Feel at home on the range at this Arizona dude ranch

Among the desolate vistas of the Mojave Desert in Arizona, just a short drive from the Grand Canyon’s western rim, you’ll find the Grand Canyon Western Ranch. A quaint and historied dude ranch nestled between the Music Mountains and Grand Wash Cliffs, it was established in 1931 on the grounds of an old mining camp by Tap Duncan, a notorious gunfighter of Wild West fame.

This ranch eschews glamour and opulence, instead offering a glimpse of life in simpler times. There is no Wi-Fi here, and you’d be hard pressed to find good enough cell service for doom-scrolling among the sagebrush and mesquite. The purity and beauty of the landscapes will leave you breathless while the staff’s warmth and attention will have you charmed. Oh yeah, and there are cowboys!

If you drive in from Las Vegas, as we did, you’ll pass lots of quirky desert towns and areas of natural wonder, including Lake Mead and Arizona’s Joshua Tree Forest. There were so many opportunities to stop off and snap pics. As a photographer and someone who travels almost exclusively for the opportunity to take photos, it was a dream.

Arriving sun-drunk and dusty from our photography stops, my wife, Sarah, and I checked in at the main cabin. We were given the rundown of kitchen and bar hours, as well as amenities and activities available to us. We signed up for a sunset horseback ride. You can also sign up for wagon rides, shooting and an array of other excursions. After our travel-weary thank you, we went out to our cabin, one of about a dozen or so. Each pine cabin is furnished with its own little flourishes of skulls, saddles and other western bric-a-brac. There are also several tents for a "glamping" experience and one can even camp out under the stars, if hypothermia and snakes are more your speed.

After settling in, we decided to grab some food at the main cabin lodge. Considering this is the only restaurant around for miles, we knew were at the mercy of whatever offerings the kitchen had for us. Luckily, the menu was a delicious assortment of the kinds of meals you would expect at a ranch—huge steaks, burgers, grilled chicken and the like. The portions are so hefty, it’s unlikely you’ll need dessert, but they have that too. There is also a full bar for your necessary campfire libations.

Best of all, this is where we met Casey the Cowboy. If I’m being honest, I thought this whole “cowboy” thing was a corny branding affectation that the ranch offered as some way to keep kids entertained, but this man is the real deal! Casey is a 70-ish, gregarious, tall man with wild blue eyes who serenades the guests every night by campfire. After a chatting for a bit, he improvised a little song for us before starting in on his rotation of seemingly infinite cowboy tunes. I’m telling you; I threw requests at this guy for three days and he knew every song I requested, from Hank Williams to Marty Robbins and Patsy Cline. I was completely charmed. He was one of the highlights of our stay.

After dinner we joined up with our group for the sunset horseback ride. The outing, which lasted an hour or so, took us up into the mountains, giving us a beautiful vantage point of the expansive Arizona desert. We eventually reached the summit overlooking a small herd of American bison. Cowboy Casey was waiting with guitar and prosecco in hand. Passing out the flutes, he told us a brief history of the land and native Hualapai people who inhabited the area before European settlers arrived.

Somehow, no one wanted their prosecco. It was offered to me instead, and—martyr that I am—I obliged to drink it. Maybe it was the three glasses of bubbly, but thinking of the native Hualapai people living here for centuries among the buffalo and beautiful canyons, I don’t know….the whole thing made me misty-eyed. 

Ending our ride, we returned for our first campfire of the stay. We roasted marshmallows and listened to Casey rattle off dozens of songs about the west. The crowd was about 20 people from all over the world. There were folks from Ecuador, Israel, Norway, Germany and the French-speaking part of Canada (Montreal). Somehow, Casey knew enough Spanish, French, and German to chat with each family in attendance. I sipped whiskey and looked out at the stars. Again, I was completely charmed.

We woke early the next day to see the western rim of the Grand Canyon, about a 15-minute drive from the ranch.  This particular part of the Grand Canyon is on the land of the Hualapai tribe, who own and operate it.  All your money for admission, activities and food goes to their tribe, which is great. The Canyon delivered all the beautiful landscapes I had imagined. 

A shuttle took us around to the various vantage points the park had to offer. At some point, Sarah convinced (tricked) me into ziplining over the canyon. I guess this passes as fun for some people. I suppose it was exhilarating in the way that surviving a potential plummet to your demise can be. It was 10/10 terrifying.

Exhausted from hiking through the heat all morning and afternoon, we called it a day and returned to the ranch for our final evening of campfires and stargazing. In the morning, we said our goodbyes to our new friend Casey and headed to the final leg of our American West vacation: Zion National Park and the Valley of Fire. The Grand Canyon Western Ranch definitely left a great impression on that entire vacation.