The Grand Ranch in Kanarraville, Utah, is an amazing place to stay. This little ranch outside Cedar City puts you right in among friendly animals. Imagine staying in your very own petting zoo. The highlight of Grand Ranch is that each unit has its own private micro highland cow that you can feed right through your window. You’ll love this property for special occasions, family vacations, reunions, and couple getaways.
This hand built ranch features chickens, goats, alpacas, sheep, donkeys, pigs, and especially shaggy highland cows. Each variety of animal is the smallest of its species, and all of them like to be brushed, cuddled, and hand fed. Our kids loved this adventure, but we loved it every bit as much.
Lodging
First of all, there are two types of dwelling for humans at The Grand Ranch in Kanarraville. Ours had a bedroom with a king bed downstairs, a living area, and a loft with another king bed upstairs. There was a little kitchenette as well as a large shower and tub in the bathroom. Each unit also has a microwave, mini-fridge, and coffee maker. The larger units have a dishwasher and a two burner plate with cooking essentials.Best of all, the backyard had a hot tub, fire pit, and our own private highland cow.
That’s right, each of the separate units at Grand Ranch features a cow that you can feed through the back window. The cows love being brushed and fed, and are so cute and friendly. Whenever we got the urge, we’d open the window and she’d come right over. Then we spent a few minutes of moo-therapy with Pippi, our shaggy friend.
Smaller units have a king bed in the loft upstairs and a living area downstairs. They also feature huge windows that face toward Zion National Park, which is less than an hour away. I should also mention that we loved the ranch decor in the units, with beautiful antique pieces in each room. You really feel like you are staying on a ranch, but in luxury.
Animals
Out the front door, there is a small area for animals in the middle of Grand Ranch. The chickens roam free through the area, but if you pull out their little red bag of chicken feed, they come running to the call “Chick, chick, chick!” They are so friendly that you can pick most of them up and stroke them like a cat.
There are enclosures for sheep and alpacas on the left, and miniature donkeys and highland cows on the right. All of these animals come right over and let you stroke them or use the brushes on their thick furry coats. You can hand feed many of them with small bags of treats whenever you wish.
Further on there are goats and pigs. You can go inside with the goats and they excitedly eat right out of your hand. They’ll even climb up on you, so if you have an aversion, feed them safely from outside the fence. There are signs on each enclosure telling you if you can go inside, or if you need to visit this animal from outside the fence. It also tells you if you are allowed to feed them or not. Please obey the signs. The best signs, though, are the name tags with each animal. A glance at the tag, and you can call each one (except chickens) by name.
Why You’ll Love It
Though we often go-go-go on vacations, this time we stayed around the ranch for 3 days and 2 nights, feeding and brushing the animals, and enjoying the rural feel of Kanarraville. We soaked in the hot tub, played games, did puzzles, and relaxed. We didn’t feel the need to be out doing activities since the adventure is right here at The Grand Ranch.
There are laundry facilities on the ranch, and a small store with a few vending machines You can buy additional food for each of the animals or pick up farm fresh eggs or honey to take home with you.
If you are spending time in southern Utah, you will love your time at this family-run, family-friendly Grand Ranch! For current booking info and details, visit their website: The Grand Ranch.
