Defa’s Dude Ranch
If you’re thinking of getting away from it all, Defa’s Dude Ranch is your solution.
Equipped with 17 cabins, RV Park, horseback riding, horseshoe pitching, nature hiking, fishing, camping, pack trips, café, saloon, dancing, and beautiful scenery, your haven to relaxation is only 80 miles from Salt Lake City.
Locals have enjoyed the dude ranch for years, ever since Frank Defa, founder, built the first cabin, and lodge, in 1946. With the help of his son, Alfonzo, Frank personally built each cabin, one a year for seventeen years, adding the café in 1954. The dude ranch was eventually passed on to its third generation, and is currently managed by Geno Defa, grandson of Frank.
Defa’s (pronounced Duh-fays) Dude Ranch sits underneath one of its main attractions, one that "draws sightseers, painters and photographers to this secluded canyon in the Ashley National Forest each fall," (Salt Lake Tribune article, see 'Scenery'). During the fall months, a cluster of Aspen form a heart-shaped phenomenon as their leaves change to yellow. Be sure to visit during the fall to catch this romantic glimpse of nature!
Defa’s Dude Ranch is open May through October, seven days a week. The dude ranch encourages visitors to stay with them during week days, to enjoy a real sense of peace and quiet at a discounted rate.
Phone(435) 848-5590