Before selecting a guest ranch vacation in California, determine how "authentic" you want the experience to be. With a multitude of guest ranches throughout the state, California can accommodate virtually all ability levels, ages and needs, from an eight-year-old who wants to bed-down under the stars, to a 50-year-old who's dreaming of riding the range rounding-up cattle or luring trout out of a ranch's backyard creek.

If you're a cowpoke hankering for a variety of recreational pastimes -- riding, fly-fishing, swimming, hiking, hayrides, golf, tennis -- most ranches will meet your heart's desire. A stay at many ranches includes ample meals and planned activities that revolve around each specific ranch's topography. With a bit of Old West know-how, you can select a guest ranch to fill all your needs. The best thing to do is contact each ranch directly.

The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort. Located 35 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, is tucked away on 10,000 acres in a quiet corner of the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley. A working cattle ranch since 1946, The Alisal is a year-round horse lover's paradise. Enjoy trail rides with a private guide, early morning breakfast rides, and half-day lunch rides to a private lake. Outdoor activities include regular fly-fishing, boating, pedal boating and windsurfing at The Alisal's private 90-acre spring-fed lake; year-round swimming in a heated pool and spa; hiking and wildlife watching. Golf and tennis enthusiasts are in the swing with two 18-hole championship golf courses and seven tennis courts. Special activities for children include arts and crafts, hay rides, mini-rodeos and special trail rides and riding clinics. Settle back and unwind in one of 73 cottages with high-beamed ceilings, covered porches and garden views, or lounge by the wood-burning fireplace featured in some rooms.

Chanslor Guest Ranch. A 420-acre working ranch, is perched above Pacific Coast Highway 1 in Bodega Bay, just 1-1/2 hours north of San Francisco. A truly unique experience, guests can enjoy magnificent beach rides on more than a mile of ocean front trails at Salmon Creek Beach. For avid bird watchers, this is an excellent area to view birds using the Pacific flyway. Another option for wildlife viewers is the wetlands preserve located on the property. Accommodations include a three-bedroom ranch house with a bunkroom, as well as a rustic room in the historical farmhouse. Chanslor Guest Ranch is open year-round.

Circle Bar B Guest Ranch, offers tranquility along with down-home comfort. Situated on 1,000 acres, the ranch is approximately 20 miles north of Santa Barbara and a scant 3-1/2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Accommodations include cabins and ranch rooms all with private baths. For an additional fee, 1-1/2 hour guided trail rides or 1/2 day excursions featuring a picnic lunch are available. Dinner theater productions in the Old Barn are presented weekends, April-November. Other activities include horseshoes, croquet, hiking, swimming and hot tubing. If you decide to explore the beautiful countryside beyond Circle Bar B, ranch staff will be happy to pack you a picnic lunch. Circle Bar B Guest Ranch is open year-round.

Coffee Creek Guest Ranch. The pristine beauty of Trinity National Forest and Trinity Alps Wilderness Area surrounds the 127-acre Coffee Creek Guest Ranch. Activities include horseback riding, bonfires, movies, bingo, line dancing, archery, trap shooting, hiking, gold panning and fishing. Coffee Creek has disabled accessible accommodations and riding. Unique offerings include romantic weekend getaways, horse drawn hayrides and horse rides to view colorful fall foliage. All accommodations are cabins--most with wood burning stoves. Located 72 miles northwest of Redding, the ranch is open Easter through Thanksgiving.

Drakesbad Guest Ranch. The process necessary to contact the Drakesbad Guest Ranch during the season may test your early-American spirit. Call a long distance operator and ask for the Drakesbad Toll Station No. 2 and wait for an answer. Nestled in Lassen Volcanic National Park, accommodations are rustic, modest and most are without electricity. Outdoor enthusiasts revel in natural trout fishing in nearby streams and lakes and the swimming pool filled with mineral water from nearby hot springs. Four-hour trail rides take in such scenic spots as Devil's Kitchen, Boiling Springs Lake, Kings Creek Falls and Terminal Geyser. All-day rides are available for the more adventuresome. Located 17 miles northwest of Chester in Plumas County, Drakesbad opens in early June and closes in early October. At an altitude of 5,700 feet, expect warm, sunny days and cool nights.

Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort. A true oasis in the desert, Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort is approximately 300 miles from Los Angeles. In the heart of Death Valley National Monument, the inn is a Spanish Villa-style grand hotel that has long played host to Hollywood's elite. For the high spirited, the rustic 224-room Ranch Resort is reminiscent of an old mining town, complete with general store, saloon, town square and the Borax Museum, which houses relics from Death Valley's famous mining days. Both offer leisure opportunities galore: golf on North America's lowest course (205 feet below sea level), tennis, croquet, bicycling, carriage rides and swimming in a naturally warm spring-fed pool. Spectacular desert excursions include Zabriskie Point, Scotty's Castle and a snow-capped Panamint Mountain backdrop. Furnace Creek Inn and Furnace Creek Ranch Resort is open year-round.

Greenhorn Creek Ranch, located on 840 acres in the fantastic Feather River country -- "a land of 100 lakes and 1,000 miles of mountain streams." The rustic ranch borders the Plumas National Forest, so outdoor activities abound. Choose among horseback riding, fishing, boating, gold prospecting, mini-rodeos, rope spinning and bonfire sing-a-longs. Greenhorn Creek Ranch, approximately 10 miles east of Quincy off Highway 70, is open from mid-April through November.

Highland Ranch, a secluded place of beauty and comfort, is located 122 miles north of San Francisco. The ranch has tennis, swimming, two-acre bass lake and horses for guided rides over many miles of maintained trails. Hiking and bicycling on winding country roads and deer paths provide views of the pastoral Anderson Valley and Pacific Coast Mountain Range. Weary travelers will find comfort in cozy cabins, many with fireplaces. Culinary delights from the ranch kitchen are served in the country-style dining room. The 100-year-old California farmhouse features a large stone fireplace and spacious living room. Highland Ranch is open year-round.

