed - beginners receive great attention and care, while intermediate and advanced riders were never bored. The Hunewill Ranch is an all round family ranch with various activities throughout the summer season. Though these true cattle drive holidays are rare to find, there are still special places where you can saddle up on an authentic cattle drive vacation. He responded in kind, and we were flying. Stan and Jan are described by both guests and employees as the greatest people on earth!. We picked Hunewill because it is a working cattle ranch and everything is geared around trail riding and cattle drives. Terri Geissinger, an interpreter and Bodie historian, rode along with us. We had the opportunity to visit Hunewill Ranch, the oldest working guest ranch in California and one of California's oldest continuously owned family ranches. Even within the intermediate group, there were varying levels of riding ability and experience. Guests feel theyre a part of a very special ranching family. Warm and breezy, the sun felt intense at 8300 feet. So, when you pull up alongside the old Victorian house and see Welcome Home written on the big rock, youre home. An internet search turned up Hunewill, located about an hour north of the resort town of Mammoth Lakes along the north/ south thoroughfare of Interstate Highway 395. The Guest Ranch has been around since 1931 and is even more popular than it was when it first opened. Herding cattle at Hunewill Ranch. Copyright 2023 | Hunewill Guest Ranch - All Rights Reserved Youll find myriad opportunities for safe riding. Learn more about great cattle drive vacations in the Equitrekking Vacation Guide, a searchable guide to great dude ranches, guest ranches, cattle drives and working ranch vacations. Horseback riding is the main attraction at Hunewill Ranch. Discover working ranches, guest ranches, cattle drive vacations and riding vacations in the Equitrekking Vacation Guide. . During your stay you will be able to enjoy their tasty Rankin Ranch beef. bread and other baked goods. Bridgeport Valley is an unspoiled recreational paradise where you will find trout fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and many other pastimes for the nature enthusiast. In 1883, N.B. Leslie is a rancher at Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport Valley where her family raises cattle and operates a guest ranch. He hauled granite rocks from the nearby foothills to build the cellar and two-foot-high foundation. 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. Kindness, respect, patience, work ethic, and a sense of humor prevail. Second part (of four) of pictures from the Hunewill Ranch Winter 2003 cattle drive 638 cattle moved from Bridgeport, California to Smith Valley, Nevada over 5 days (12 pictures - each about 45k in size) Jennifer Hoover, Lyle Deck, Heather Steverson, Fred Shean, Al Frei, Betsy Hunewill Elliott and Keith Willard (left to right) Jan and Stan Hunewill There, N.B. The cattle are coming off their summer range and we are bringing them down to the home ranch. Moving cattle is available at least once during every stay. Hunewill Circle H Ranch (Bridgeport, California). Ron and Jeanette Tingley feel the ranch is a spiritual place, where guests feel total acceptance. Special thanks to my husband for coming along for the rideliterally! Marble Mountain Ranch (Somes Bar, California). An added bonus is the beautiful fall lighting and the glow of autumn colors. Hes an artist, as well as a fascinating conversationalist; a modern-day Charlie Russell. This beautiful piano is still in the house today. Napoleon Bonaparte Hunewill's ancestors were French Huguenots from Alsace-Lorraine. Its difficult to explain how strongly this family feeling comes across. Ride with the Hunewill family for five days, covering sixty miles from Bridgeport, California to Smith Valley, Nevada herding 600 cows as they are driven to their winter range. Ping pong, horseshoes, and volleyball are available. 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. A Full Ranch Experience Hunewill Guest Ranch is located in California on the eastern slope of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains bordering Yosemite National Park. Hunewill Guest Ranch You'll love riding your horse through 26,000 acres of alpine meadows and fragrant sage bordered by timbered peaks. Other activities are riverside barbecues, square dancing, talent night, campfire sing-a-longs and smores, roping, and horseback games. I love working here so much Id do it for free! announced Sallie Joseph, a longtime Hunewill wrangler. 