One of my personal favorites meandered through a dark, steep pine forest and emerged on a high-mountain grass-covered hillside overlooking a gorgeous valley. The trail was a joy to run and demonstrated the philosophy behind Tripp's trail creation. He worked closely with the best trail builders in the country through the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council to make sure the trails not only were fun to ride but also lasted and blended with the countryside.
"I'm trying to make this business sit well with the land," he said. His trail techniques demonstrate that, with well-thought-out water drainage and narrow trails that reveal the area's beauty with minimal ecological impact.
Over the course of the next few days, we had several chances to test our ATV mettle on some challenging trails. The best of the lot was a loop that ran along Sheep Creek at the bottom of a narrow rock canyon. The trail features 16 water crossings, mid-wheel-high to seat-deep, all of them rocky-bottomed. The granite canyon walls rise above the trail, and a narrow, fast-running creek snakes through. The trail is narrow and tight, with thick brush pressing on both sides. At one point, we came to a spot where Sheep Creek spilled over a rock ledge and into a swimming hole. Had the weather been warmer, that spot would have been impossible to pass without our taking a dip.
The rest of the trail system crosses several high passes with lots of rock and some serious sidehilling. On all of the trails, wildlife was incredibly abundant. We saw mule deer every day we were out. At one point, Eisenzimer and I were riding in one of the green valleys, climbing our way up to the craggy rock outcroppings, when we spotted the ranch's herd of bighorn sheep. We rode within 100 yards of the normally wary animals. On foot, we were able to approach within 100 feet of the sheep before they scampered up into the rocks.
The forces of nature surround you on the ranch, and the Tripps warned that the weather in May would be unpredictable. Their words proved prophetic; we woke on the morning of our third day to a fresh coating of heavy snow blanketing the mountains and high meadows.
After sampling Tripp's superb cowboy quiche (he was the resident cook before hiring Fitzgerald), we set out to ride the trail loop along Sheep Creek again. The snow and rain of the night before raised the water levels considerably. When we came to the first crossing, the water was a good 12 inches higher than it was the day before. I was riding a '90s vintage Suzuki KingQuad. The lower ATV is a wonder on sidehills and when crawling around tight trails, but it was a liability in deeper water. I was the last to cross a 40-yard stream that had been about 18 inches deep the previous day. The stream was 2 feet deep and then some, and the little Suzuki and I were swept downstream about 10 feet as I crossed!
We soldiered on, but the canyon crossings were deeper than what we were comfortable tackling with several relatively inexperienced riders tagging along. Things turned out just fine, as plenty of the trails were still open; the snow was not deep enough to slow the ATVs, and the weather was still reasonably warm (about 35 degrees).
After a full afternoon of riding, we came back to hot showers and the last of Fitzgerald's wonderful meals. After dinner, we sat with the Tripps, who told us more about life on the ranch.
"It's a phenomenal place to raise kids," Leslie Tripp said. "I don't think they'd be as well-adjusted living in town. They have horses, motorcycles and 15,000 acres to run in."
Guests will find themselves taken in as part of the Bull Run Guest Ranch's crew. Many visitors are repeat customers who return each year to ride the abundant trails, fish the local rivers, hunt Harris Mountain and hang out with the family and hands.
"Once they are here," Leslie said, "they are my guys. As long as you look at it that way, you are just taking care of family."