Adventure Guide- Bar 10 Ranch, AZ
At the far North end of the Grand Canyon, at the place where an unassuming dirt runway and long winding dirt road collide, lies the gateway to an ATV and UTV riders’s dream of adventure and exploration, and views that burn in one’s mind for a lifetime. This place is the land of rugged terrain, vast canyons, raging rivers, and the place outlaws ran for solace from “the law”. This place embodies everything the American West stands for, and to this day appeals to those wishing to experience the adventure and excitement offered by the Old West. This is the Arizona strip and this gateway is named the Bar 10 Ranch.
About Bar 10 Ranch
Bar 10 Ranch was founded in the early 1970’s by retired electrician turned cowboy Tony Heaton. He and his wife Ruby, bought small ranches until they acquired just over 10,000 deeded acres with another 200,000 acres of grazing rights on BLM and Arizona State lands. The Bar 10 not only continues to thrive as a working cattle ranch but also as a place to experience the adventure of old west, whether it be on ATVs or other vehicles, white water rafting, or horseback riding, or just a place to get away from everything (and I mean everything) of the modern day! The Heaton family continues to own the ranch, with Gavin and Kelly Heaton and their families taking the “reins” of the day to day work of running the Bar 10 Ranch. One thing you can expect from each and every encounter had at the Bar 10 Ranch is warm friendly hospitality from the Heaton family that sticks with you long after you leave.
Experiencing the Ranch
There are so many things the rustic and remote Bar 10 Ranch has to offer, with ATV & UTV riding just the tip of the enormous iceberg. Start with the ranch lodge offering comfortable accommodations, down home old west buffet style cooking, and all the comforts of home to those needing a place to get off the beaten trail. For those wanting a little more “rustic” style accommodations there are the covered wagons (yes that’s right) offering a place to lay one’s head. What an experience! There is also horseback riding, skeet shooting, river rafting, helicopter and airplane rides, good old fashioned relaxing, and stories courtesy of Uncle Ned regaling you with his accounts of history, outlaws, and cowboy culture. Setting foot at the Bar 10 Ranch brings with it many memories which will last a lifetime. The Bar 10 Ranch offers options from a single night’s stay to packages of multiple days with activities included, and everything in between. Clicking on their website below or giving them a call will show all the different options for those wishing to stay at the ranch.
ATV & UTV Riding
Riding the Grand Canyon is the ATVer’s ultimate dream as it brings together exploration, adventure, remote location, and views so unique, most will never be able to experience them. How many ATV & UTV riders ever have the opportunity to ride in the Grand Canyon! Trails include scenic canyon rims, huge lava flows, rock out-crops, deep canyon views, and most incredibly, views of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon themselves, which can include a hike down to the Colorado River itself, if one feels energetic enough! In all of my riding in some amazing places, my time riding in and around the Bar 10 Ranch and Grand Canyon is one I will NEVER forget. Experiencing this is truly the opportunity of a lifetime not to be too cliche. Pictures cannot begin to do justice to the views they capture on a trip to the Bar 10 Ranch. You can bring your own machines or rent them, but either way, this is a place filled with many trails to ride, taking you to places no camera can do justice to.
Getting There
To say Bar 10 Ranch is “off the grid” would be an understatement as it is literally and completely off the grid. There are two primary ways to get there: drive or fly. If driving is your preference, then coming out of St. George, Utah, is the primary way to get to Bar 10 Ranch, and be prepared to spend 2 to 3 hours on a dirt road in a high-clearance vehicle (sounds like fun to me). The other way is to fly from Las Vegas 45 minutes on a “smaller” plane, and land at the Bar 10 Ranch landing strip nicknamed the Whitmore International Airport. Then you must take a long 2 minute van ride to the lodge from the airport aka landing strip. To say flying into the Bar 10 Ranch is a hoot, would also be an understatement, and it was totally worth the experience. Either way, just get to the Bar 10. You can find map directions at the link below.
A Must Adventure
I can say without hesitation that via plane or vehicle, riding the Bar 10 Ranch should be placed on every ATV & UTV rider’s bucket list of places to ride. Of places I have set foot on and taken in views that will change your life, this is in the top 3. Words can simply not be penned to begin to describe what your eyes take in in the backcountry of the Bar 10 Ranch. Suffice it to say, I will be going back and taking my family along for the adventure at the Bar 10. All the links and phone numbers to contact the Bar 10 Ranch are below, and tell them ATVESCAPE sent you.
Phone- 435-628-4010
Email- contact form on https://www.bar10.com/contact-us/
Map Directions- https://www.bar10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/motor-routes-to-bar-10-lodge.pdf
