New Mexico Cowboy Week New Mexico USA Dreamed of riding the open range on a good horse, driving a thousand head of cattle? Ride back in time for a week at this working ranch at Copper Creek in New Mexico - where dreams come alive and adventure reins. 78,000 acres of wild high country, 3000 head of yearling steers and just four guests. You bet you will be a cowboy, this is the real deal! The ranch is one of New Mexico’s oldest working guest ranches. For twenty years they have made cowboy dreams a reality for thousands of folks. This summer we will be helping the owners graze 3000 yearling steers. We will be needing four folks a week to come lend a hand. The ranch is remote, over an hour from the closest town. The headquarters sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by the 3 million acre Gila National Forest. If you think of New Mexico as heat, rocks and rattlesnakes - think again! This ranch is at an elevation of 8,000 to 10,000 feet, this is high country at it’s finest. Towering Ponderosa Pine forests, alpine meadows, Spruce covered mountains and miles of rolling grass lands. This place has it all. The plan is to keep all 3000 yearlings in one of the six big pastures for a month and then gather and move to the next pasture for a month and so on from May through October. Each pasture is about 12,000 acres so by the time we gather, drive, spread, and get strays a month has galloped by and it’s time to do it all again. So no matter when you visit there is always plenty of cowboyin’. We did it this way a couple times over the years and let me tell you it is long day after long day of gathering and driving big bunches of cattle. It’s cowboy heaven! Many days we will watch the sun rise and set from the back of a horse. Wildlife abounds here. This ranch is known as one of the premier elk habitats in the U.S. It is an everyday deal to ride and see hundreds of elk in one herd and view many herds each day. There are also plenty of antelope, deer, hawks, eagles, wolves and other critters. Rich in history this high and lonesome country was the heartland of the Apache. Victorio, Mangus, and Geronimo all were born and lived in this awesome land. Billy the Kid, Kit Carson and Ben Lilly traveled these trails. Butch and Sundance were cow-bosses on the ranch for three years. Things are safer now but the country hasn’t changed a bit. You will see it as they saw it. Wild, free and unspoiled. WE HAVE NO scorpions, rattlesnakes, ticks, chiggers, blackflies or mosquitos! Working Ranch Cattle Drive, Round Up Suitable for riders over 210 lbs Meeting: Albuqerque Airport: Albuquerque Transfer: Albuquerque 12 noon Hotel Riders: Min 2 riders Max 4 riders Trip Brochure (PDF) Trip Rating

Packages and Options

Click here for updated current rates.

Minimum Deposit: ~$50.00 per person

Tax: 5.625 %    

Transfer and Other Options:

Pickup is on Sunday @12:00 noon at the Sheraton Airport Hotel and drop off is on Saturday @ 12 noon to the Albuquerque airport. We recommend you fly into Albuquerque on Saturday and stay overnight. The Sheraton Airport Hotel does offer free airport shuttles.

2012 CALENDAR
This calendar is not an absolute, set in stone sort of deal. What we do and when we do it depends on grass and water and a few dozen other things. It is impossible to say months ahead of time exactly what we will be doing and when. The Spring Spread might take two weeks or six weeks. Fall Gather could be the same so just use this as a general guide line.


Spring Spread:  
mid May to Mid June
The cattle will start arriving in early May. They will come in on semi’s a few hundred a day, a few days a week. When they get in the corrals they will be looked over and anything not looking good will be cut off and held for doctoring. We will then push the rest out into one of the big pastures and drive them to water before we let them drift. For those of you who know the ranch they will be going into Bearwallow and Negrito Pastures at this time of year. The days cattle aren’t arriving we will ride out gathering and driving them deeper into the mountain pastures spreading them thin. We will be staying at the main headquarters.


SUMMER DRIVES:  
mid June to mid September
The grazing plan calls for the 3000 yearlings to move to new pasture each month. The summer will just be constant gathering, driving and spreading cattle. There won’t ever be a day that we aren’t working cattle. We will be riding Loco Mountain, Canyon Creek and Pitchfork pastures during this time of year and staying out in camp a few nights a week.


FALL GATHER AND SHIPPING:  
mid September to mid October
We will have worked our way around the ranch over the last few months and late fall we’ll end up in 7HL pasture ready to come into the smaller holding pastures for shipping. The first couple weeks we will be gathering 7HL and getting all the strays rounded up. The last few weeks are spent gathering a bunch out of the holding pastures to ship every few days. Into the corrals we drive them to be sorted, weighed and loaded on trucks. It’s a lot of fun! We will be staying at the main headquarters.

