By Jayne Cannon

When the high rises cast long shadows over your desk and you daydream about relaxing in a saddle, perhaps it’s time to unleash your inner cowpoke. You don’t have to leave the Carolinas to go home on the range – two authentic dude ranches are nestled in the North Carolina mountains.

A visit to Rex and Aileen Frederick’s 58-acre, 22-cabin, Clear Creek Guest Ranch in Burnsville offers an all-inclusive vacation getaway surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest, but with an equine twist. Seventy horses are available for riding, and Clear Creek accommodates all riders, from first-timers to those who are comfortable in the saddle.

“They’re good trail horses,” Rex Frederick said. “Some are a little more spirited, and that’s what experienced riders want. We have people up here all the time who have never been on a horse, and they go out and try, and then they go again and again, and the next day, they love it.”

By definition, a dude ranch is a resort that offers on-site ranch-style activities. A century ago, Americans vicariously enjoyed the Wild West adventure vacations of President Theodore Roosevelt; at the time, such vacations were available only to aristocrats.

Today, anyone can find plenty to do at Clear Creek Ranch without going near a saddle: fishing, hiking, swimming, soaking in the hot tub, tubing down the South Toe River, golf at nearby Mount Mitchell Golf Club, whitewater rafting and just plain relaxing in a rocking chair or a hammock on a wide porch with breathtaking mountain views.

Clear Creek Guest Ranch also offers excursions to nearby attractions; popular choices include top glassblowers, pottery artisans and jewelry crafters.

Ranch life tends to revolve around the Main Lodge, where guests linger on the wide front porch, and the Cantina, where guests enjoy coffee in the morning, cocktails in the afternoon or evening and play cards, watch television or listen to music.

Meals are in the lodge and served family style.

At least twice a week, guests board wagons and head to the bank of the South Toe River for communal cookouts. Steaks are grilled on Tuesday nights, and on Saturdays, barbecued ribs and chickens are on the menu.

The ranch is open from April 1 through Thanksgiving. Rates include all meals and activities except golf and whitewater rafting and start at $150 per person, per night.

CATALOOCHEE GUEST RANCH
At Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley, the Alexander family for 70 years has greeted generations of patrons at their 1,000-acre spread. General manager Alex Aumen, whose grandfather, Tom Alexander, opened the ranch, said half the guests are returning customers.

“It’s like they’re coming to your home,” he said. “They’ve watched us grow up, and we’re really like family to them.”

Cataloochee opens in May and closes in late October; on Dec. 26 each year, its 12 cabins and 12 rooms in the lodge house skiers, many of whom ski on nearby Catoloochee Ski slopes, which is not affiliated with the ranch.

Cataloochee offers the full ranch experience – horses, hiking, fishing – although only about half of the guests actually saddle up, Aumen said.

“I’d say most people come here for the pace … the peace and the quiet, a chance to go outside and not be right on top of someone,” he added.

Room rates start at $173 for double occupancy and include breakfast and dinner. Four “romance” cabins are available, each with wet bar, private whirlpool and deck.

For those who crave a slower pace with a faster connection, high-speed wireless Internet is available.

Clear Creek Guest Ranch: (800) 651-4510 or www.clearcreekranch.com
Cataloochee Guest Ranch: (800) 868-1401 or www.cataloochee-ranch.com