Fall Roundup, Branding and Cattle Drive
After gearing up, we hike up the quarter mile trail, climbing around 1000 ft in elevation by the time we reach the top. It’s about a mile walk to the base camp where a rustic cabin sits in a lush meadow pasture. This is home for the next couple of days. The first day on the mountain starts out with a hearty cowboy breakfast. After saddling up the horses, we head out to the watering holes and pastures to gather the cows and calves and bring them back to the meadow pasture.
After everything is gathered and in the corrals, we sort the calves from the cows. We brand, castrate, and vaccinate any calves that were not done at the Spring Branding. Campfire branding is done in authentic cowboy style, with you participating firsthand in this exciting, memorable piece of the Old West.
After a night’s rest, we drive them across the sage brush flat to the edge of the plateau where we drop off into Pleasant Grove Canyon. Once the cows have hit the trail, it’s a race to keep up with the herd. Partway down the canyon, we pass through the historical Cowboy Camp. At the base of the canyon, we keep the herd moving down the rugged Mud Slide area and onto the neck of the Grand Bench. For several miles you will see some fantastic views, looking down off the cliffs into Little Valley and Rock Creek, as well as Lake Powell.
At a certain point in the trail, we break from the cows and head towards home, ending up at the winter base camp and rock corrals across Little Valley Canyon. This is where we unsaddle and hop into motorized transportation and head back to civilization.
Join us for delicious hand-cooked meals, campfire songs and stories, and hard-earned memories. We hope to see you on the trail!
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