Hardware Ranch sleigh rides begin Dec. 1

Heather W. Smith
·2 min read

HYRUM, Utah (ABC4) – It’s that time of year again. Snow is beginning to fall, ski resorts are opening, pumpkin spice is everywhere, and you can bundle up and jump in a sleigh and take an enchanting ride through herds of elk at Hardware Ranch.

The sleigh rides at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Hardware Wildlife Management Area, also known as Hardware Ranch, will begin Dec. 1 and run through Feb. 11.

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The rides have become a tradition for many Utah families and visitors alike. Sleigh rides are provided by Haviland’s Old West Adventures and are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Each ride lasts about 40 minutes and visitors will ride through the middle of hundreds of Elk.

<em>Visitors young and old can enjoy a sleigh ride through herds of Elk at Hardware Ranch. (Photo courtesy UDWR.)</em>
Visitors young and old can enjoy a sleigh ride through herds of Elk at Hardware Ranch. (Photo courtesy UDWR.)

Tickets must be purchased in person the day of your ride and are $10 for those 9 years of age or older and $4 for those 4 to 8 years old. Those 3 years of age or younger ride for free. Tickets are only sold at the Hardware Wildlife Education Center.

Hardware Ranch is located at the top of Blacksmith Fork Canyon in northern Utah and in addition to weekend sleigh rides, visitors can access the Wildlife Education Center and two outside elk viewing areas Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year visitors can spend time warming up and learning about elk at the education center’s new “All About Elk” exhibit. Activities for families will be held in the center at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Each activity runs about 30 minutes.

“Making Christmas ornaments using sagebrush, bitterbrush and other plants found at the WMA is a fun and popular activity,” DWR Hardware Wildlife Education Center Director Marni Lee said. “We’ll be making the ornaments during December.”

Even though there are no reindeer at Hardware Ranch Santa will be making an appearance every weekend through Christmas Eve. A food trailer is on-site for guests to purchase food before or after visiting the elk.

Guests will notice some of the elk wearing GPS collars and Hardware Ranch elk have been tracked as far as Montpelier, Idaho and Cokeville, Wyoming.

For more information about the sleigh rides and the wildlife management area, visit the DWR website. You can also call the ranch at 435-753-6206 or email Lee at marnilee@utah.gov.

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