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 Bridgeport Valley where the ranch is located is an unspoiled recreational paradise and even borders Yosemite National Park. The cattle drive puts you back in the Old West, driving cows over stock trails that have been in use since the 1860's. has been a working cattle ranch since 1863. Copyright 2004 - 2023 Equestrian Travel Brands, LLC. We continually update the Equitrekking Travel Deals page and blast it out first in Equitrekking's free monthly e-newsletter. Box 368 Bridgeport, CA 93517. Badger Creek Ranch. It refers to guests as the Greater Hunewill Family. Find the best dude ranches, cattle drives, and global riding vacations in Equitrekking's Vacation Guide. Whether you're looking for cattle in the high country, moving cattle closer to the ranch, or parting calves from cows, these activities are the essence of this timeless Hunewill tradition. Twin Lakes is only a short drive from Hunewill Ranch. He says hes living his dream. The Hunewills three children, their spouses, and some of the grandchildren help in day-to-day ranch management. Hunewill Ranch`s
All inclusive stays of various lengths feature amazing horseback riding, great meals, cozy cabins, and . Box 368 Bridgeport, CA 93517. They were hesitant on this cattld drive and refused to continue on. We sat on bales of straw and sang songs. Daughter Megan and her husband, Justin, are head wranglers. He was safe and never spooked and had enough 'go' to make the rides exciting! Megan is the fifth generation of her family to lead this cattle drive, and her children, the sixth generation, now help out too. The carts huge wheels are actually made from cross sections of large Jeffrey pine trees. We spent a number of days with the Hunewills and succumbed to their magic. Whether you are a beginner or have ridden for years, this will be one of the best riding vacations you've ever had. Other horseback activities include splash rides, a breakfast ride, moving cattle, an obstacle course, and games on horseback. Lenore handled the guest-ranch business; Stanley worked the stock. We just returned from 5 days at this ranch and enjoyed the whole experience. View Map. TX Ranch Cattle Drives on the border of Wyoming and Montana. Sue went on to tell us how the Hunewills match people with appropriate horses, and treat each guest with kindness and respect while teaching horsemanship. This is a week-long extravaganza of high mountain cattle gathering and moving. This event gets our guests working as a team, planning strategies, and experiencing good old fashioned fun. Guests and employees are treated like family. This time of year an added bonus is seeing the cows with their baby calves. Learn how you can join in the fun on a California cattle drive vacation and about other great cattle drive holidays! I got all of that and more. Hunewill Ranch Vacation & Cattle Drives in California A rider vacations at a family-owned, Western ranch just east of Yosemite National Park, enjoying Gold Rush history and cattle drives. Keep reading to learn all about them! Hunewill Guest Ranch Altitude: 6,500 ft Capacity: 40+ Guests Open: May-Nov Acres: 26,000 Min Stay: 3 Nights Rates: $200-$300/N Horseback riding is the driving focus at Hunewill Guest Ranch. 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. My rides ranged from 12-15 people in my intermediate group. With over a hundred well-trained horses and a vast expanse of lush green meadows and scenic mountain trails, we create memories that last a lifetime. All rights reserved. Herding cattle at the ranch. 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. Fall at the ranch is a time filled with essential cattle work. ANOTHER GREAT ADVENTURE WITH OUR HUNEWILL FAMILY, Remote and scenic, good food, great experience. The surrounding 26,000 acres in the mountainous Bridgeport Valley provides a unique riding atmosphere for all skill levels. Many people come back year after year.. It involves moving 600 to 750 cattle 60 miles from Bridgeport, California, to Smith Valley, Nevada. 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. Though her family still holds fast to these traditions, they are a rarity. Alice and Frank had four children, one of whom died in infancy. He built a beautiful, gracious home designed to last a long time. Hunewill is a working cattle ranch still run by the Hunewill family. dude ranch vacations meet the diverse interests and needs of your entire family or group. My family has been visiting since 2004 and we love the long lopes through meadows. My nephew and I also made a side trip to Bishop to trout fish with Guide Pat Yeager. more. Hunewill Ranch is home to the best horseback riding vacations in California. Learn more about Hunewill Ranch. 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 Guest Ranch Cattle Drive, California. The ranch has been family owned and operated since 1861. 