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Environment:

Wilderness Warrior – Land Stewardship at Siwash Lake Ranch

Before she ditched her debutante city life to become a lady rancher, Allyson Rogers thought she knew how to be a good steward of the environment. Now, 16 years later, after carving a beautiful ranch out of the wilderness - one that is in complete harmony with nature and the land around it - the creator of Siwash Lake Ranch has some stories to tell. From dealing with over zealous loggers and miners, to wetlands conservation and to raising an orphaned fawn, her fierce determination to preserve and nurture the land has prevailed. Today, Siwash Lake Ranch is an eco-friendly, high-end retreat; an exclusive hideaway where sophisticated travelers from around the world can enjoy a return to nature and the finer things in life.

Eco-ranching at Siwash Lake

Siwash Lake Ranch has been recently awarded Five Green Keys by the Hotel Association of Canada. A Five Green Key eco-rating is awarded to a hotel that exemplifies the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility throughout all areas of operations. The ranch employs cutting edge technologies, policies, and programs which set the international standard for sustainable hotel operations. Siwash is located completely off the grid and uses solar power. Every aspect of the ranch has been designed to be eco-friendly. Environmental stewardship and maintaining harmony with nature are paramount in the ranch’s mission statement. Although the ranch is miles ahead of most green tourism operations, the ranch is focusing on a variety of exciting new environmental initiatives for 2008.

Romance:

Wild Romance – A Wilderness Adventure for Two

Typically, men love to fish and women love horses, so they indulge these passions on separate guys’ or gals’ getaways. But at Siwash Lake Ranch, couples can experience the best of both activities together, at an intimate, secluded hideaway. A pair can ride side by side across the plateau one day and cast to trout on sparkling backcountry waters the next. And once they’ve mastered basic skills with a personal guide, they’ll have the opportunity for complete privacy;

the freedom to share a first-class wilderness adventure, just the two of them, without a guide or other guests. At day’s end, they’ll relax in style at the boutique lodge and dine together on organic gourmet cuisine. Ranch staff will set a special romantic dinner for two, complete with candle light and linens, “al fresco” style in the meadow. Later, the couple will curl up amidst the finest linens, serenaded by the call of a loon on Siwash Lake…

Horseback Riding:

Freedom to Roam

While every guest ranch offers the opportunity to ride horses, Siwash Lake Ranch does not buy into the “nose-to-tail” philosophy of most dude operations. After a thorough orientation and a few introductory rides with a guide, guests are encouraged to take their horses out and ride on their own. The unguided riding program offers guests the chance to explore the 80,000 acres of scenic ranchland in peaceful solitude, while truly connecting with their horse. This especially appeals to experienced riders who are looking for more challenge and adventure than the typical guest ranch has to offer. Less experienced riders also have the freedom to roam as they please, accompanied by one of the ranch’s guides.

Hands-on Horsemanship

Learning to ride a horse is like anything else - some people are nervous, some catch on quickly, some are more confident than others. Starting from the ground up, Siwash teaches practical skills to all guests in a safe and supportive environment; they learn to groom and saddle their horse and are assigned their own mount for the duration of their stay. The ranch embraces the philosophy of Natural Western Horsemanship, which is conveyed with passion in an easy going manner by world-class guides. Beginners are offered extra instruction, and the chance to explore the scenic trails with a guide who can answer questions and ensure safety. More confident and capable riders are free to ride unguided and explore at their own pace, after proving their abilities.

Families/Children:

Free-Range Kids

Siwash Lake Ranch is one of only a few luxury guest ranches in North America that is truly family-friendly. The children’s program at Siwash is the ultimate holiday for kids of all ages. With young children of their own, ranch hosts Allyson and Roy offer a Huckleberry-Finn-type experience including wilderness survival training, scavenger games, fort building, toad and frog hunts and ranch style crafts, all under the careful supervision of a dedicated children’s program counselor. There are cute critters to pet, pigs to feed, veggies to pick, eggs to collect, and horses to care for and ride. With so much to do, even big-city kids are sure to have the holiday of a lifetime.

