Three Bars Ranch | Cranbrook, British Columbia

A splendid working cattle ranch for a first class family holiday, Three Bars Ranch has beautiful facilities and great food. Ride to your heart’s content, explore trails led by wranglers through the woods, crisscross the plateau or wander along a riverbank. At the end of the day, join your fellow guests for a delicious dinner and relax in your comfortable cabin.

A typical day at the Three Bars Ranch will begin with an amazing breakfast served buffet style with so many choices, the eyes boggle. Delicious local eggs, fruit, cereals of every kind, breads, muffins and waffles are all on the menu to set you up for the day ahead. Riding is obviously the main activity at the ranch but fishing and whitewater rafting are also options. The Three Bars Ranch has over 100 horses and choosing the right one for you is important, so that will be the first task in the morning. Once selected you will head out on the trail. First time riders will be given all the instruction they need to be able to ride confidently and competently where as the more experience riders will be able to stretch themselves and the horses on a faster ride. You will get back to the ranch for lunch at about 1200 and then out again, if you wish in the afternoon. Once a week, there is an option to pack a picnic and head out for an all day ride. The evening is an important part of your ranch holiday. Dinner is a very sociable occasion with everyone gathering around to swap stories of the day and enjoy a delicious meal including wonderful home made puddings and pastries.

The wranglers are a vital part of your ranch holiday. On their shoulders sits the responsibility of looking after you and making sure you enjoy yourselves. The Buckley family who own the Three Bars Ranch go to extraordinary lengths to make sure they hire the right people. The role of a wrangler is diverse. They not only have to be very experienced horse people so that they can look after you and the horse, anticipating every move before it is made but their job also includes guiding raft trips, mountain bike tours, hiking and even mixing a decent drink!

Cabins

The spacious cabins are very comfortable and very “Canadian”. They have hand built log furniture, cosy duvets, full bathrooms, a sitting area and of course the all important front porch. The cabins have one, two or three bedrooms and you will be allocated the one that best suits your needs.

Why we like it

The riding and the comfort make for a perfect ranch holiday.