Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

Summer Camp Revisited

Remember when you were a kid and you went to Summer Camp for the first time?   For several weeks before, the anxiety built up a huge knot in your stomach. I really don’t want to go.  Remember when your mom and dad (or, just one or the other) dropped you off at the bus that would be the vehicle to transport you to six weeks of misery?   Why are they punishing me like this!   Remember how big and mean the counselors looked, and the other kids all looked like the class bully?   The dorms, the food.   Having to share a bathroom with twelve other stupid kids!   I think I’m going to throw up!

In the track meet two days later, you discovered that you could run faster than almost all the other kids, except for that little jerk. Boy, is he fast! And you almost cleared the high jump at three feet (seemed like six) but none of the other kids did, either.   This isn’t as horrible as I thought.  The next day was a canoe trip followed by a hike in the woods, and a game of kick-the-can.   Your team won!   That was kinda fun!   That night dinner was hotdogs cooked over a campfire outside.   Everyone had to sharpen a stick and grill their own.   Marshmallows followed.   The kid named Jake, the little jerk, caught his on fire and it dropped off the stick into the dirt.   Boy, was that funny.   Chuck, the head counselor and a college baseball player, told some really scary ghost stories, but we knew that they weren’t really true.   But just in case, we all looked under our bunks that night.   This is really cool.   I’ve never seen so many stars!   I wish we could do this again every night.

Remember diving off the platform into the cool, clear lake on the hot afternoons?   Learning how to ride a horse?   And remember our counselors peering through binoculars in the direction of the girl’s camp across the bay, looking to spot their counselors?   These counselors are really great guys, but why are they doing that when they could be swimming?  

Remember the final track meet midway through week six?   You lost the 50-yard dash by a whisker to your new best pal Jake, but you were the only one to clear the high jump.   A blue and a red ribbon!   Afterward, you and Jake hid one of Chuck’s tennis shoes and all the other kids laughed like crazy!   I’m having the time of my life!   I wish this would never end.

Remember the magical times you had at camp?   Wanna go back?   How about this time with your kids?   Or grandkids?   In Southern Utah you can.   At a magical spot called Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

Just outside the East entrance to Zion National Park, the North Fork Road winds up to Zion Ponderosa.   Set among the pines on 10,000 acres, the Ranch is truly the epitome of a family recreation destination.   The two words “all inclusive” aptly describe the Ranch.   Lodging, meals and all activities, and there are plenty, are included.

What’s your pleasure for accommodations?   The Ranch offers four wonderful choices:

1. Deluxe Ranch Homes.   These mountain log cabins have from 2 to 5 bedrooms, lots of room to stretch out and are loaded with all the comforts of home.   Full kitchens, of course, Satellite TV, phones, VCR/DVD, washer/dryer, dishwasher, microwave.   Some even have a Foosball or pool table.   All have plenty of Western charm.   The Ranch Homes sleep up to 10, perfect for families.
2. Cabin Suites hold up to 6 people.   All have private bedrooms, a full bath, wet bars, separate living room and front porch.   Pick either a regular queen-sized bed or a queen bunk bed.   Rugged elegance!
3. Cowboy Cabins are one room with queen bunks and foldout sofas and sleep up to six.   The Ranch’s restroom facility, which has private showers, changing rooms and laundry, are a short walk away.
4. Camping.   Why not?   All the meals and activities at the Ranch are included, and the campsites are close to the new restroom facility.  

Hungry? Let’s eat!

With all there is to see and do at Zion Ponderosa (more on that later)
appetites get huge!   And the highly trained and creative kitchen staff is there
to satisfy.   Hearty, wholesome meals are served cafeteria style.   Breakfast
begins with plenty of fruits, grains, cereals, eggs, bacon, sausage and ham.  
Or, they’ll build you a custom omelet or crepes.   If you’re going out on an
adventure, sack lunches can be ordered, or, if you’re on the Ranch, the
cafeteria will be ready for you.  Dinner starts at six, but you can choose your
hour.   A UDABC Liquor License allows for wine (a limited, but good selection)
and beer sales to begin then.

Again, the cafeteria line offers plenty of choices, but the staff also fires up the barbecue where you can choose grilled salmon or halibut filets, rib eye steak, or marinated turkey breast.   Choices, choices, what a dilemma!   Desserts are, in a word, delicious.

But what is there to do here?
Ha! Truly something for anyone who loves the great outdoors.   Let’s start with hiking.   Zion National Park’s reputation for hiking trails is rivaled by none.   The Ranch’s staff will shuttle its guests to and from the trailheads in the Park.   For the more adventuresome, Orderville Canyon, a major tributary to the North Fork of the Virgin River and the famed Zion Narrows is nearby.   This full day hike can be combined with a rappel (which can be bypassed, if desired) and involves some canyoneering skills.   A permit from the Park is required, and be prepared to get wet!

Where’s the Cowboy in you?  The Ranch staffs professional wranglers for horseback rides through some of the most glorious country in Southern Utah.   Nightly hayrides are a great way to cap off the day under a gazillion stars.

Are you a fat-tire junkie?  Forgot your mountain bike?   Don’t sweat it; the Ranch has a great fleet of full-suspended bikes.   Pick one out, ride the grounds, or get shuttles up the North fork Road to the sweet singletrack of the Navajo Lake Loop.   Cruise through aspen groves with gorgeous views of the shimmering lake below.   Lo and behold!   The trail snakes out of the trees up and through a black rock lava bed.   Bring your camera.

Like your action motorized?  A skilled ATV guide will lead you on rides through the trails on and around the Ranch and on out near Checkerboard Mesa.

Anything else? Climbing/rappelling wall?   Yep.   Archery course?   Yep.   Zip Line, Paintball, Fishing Ponds?   Yep, yep and yep. Swimming pool, tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball?   Seems like a never-ending list.

But what about something for little kids?   Zion Ponderosa Kid’s Camp, ages 3 to 11 has nature hikes, crafts, games and basic horsemanship for eight hours, with lunch.

For bigger kids, 12 to 17, there’s the Zion Adventure Camp, staffed with camp counselors trained in outdoor recreation.   Camp is located five miles north of the Ranch.

Whew!   All the day’s activities can tend to create a few sore muscles and a tired body. Professional massage therapists are on hand at the Ranch’s spa to relieve those aches and pains. Ahhhh.

Dinner’s over, yet another ho-hum glorious sunset once again glows the western sky over Zion, and darkness creeps in.   The Ranch’s staff provides nightly entertainment, barn dances and Karaoke.   And, Oh yeah. Before you turn in, there’s a marshmallow roast over a roaring campfire.   Is that Jake sitting over there?  

ZION PONDEROSA RANCH RESORT
PO Box 5547
Mount Carmel, UT 84755