Hunewill Circle H Guest Ranch, established in 1861, is situated at an elevation of 6,500 feet in the magnificent Bridgeport Valley, 5 miles southwest of Bridgeport off Highway 395. Circle H Guest Ranch has been a part of the 4,500-acre cattle ranch since 1931. Riding is the main activity at the Circle H. Highlights includes mountain rides into the pristine Toiyabe National Forest, moving cattle, swim rides to the creek and fall foliage rides in late September. Other activities include trout fishing, hayrides, swimming in a sparking stream and hiking. Guests are accommodated in cottages with porches as well as rooms in the ranch house. Hunewill is open May-October.

JH Guest Ranch. The 300-acre JH Guest Ranch is designed for families and singles that wish to participate in week-long Christian programs. Activities include white-water rafting, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, volleyball, tennis, rifle shooting and hiking. Accommodations are in cabins. Approximately 35 miles southwest of Yreka off Highway 3, JH Guest Ranch is open June through September.

Rankin Ranch. Founded in the early 1860s, the 31,000-acre the Rankin Ranch stretches over the Tehachapi Mountain countryside 42 miles northeast of Bakersfield off Highway 58. Most people visit for the ranch lifestyle, which harkens back to the Old West. Guests rest comfortably in six two-room cabins with home-cooked meals served in a high-ceilinged dining room furnished with family antiques. Wanna-be cowhands can generally get in on a round-up if they come at the right time, and genuine wranglers lead trail rides daily. Supervised children's programs are available, at certain times throughout the year. Facilities include a swimming pool, a pool table, tennis courts and fishing areas. Quarter Circle U Rankin Ranch opens the week before Easter, and stays open until the first Sunday in October.

Slide Mountain Ranch. Sit tall in the saddle at Slide Mountain Ranch, a scenic working cattle and horse ranch in California's Gold Country. The ranch boasts a renovated bunkhouse and to-die-for Western barbecue. Face the challenges of gathering cattle on 300 acres or enjoy trail rides into the picturesque Mother Lode country. An indoor riding arena enables guests to learn basic riding skills or the sport of cutting horse riding. Slide Mountain Ranch, nine miles from Sonora in the town of Tuolumne, is open year-round.

Spanish Springs Ranch, a 70,000-acre authentic working cattle ranch located in the rugged high desert country of Lassen County. A wide range of facilities, amenities and activities, with an emphasis on horseback riding and trout fishing in stocked lakes, make this year-round ranch ideal for families. There are opportunities to participate in, round-ups, and cattle drives. Accommodations range from elegant Western-style cabins, suites and duplexes to historic, refurbished homesteads and Indian teepees. Amenities include a heated swimming pool, tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball courts, archery, trap shooting and rodeo arena. Located off Highway 395, Spanish Springs is 50 miles north of Susanville and two hours north of Reno. Spanish Springs Ranch is open April 15 through October 15.

Wonder Valley Ranch Resort. Old West romance and excitement endure at Wonder Valley Ranch Resort. Cottages set among large sycamores near the babbling Mill Creek, as well as motel-style rooms offer pool, mountain and lake vistas. Wonder Valley, decorated by wildflowers each spring and crimson and gold leaves each autumn, caters to groups and bed and breakfast visitors and is year-round.

There are facilities just right for conferences, retreats and reunions. Tours for international guests as well as activities for senior citizens are available. Trips into nearby Sequoia National Forest and Kings Canyon National Park are available as are nature walks, hayrides, fishing, sailing, canoeing, swimming, aquathenics, bocci ball, and, of course, horseback riding. Wonder Valley is 40 miles east of Fresno.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Chanslor Guest Ranch
2660 Coast Highway 1
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
(707) 875-3333
www.chanslorranch.com

Circle Bar B Guest Ranch
1800 Refugio Canyon Road
Goleta, CA 93117
(805) 968-1113
www.circlebarb.com

Coffee Creek Guest Ranch
Star Route 2, Box 4940
Trinity Center, CA 96091
(530) 266-3343 or (800) 624-4480
CoffeeCreekRanch.com

Drakesbad Guest Ranch
(off-season) 2150 Main St. Suite 5
Red Bluff, CA 96080
Drakesbad Toll Station No. 2
www.drakesbad.com

Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort
P.O. Box 1
Death Valley, CA 92328
Ranch Resort (760) 786-2345
FurnaceCreekResort.com

Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch
2116 Greenhorn Ranch Road
Quincy, CA 95971
(530) 283-0930 or (800) 33-HOWDY
GreenhornRanch.com

Highland Ranch
P.O. Box 150
Philo, CA 95466
(707) 895-3600
www.highlandranch.com

Hunewill Circle H Guest Ranch
P.O. Box 368
Bridgeport, CA 93517
(760) 932-7710 (summer) or (775) 465-2201 (winter)
www.hunewillranch.com

JH Guest Ranch
8525 Homestead Lane
Etna, CA 96027
(530) 467-3468 or (800) 242-1224 (U.S.)
www.JHRanch.com

Rankin Ranch
P.O. Box 36-CLIA
Caliente, CA 93518
(661) 867-2511
www.rankinranch.com

Slide Mt. Ranch
19280 Mira Monte Road
Tuolumne, CA 95379
(209) 928-4287
www.slidemountain.com

Spanish Springs Ranch
P.O. Box 70
Ravendale, CA 96123
(530) 234-2150 or (800) 272-8282
www.spanishspringsresort.com