Don’t let the thought of New Mexico in the summer scare you away, it’s not what you may think. At an 8,000 feet elevation and riding up to 10,000 feet, makes for comfortable days and chilly nights. July and August the days are in the upper 70’s and low 80’s with frequent afternoon thunderstorms which make for incredible sunsets. Mid summer nights will be in the upper 40’s and low 50’s.

Clothing and Riding Gear
• long sleeved shirts, light colored in spring and summer
• heavy sweater and/or wind breaker! Even in the middle of summer, when the sun goes down it gets COLD.
• scarf or bandana
• gloves
• walking shoes or hiking boots
• boots with heels for riding (hiking boots don't make it, unless you don't want to ride)
• hat: cowboy. Cowboy hats offer more protection from our intense sun.
• canteen with a study strap. The size we suggest is one quart or one liter.
• rain gear--but please, no super-light "disposable" ponchos

Personal Items
• toiletries
• chapstick or some kind of lip balm with sun protection
• towel
• sunglasses
• sleeping bag rated down to thirty, this is needed anytime of year
• flashlight and extra batteries
• camera
• YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING YOUR OWN SADDLE
• BOOZE! B.Y.O.B.; we'll stop at a grocery store on the way to the ranch so you can stock up
• cash. (for tipping the help)
• We are a long way from anywhere, and a three hour drive to the nearest drug store, so please be sure you have an adequate supply of all medications you may need.

Things to Forget:
We have no electricity so leave those blow dryers, curling irons, shavers, and radios at home. Your cell phones, Blackberries, Raspberries or what ever the hell ya got won't work here either.
Besides, you're on vacation!
And hey, we know your dog is special and sweet and perfect, but ours aren't and we have too many as it is, so please, NO DOGS!

Average ratings from 3 tour feedbacks (see details below) Horses: (5) Excellent (4) Very Good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1) Not Satisfactory Saddle/Tack: Accommodations: Meals: Host/Guide: other Riders: Name Date robin platt 7/19/2004 harley cozewith 7/4/2004 caryl meeks 7/17/2002

Which pastures we are riding determines where we eat and sleep. In the spring and fall we will be staying at the headquarters. Everyone in their own cabin, hot showers and sit down meals in the cookhouse.
Mid summer we may spend a few nights each week out on the range in a basic cowboy camp of tents and bedrolls, no showers and meals are eaten on our laps.
The cabins are nestled in the pines and just steps away from the cook house, showers and corrals. Each has a twin and a double bed, gas heat, solar light and a deck with a couple chairs for relaxing as the sun goes down. They are clean, warm and cozy, everyone loves them

The Bunkhouse has two sets of bunk beds, gas heat and gas lights with a deck over looking the valley. It’s a bit roomier than a cabin and perfect for three or four folks. 
There also is a Big Cabin with two bedrooms, full kitchen and bath, living room with wood stove and a deck that over looks the hay field and horse pastures - a surcharge may apply - ask for a quote.
The shower house has just been renovated and is really nice! There is a cowboy side and a cowgirl side each with two sinks and a shower with plenty of hot water!
Yes, we only have an outhouse but I promise you it is the nicest one you have ever been in. It too was just renovated.



Meals
Meals are served up in the cook house which is just steps away from all the cabins. It’s a very cool building. All our meals are simple and hearty and there is always plenty.
Breakfast is a big one, then we each make our own lunch from a spread and pack it with us. (We often don’t stop for a picnic but just eat on the go.)
Dinner is stews, roasts, BBQ and such. Of course a few New Mexican meals also. (You will learn not to be scared of green chili.)
All our beef and eggs and many veggies are home grown and most of our other meats are local. We like to eat and eat well! When we are out in camp and away from the headquarters, we have a chuck trailer with us and eat well there too.

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Tack:		Western
Horses:		Quarter horse, Mustang
Pace:		All paces on variety of terrain., 6-8 hrs per day | Walk | Trot | Canter |
Level:		(3 to 4 out of 5)    Intermediate+
Age:		Min 16
Weight:		Max 300 lbs
Riders:		Min 2 riders	Max 4 riders

Horses
The horses make our world go around and we have some great ones. Many of the horses were born here on the ranch and have never been off it, they’re family. They know their jobs and do it well. They work cattle.
Solid sure footed partners for getting a days work done. They ride with a soft mouth, work lightly off your leg (if you don’t know what that means maybe take some lesson before getting here) and they know what a long day is. They all are a pleasure to be around. They don’t like riding nose to tail and we don’t either.

