Winter Outing Worth the Drive

Ever since Anna has been in Logan we've talked about going out to Hardware Ranch to see the elk. Mike and I have never been out there. So last weekend we went up to see Anna and Tay and talked them into going out there with us. It's a half hour drive from their house up the canyon through Hyrum to the place they feed the elk. The drive was lovely, snow on the sides of the road, but none on the road itself. The air was cold but not windy. We found the visitors' center and bought tickets to go on the sleigh ride out to the pasture where they feed. You can see plenty from the side of the road if you didn't want to take the ride, though.

That day there were about 300 elk on the meadow - mostly cows and older calves with two or three bulls. The wagons were wearing their "dry" tires rather than their sleigh treads so it was a little bumpy. The ride is about 20 minutes long and the driver and guide both know lots about the elk, the ranch, and the horses that pull the sleigh. If you haven't gone out there it's a great little getaway. I bet all my friends and family with little kids would love it. I was surprised it only cost us $5 per adult and children are less or free if they're very young. They have a small dining area in the visitors' center where you can eat a picnic lunch (we stopped at Burger King before coming up the canyon) and real bathrooms - the kind with heat and air dryers. It was all in all a great experience.