Rustling up a ranch vacation for less

If you’re thinking of rustling up your family and heading to a dude ranch, be forewarned: Living like a cowboy isn’t cheap. An all-inclusive ranch vacation can set a family of four back $6,000 or more for a week of lodging, meals and activities.

“Some people will get sticker shock at the cost,” said Colleen Hodson, executive director of the Dude Ranchers Assn., a trade group based in Cody, Wyo.

But spurred by a tough economy, ranch owners are resorting to new-fangled ideas: shorter stays, off-season discounts and a la carte pricing. An occasional sale for a peak summer week is not unheard of.

“The whole concept of travel bargains — that’s something they never used to do,” said Gene Kilgore, author of the authoritative “Ranch Vacations” and founder of Ranchweb.com, an online guide to guest ranches.

No more.

So while all-inclusive ranch vacations still aren’t inexpensive, they needn’t leave your family’s budget in the dust. Here are some strategies:

Ask what’s included: Expect an all-inclusive price to cover lodging, meals and horseback riding, but not fly-fishing trips or alcohol, Kilgore said. Other special activities, such as whitewater rafting, may or may not be covered; ditto for tips.

Hodson said her Dude Ranchers Assn. requires its 100-plus members in North America to offer all-inclusive stays. But outside the association, you may find some ranches that charge separately for each activity, which can add hundreds of dollars to your vacation.

Get to work: “Who would have dreamed that an old-time cowboy would be drinking a cappuccino?” Kilgore said. Or visiting a spa. In the last decade, he figures, about half the ranches he knows have started offering massages. Some so-called resort ranches even come with golf courses and tennis pros.

To save money, stay at a regular dude ranch or even better, a working ranch, a humbler place where you can pitch in with chores.

“You’ll get up, and the foreman will say, ‘We need to gather cows from the west pasture,’ or, ‘We need to repair the fence,’” Hodson said. And off you’ll go.

Stay fewer nights: Many dude ranches have started allowing guests to stay less than a week, the traditional minimum. Hodson said about 75% of her association’s members accept stays as short as three nights, compared with about 20% a few years ago. Spend the rest of your week exploring national parks, which are often nearby.

Go a la carte: If you plan to do more relaxing than roping, you may save by paying for activities as you go or booking a package deal. The 320 Guest Ranch in Big Sky, Mont., for instance, recently offered a four-night “Keep It Cowboy Package” with lodging, daily breakfast, a pig roast and a choice of two activities, such as a horseback ride or hayride, during the stay. The package price for a family of four was less than $1,000 total.

Shop online deals: On Kilgore’s website, which has a section on travel bargains, more than 20 ranches recently advertised discounts of 5% to 50% off regular rates. You’ll often find deals in the so-called shoulder seasons, generally spring and fall in the West (except for Arizona, where better weather can make these peak times). Typically, ranches also offer discounted children’s rates, a big plus for families.

Whatever the price, dude ranches can make memorable vacations for outdoorsy families looking to ditch their cellphones and video games for a while.

“It gives families a chance to step back and reconnect in beautiful surroundings” Hodson said. “Two years later, kids will have forgotten the name of their cruise ship. But you ask them the name of their wrangler or their horse, and they’ll remember it.”

travel@latimes.com