Here are a few photos from the progress on the new Cabin Suite here at Zion Mountain Ranch.
The views from this cabin are amazing. The new Buffalo Retreat Suite will surely be the premier cabin suite at the ranch.
There is nothing more magical than a rainy day in Zion National Park. The slot canyons throughout the park are spilling beautiful waterfalls, and the clouds dance at the peaks of the mountain tops. Rainbows are seen resting in the sky’s, and birds and wild life come out to bath in the warm rainfall.
It doesn’t rain often here in Zion, but when it does we welcome it with open arms.
A long time coming… the horse known as Shay finally had her colt. So we thought it would be fitting to name him Finally. He is already starting to get his training. Needless to say we are very happy to have him with us at last!
This simple nighttime treat is a must around the campfire at Zion Mountain Ranch. S’mores are a classic American treat that take a bit of delicious practice to master. Guests from all continents, young and old, have a great time relaxing around the campfire after adventure filled days in the park.
Zion Mountain Ranch has it’s own gardens that produce a wide varity of fresh organic vegetables and berries used by local restaurants and guests. Most the vegetables and berries that are used in the gourmet dishes prepared at Chez Bison are grown here.
We believe it makes all the difference to grow our own produce for the health of our guests, and to do our part in reducing some of the pollution associated with the transportation of foods.
The baby horses are a favorite at the Ranch, so far this summer, Zion Mountain Ranch has had two new Baby Horse arrivals. This filly was born on May 29th. Her name is Stardancer, because of the star shape on her forehead.
Zion Mountain Ranch grows a wide variety of fresh produce. Right now the strawberries are just getting sweet enough to eat, and guests are enjoying snacking on them as they ripen. When the gardens are ripe the produce is used to make fresh dishes in the Buffalo Grill and East End Pizza.
Kids and adults alike get to enjoy the new arrival of the Zion Mountain Ranch Chickens. Located a short walk from the lobby, you can’t miss the crowd of people that want to hold there own chick. Kids have a great time making new friends, and playing with the baby chicks.
This year at Zion Mountain Ranch we have had 10 new additions to our buffalo herd. A female cow will have 1 offspring per year. Baby buffalo are called calves. They are usually born in April or May, and they weigh about 30 to 70 pounds. They have reddish-brown fur and do not have a hump. After a few months, the fur begins to change to brown and the hump will begin to develop.
You can stand right outside the fences surrounding the buffalo herd and watch the buffalo drink, eat, and play. Most of our cabins also have a spectacular view of the buffalo pasture.
The buffalo is the largest land mammal native to the Western Hemisphere, reaching heights of over 6 feet and weighing more than 750 pounds. Its bulk, however, does not slow it down. American buffalo can reach speeds of up to 37 mph.
Female Cows and their babies live in hierarchical herds controlled by a dominant female. Males live apart and only enter the female herds during mating season, when the males fight over access to females.
Once over 50 million American buffalo roamed the plains of North America. This symbol of the American frontier was nearly destroyed due to overhunting by the settlers of the 19th century. Conservation efforts saved the buffalo from the brink of extinction, but the fraction that do remain are either captive or come from captive stock. Here at Zion Mountain Ranch we are preserving the little habitat these majestic animals have left to roam. No one owns these beautiful animals, they were on this land long before we were, and as long as we’re here we’ll see that they stay.