Tack
Western saddles and tack is provided ... if you want to bring your own - you are welcome

Experience Level
You don’t need to be a top hand to come out, by the end of a week you will be well on your way to being one.
But you must be at least an intermediate level rider. You must be able to saddle and mount unassisted and be confident and easy on your horse at all gaits. The spring pastures are mountainous and can be technical with steep slopes, fallen timber, rocks and streams. The summer and fall pastures are more open and rolling but still offer up some challenging terrain.

We have a weight limit of 275 pounds and you must be in good physical shape with no serious medical problems. We are three hours from the nearest hospital!

You must not be a whiner!
You must be willing to pitch in and get dirty.
You must have a sense of humor and bring a joke.
We don’t claim to be for everyone. We aren’t going to babysit you.
WE AIN’T NO DUDE RANCH!
If your looking for kidney shaped swimming pools, shuffleboard, or a Jacuzzi look some where else.

Passports
Valid passport required by all nationals referred to in the chart ; validity varies - for most countries the passport must be valid for at least six months from the date on which the holder enters the USA. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport; check with the embassy (see Contact Addresses).
Passport Note
(a) For nationals included in the Visa Waiver Program (see below), passports must be valid for at least 90 days from date of entry.
(b) All travellers entering the USA under the Visa Waiver Program require individual machine-readable passports. Children included on a parent's passport also now require their own machine-readable passport. Travellers not in possession of machine-readable passports will require a valid USA entry visa.
(c) Passports issued on or after 26 October 2005 will need to have a biometric identifier in order for the holder to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Machine-readable passports issued between 26 October 2005 and 25 October 2006 require a digital photograph printed on the data page or an integrated chip with information from the data page. Machine-readable passports issued on or after 26 October 2006 will require an integrated chip with information from the data page (e-passport).

The US has announced new measures that require all travellers to provide details online 72 hours prior to travel.
ESTA: The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) came into force on 12 January 2009. It is a fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA applications must be submitted at least 72 hours before travel to the USA. Some websites may charge you for the service but you can apply online for free at www.dhs.gov. The granting of an ESTA does not guarantee entry to the USA.

 

New Requirements for Travellers: As of 23 January 2007 all persons, including US citizens, travelling by air between the USA and Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport, or other approved document, when entering or re-entering the USA. Similar requirements for those travelling by land or sea will be introduced on 1 June 2009.

For further details about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, visit the website of the US Department of State: (website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html).

Visas
Not required by nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days except:
1. nationals of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic, who do require a visa.
Visa Note
(a) Landed Immigrants of Canada and British residents of Bermuda who are citizens of, and have valid passports from, Commonwealth countries or Ireland are not eligible to enter the USA without a visa. (b) All passengers using US airports for transit purposes are required to obtain a transit visa. This does not affect qualified travellers travelling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. (d) To qualify for visa-free travel under the Visa Waiver Program, nationals must travel on a valid passport, for holiday, transit or business purposes only and for a stay not exceeding 90 days. (e) Passengers must have the full address and ZIP code of where they are staying in the USA to be able to fully complete the I-94W form. Note: Airlines are also required to collect passenger details, including the address of their first night's accommodation in the USA, before they board the aircraft. (f) 2. Holders of UK passports with the endorsement British Subject, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Protected Person, British Overseas Citizen or British National (Overseas) Citizen do not qualify for the Visa Waiver Program. A passport which states holder has right of abode or indefinite leave to remain in the UK does not qualify for visa free travel. (g) A visa does not expire with the expiry of the holder’s passport. An unexpired, endorsed visa in an expired passport may be presented for entry into the USA, as long as the visa itself has not been cancelled, is undamaged, is less than 10 years old and is presented with a valid non-expired passport, provided that both passports are for the same nationality. (h) Nationals of countries not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Types of Visa and Cost
Tourist, Business, Transit and Student: US$131.
Validity
Visas may be used for travel to the USA until the date it expires. Some visas are valid for multiple entries. The length of stay in the USA is determined by US immigration officials at the time of entry but is generally six months; there is, however, no set time.
Applications to:
Embassy or consulate (see Contact Addresses).
Working Days Required
Usually five after interview. Some cases may take up to 12 weeks – check with embassy/consulate.

Passport Required?
British	Yes
Australian	Yes
Canadian	Yes
USA	N/A
Other EU	Yes
Visa Required?
British	No/2
Australian	No
Canadian	No
USA	N/A
Other EU	1
Return Ticket Required?
British	Yes
Australian	Yes
Canadian	No
USA	N/A
Other EU	Yes

This information is not being updated on a regular basis. Hidden Trails does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of the above information. Please, consult the embassy or consulate for updated info.