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. Napoleon Bonaparte Hunewill's ancestors were French Huguenots from Alsace-Lorraine. The cattle were branded with the letter H, which eventually became known as the Circle H brand. Fishing is the most popular activity at Twin Lakes. Stan Hunewill, family patriarch. However, during a few special weeks we offer cattle work as the featured activity. For over 101 years, generations of the Hunewill family have had their annual fall cattle drive, leading cattle from their summer ranch in Bridgeport, California down to their winter ranch in Smith Valley, Nevada. The rides to the hot springs in Buckeye Canyon and the high ride to Crown Lake were unforgettable. Mammoth Lakes is located an hour south of Bridgeport. Tel: 760-932-7710 and Esthers son, Frank, married a young woman named Alice. As we drove up to the old Hunewill Ranch House near Bridgeport, Cal. Frank and Alices son Stanley was the first Hunewill cowboy. This is a job that feeds your soul.. This place is a REAL cattle ranch with REAL working horses. Stan Hunewill met his wife, Jan, 50 years ago when he was working on the ranch and she was a guest. The Hunewills are one of the region's longest-established ranching families. This was our third trip to the ranch, and we must say consistency is the Hunewill trademark. We include the flights, hotels, ranch stay, car hire, transfer arrangements where we can and anything else you may require. 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. The breakfast warning bell clanged at 7am, but I was up at least an hour earlier. Herding cattle at Hunewill Guest Ranch. These drives sell out quickly, please ask us for dates in the August before. 2,590 were here. 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. 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. The tour continued on into the surrounding hills, past mining sites now encircled by barbed wire to keep out the unwary and curious. After a breakfast of eggs Benedict and potatoes, it was saddle-up time. We have a main lodge and 4 log cabins built in the 1920's. Half day drives are offered throughout the year. They feel like part of an incredible family and fortunate to be doing what they love, and to get paid for it. Our historic ranch is a working cattle and guest ranch. Younger kids will be minded while parents are out riding. This working cattle ranch allows guests to experience the Cowboy Side of California with authentic Cattle Drives, Cowboy Academies, and spectacularly scenic trail riding. Covid-19 and Hunewill Ranch in 2021. Hunewill Guest Ranch is located in Bridgeport, California on the eastern slope of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains bordering Yosemite National Park. Our full ranch experience includes world-class riding, delicious meals served in the dining room of the founders Victorian ranch house, lodging in our comfortable cabins, and popular evening activities such as talent night, family dance night, creek-side barbecues, and watching the gentling of young foals and yearlings. We offer everything from short enjoyable jaunts on horseback to nine hour rides for the intrepid explorer. The majority of their horses are very safe for beginners and small children. Rate includes meals, horseback riding, and lodging. The California Ranch Two weekend cattle drive adventures per year. If you want wide open spaces, great riding, great food, and lasting friendships, then Hunewill Guest Ranch has the vacation for you. Its a shared fun, experience. Skip to Nav; Skip to Main; Skip to Footer; Created with Sketch. It marks ESLT's largest conservation easement to date and helps ensure a bright, secure future for Bridgeport Valley. Autumn at Hunewill Ranch is a magical time of peace and tranquility. . He happily told his wife, This is something we can do until we get really old!. Hunewill Guest Ranch Cattle Drive, California For over 102 years, generations of the Hunewill family have had their annual fall cattle drive. Reno is a 2 hour drive to Bridgeport. A home away from home, Greenhorn Ranch welcomes you as family. Guests are invited to participate in Cattle Drives, Dude Ranch Weekends, Cowboy Academies, and more all in the heart of California. N.B. Gu Home Cities Countries. The signature all-inclusive saddle and paddle or raft and ride vacation join the superb dining experience and our youth buckaroo program to create the best and most complete family dude ranch vacation. There is something for everyone at the ranch, whether you come with your family, friends, or on your own. Children ages six and older ride twice daily at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The gold and silver mining town of Bodie, located 15 miles east of the ranch, was mostly constructed with lumber from the sawmill operation. Hunewill Ranch Cattle Drive Enjoy the ultimate old-west experience on Hunewill Ranch's 114th cattle drive! P. O. She also entertains guests around the campfire with sing-a-longs and dances on talent night.