Upscale Family Fun on the Frontier

Multi-adventure trips that offer a learning component and life enrichment are popular vacation options, and a family holiday to Siwash Lake Ranch is no exception. Far from the madding crowd, families have the opportunity to reconnect in the old-fashioned sense and spend quality time together, enjoying riding, fishing, hiking, canoeing and mountain biking, to name a few. This luxury ranch is a safe and intimate haven, free of distractions from the outside world (no Nintendo and no TV; just board games; DVD players in the rooms with a select choice of movies; and wireless Internet for grown-up business access only).

Corporate:

Saddled for Success - Unique, Intimate Executive Retreats

The ranch will arrange group meetings in the woods, in an open meadow, or next to a roaring river – places where the power of nature will touch one’s mind and spirit, and inspire the soul. Around the table or around the campfire, Siwash Lake is the ideal meeting place. With fresh country air and plentiful activities, the setting at Siwash Lake Ranch offers executives a perfect opportunity to combine business with pleasure. Catering to small corporate retreats or team building functions, the staff at Siwash can organize an agenda combining the best of the ranch’s activities with an indoor meeting component. The lodge offers full amenities for group gatherings: the great room and dining room can accommodate group presentations and indoor activities, as well as wireless Internet service for those who can’t truly leave the work world behind. The ranch’s intimate atmosphere offers a unique and refreshing oasis for team bonding and clear thinking – critical for a successful corporate retreat.

Seasonal Highlights:

Spring Safaris at Siwash Lake Ranch

June in the Cariboo is lush and green. Backcountry waters, swollen with spring run-off, nourish exquisite wildflowers that carpet the woods and meadows. Marshes resonate with a symphony of bird song, while animals and their newborn are on the move in search of forage. Cougar, coyote, bear, moose, deer, and beaver are just some of the species native to the area, while a myriad of waterfowl, birds of prey and songbirds call the nearby forests and wetlands home. And what better way to enjoy this wilderness paradise than on horseback? Besides the exhilaration and the thrill of riding, exploring on horseback has great advantages. You can access habitat in a quiet, non-invasive way - very eco-friendly of course, but also essential for the best wildlife viewing. Similarly, you can cover miles of territory in a single day. When it’s time for a break from the saddle, an interpretive hiking trail around Siwash Lake identifies much of the regional flora, while the owners’ twelve-year-old son, Marshall, acts as the resident naturalist. His mom, Allyson, is passionate about environmental stewardship, while her partner and co-host, Roy, is part Native and has grown up in the region, so has a wealth of backwoods knowledge. They and their guides are eager to share springtime wonders at Siwash Lake Ranch.

Autumn Glory in Canada’s Cowboy Country

From mid-September to mid-October, the trembling aspen trees of BC’s Cariboo region turn a brilliant shade of gold. Azure skies and shimmering backcountry lakes provide the perfect canvas for this exquisite display. Soft, autumn light is crystal clear and the fall air is laden with a sugary aroma of changing leaves and pine. Cowboy scents - campfire smoke and saddle leather – enhance the natural potpourri. The ranch is set in the midst of it all, making September at Siwash the perfect time to experience nature at its most beautiful. The aspens surround the main lodge, although some spectacular vistas can be best appreciated by photo safari on foot or astride one of the ranch horses.

Lifestyle:

           High Tech in the Toolies - Modern Day Pioneers at Siwash Lake

Who’d have thought you could live a life of luxury in an area where there are no paved roads, no power lines for hydro, no sewers, and no public water systems. However, at Siwash Lake Ranch, owners and their guests enjoy the very best of high-end, eco-friendly wilderness living - thanks to some innovative designs with state-of-the-art equipment, a healthy dose of trial and error, and pure pioneer’s persistence to get it right…

           Home on the Range

A 7,000 square foot, hand-hewn log ranch house is nestled on a knoll overlooking a private wilderness lake. All aspects of this casually elegant, boutique lodge have been designed with comfort in mind, and the gentle ebb and flow of the great outdoors seeps all around. The great room boasts a cathedral ceiling with magnificent 30-foot river rock fireplace, focal point to a soul pleasing arrangement of overstuffed furniture, country antiques, vintage fabrics and Persian rugs. French doors open to a spacious sundeck, where song birds serenade from nearby pines…