The Lodge at Red River Ranch (Teasdale, Utah)
Isolation needn’t mean total sacrifice. And, The Lodge at Red River Ranch had all the right surprises to comfortably pad our relative seclusion outside of Capitol Reef National Park.
It took a certain amount of faith to drive past the kitschy mini-jumble of Torrey, Utah in hopes that neighboring Teasdale would eventually materialize along the vast expanse ahead. We carefully noted the food stops and gas stations along the way; the remote stretches of Utah had taught us to plan ahead for our “essentials”.
The tall-timbered ranch entry was our landmark; a sturdy “welcome” amongst the mountain-fringed pastures. I had been told to look for a grove of trees far off of the main road, and finally, there it was at the end of a long graveled drive. Our oasis.
The Lodge is an elegantly (yet comfortably) appointed mega-log cabin: a great destination for groups, both large and small family-sized. Our adjoining rooms, connected by both a generous bathroom and a hallway, were on the third floor and gave us plenty of privacy.
Exposed beams, high ledges and deep teal-colored walls pleasantly counterbalanced some of the more dainty room furnishings. We had no need for the fireplaces in July but relished the breezes and mountain-views of our private balconies.
Some very personable kittens played on the east porch (way) downstairs…
…and a herd of bison roamed the front fields.
There are six miles of private river for catch-and-release fly-fishing and pastures for horseback riding. A single wooden plank swing dangles charmingly from a cottonwood limb arched some thirty feet above the gravel front drive. Hannah and I found this to be a terrific “cool-down” after our morning runs around the property.
Breakfast was always a plentiful plateful, with homemade nut breads and luscious fruits. We ordered “light, “ ate very well, and always ended up with extra. The dinner menu held some intriguing options but was definitely a more upscale affair than my group of hikers needed or wanted. Maybe next time…
The dining room, with its decorative tin ceiling and massive pillared beams is a place to linger. Its bank of windows overlooks an expansive front porch edged with a profusion of swaying flowers and well-patronized hummingbird feeders.
A basement rec room houses table soccer, a ping pong table, a TV, and an assortment of toys. It also has a community computer, but free wi-fi in our rooms was our better option.
The Lodge was our most expensive accommodation but well worth the splurge. And happily, there was some flexibility on the published rate (It never hurts to ask!). Concerned that we’d be too crowded in the room I’d originally selected, the owner knocked enough off the rate of our larger suite to make it an acceptable option.
On our second evening, we settled into the jumbo-sized hot tub on the late edge of sunset and watched the mountains cast long shadows as the sun dipped ever lower beyond the orchard. We talked. We laughed. The edges of the deck walk glowed with strings of light and stars dotted the blackened sky…
More on Utah:
“Adventures in Utah”“Road to Zion (National Park, Utah)”
“Into ‘The Narrows’ (Zion National Park, Utah)”
“The Subway (Zion National Park, Utah) Part One”
“The Subway (Zion National Park, Utah) Part Two”
“Court of the Patriarchs and The Emerald Pools of Zion (National Park, Utah)”
“Hanging Gardens (Zion National Park, Utah)”
“Hoodoo Heaven” (Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah)
“Smokey the Bear and Tibetan Monks? I Must be in Boulder (Utah)… ”
“Dogs and Cars -but not Cows…” (Boulder, Utah)
“The Cows… Part One (Boulder, Utah)”
“The Cows… Part Two (Boulder, Utah)”
“Pictographs at Lower Calf Creek Falls (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah)”
“The Goosenecks at Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)”
“Hiking ‘Smart’ in Grand Wash (Capitol Reef National Park, Utah)”
“The Lodge at Red River Ranch (Teasdale, Utah)”
“Of Pictographs and Petroglyphs…”
“A Reef in the Desert (Capitol Reef National Park)”
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